Incident Reporting
Incident Reporting
With all of the activity and adventure of Scouting, there are, unfortunately, bound to be accidents. The BSA takes safety and incidents of injury or liability seriously. All incidents of injury beyond Scout-rendered first aid (i.e. treatment at a medical facility) MUST be reported to the Dan Beard Council. Incidents are reported using the Incident Information Report and should be submitted within 24 hours of the incident.
Note that filing an incident report is separate form opening an accident insurance claim. Please see the Volunteer Insurance Information page for instruction on filing an insurance claim, if desired.
Filing an Incident Report:
The following procedures apply to adult leadership at the scene of all incidents.
Most importantly, first care for the injured and prevent further injuries. Call 911 for help and begin providing first aid. If the incident occurs at camp, immediately notify the camp director or camp ranger. If the incident occurs at a location other than a council camp, notify the unit leader or adult leadership. If the incident is life-threatening, call 911 first.
Adult leaders are responsible for informing the council of an incident as soon as possible. Download or open the Incident Information Report. Fill in the form COMPLETELY — for any not applicable information, enter “N/A.” Most submitted forms require follow up because essential information is not provided — please save yourself the trouble!
Leaders should be prepared to give specific facts regarding:
- Who? Name and age of subject, as well as name, age, and complete address of parent(s) or next of kin
- When? Date, time and day
- Where? Specific location and address
- What? Nature of illness, injury, or accident
- How? Illness/injury/accident details, if known (e.g. swimming, boating, hiking)
The Dan Beard Council has a crisis communication plan and a spokesperson has been designated in order to avoid conflicting reports. Once proper authorities have been notified, the adult leadership should gather factual information at the scene using the Incident Information Report. These reports can be supported by photographs, diagrams, and statements of witnesses, leaders, and members of the group. The report and documentation should be provided to the council representative, Mike Swofford, immediately.
All incidents beyond Scout-rendered first aid must be reported using the Incident Information Report.