The local council has the responsibility to approve
or disapprove the plans of any Cub Scout, Boy Scout, or Explorer group to
conduct a trip, tour, or expedition. Approval is based on meeting high
standards for leadership, transportation, equipment, program, health and
safety, and business management as established by the Boy Scouts of America.
Permits fall into two categories:
·
A local tour permit is needed
for trips of less than 500 miles. To get one you must fill out a Local Tour
Permit application, No. 34426. It is approved by your local council, and a
portion of it detached and sent to you as your permit.
·
A national tour permit is needed
for tours of 500 or more miles or that cross national boundaries and into
the territory of other nations. To get one you must fill out a National Tour
Permit Application, No. 4419C. In addition to local council approval this
application must be sent to the regional service center of the Boy Scouts
of America. Upon approval, the permit is issued to you.
A tour group must have its permit in its possession at
all times and must display it when requested by Scout officials or other
authorized persons. All reservations by a tour group for overnight group
camping on council properties and military bases will be subject to the
presentation of a tour permit on arrival. Groups are encouraged to secure the
signatures of those authorized persons on the front of the tour permit as
indications of satisfactory experiences at various stopping points.
Adult Leadership
Adequate, well-trained leadership is the best guarantee
for success in any Scouting activity. This is doubly true of tours and
expeditions where added stress and strain are daily occurrences. Special
recognition should be given to the importance of:
·
Taking extra precautions to prevent accidents.
·
Increasing the safeguards that ensure the best health conditions.
·
Conducting a quality program throughout the trip.
·
Maintaining the reputation of the Boy Scouts of America.
It is the policy of the Boy Scouts of America that trips
and outings may never be led by only one adult. At least two adult leaders, one of whom must be 21 years or older, are
required for all trips or outings.
The "safety
rule of four" requires no fewer than four individuals (always with a
minimum of two adults) on any trip into backcountry areas while camping out. If
an accident occurs, one person should stay with the injured person and two
people should go for help. Additional
adult leadership requirements must reflect an awareness of such factors as size
and/or skill level of the group, anticipated environmental conditions, and
overall degree of challenge.
It cannot be emphasized too strongly, therefore, that
only leaders who are well trained in camping and who have a sound and practical
appreciation of the problems likely to confront them should consider assuming
the responsibilities connected with a tour.
Besides planning in advance how to meet a situation
leaders should be familiar with conditions in the territory to be covered, preferably
by personal experience or by contacts made well in advance. They should know the kind and amount of
equipment that will
be required and how to care for it; differences in cost of foodstuffs,
gasoline, oil, etc.; variations in climate; road conditions; sources of food
and water supply; campsites; and places where medical attention can be
secured.
Leaders must be aware of the fact that they are setting
an example for members of their own units, for Boy Scouts, Explorers, and
others they meet. Leaders and their
units will be accepted and judged as typical representatives of the Boy Scouts
of America, and in their hands lies much of the responsibility of upholding the
splendid reputation and prestige that Scouting has built up through the years.
Additional adult leadership requirements must reflect an
awareness of such factors as size and skill level of the group, anticipated
environmental conditions, and overall degree of challenge.
·
Male and female leaders require separate sleeping facilities. Married
couples may share the same quarters if appropriate facilities are available.
·
Male and female youth participants will not share the same sleeping
facility.
·
When staying in tents, no youth will stay in the tent of an adult other
than his or her parent or guardian.
During transportation to and from planned Scout outings:
·
Meet for departure at a designated area.
·
Prearrange a schedule for periodic checkpoint stops as a group.
·
Plan a daily destination point
A common departure site and a daily destination point
are musts. Two adults for each vehicle is desirable.
One adult per vehicle is the minimum required, however, a youth member must
never travel alone with an adult. At least one other adult or youth member must
be present.
Complete records of your tour are necessary, not only
because they present evidence of careful planning and thorough preparation on
the part of the leader, but because they offer a permanent account of what
actually occurs and when. All expenditures should be substantiated by receipts;
receipts should be kept, and at the end of each day, a full accounting and
record should be made. At the end of the trip, a clear and accurate statement
of expenses and receipts should be developed for future reference.
Careful, complete records should be made of any
accidents, however slight, including first aid treatment and any subsequent
treatment.
A log or day-by-day account of the trip, illustrated with
photographs, besides being a fine project for a patrol or crew or even an
individual interested in journalism, offers a splendid opportunity for developing
a permanent record of the trip to be preserved in the archives of the unit
or council.