EDMONTON – Following the tragic deaths of more than two dozen campers and camp counsellors due to severe flash floods in Texas, Canadian summer camp organizers anticipate a significant enhancement in their emergency plans and preparations for the upcoming summer season. Brad Halsey, an Alberta summer camp director and vice chair of the Alberta Camping Association, stated, “I would be shocked if there aren’t a lot of people that are looking at this and taking pause, even reflecting on their own policies.” He emphasized the importance of examining whether their existing policies are adequate.
Halsey, who manages a summer camp located north of Edmonton, noted that while wildfires are a predominant threat for camps in Alberta, the fundamental principles of emergency preparedness remain the same despite the nature of the disaster, whether it be fire, flood, or other emergencies. “Do leaders know where to go? Do we have the muster points? Do we have the evacuation plan in place? And have we practiced it?” Halsey questioned, reiterating that all summer camps should have affirmative answers to these critical inquiries.
The Alberta Camping Association, a voluntary regulatory organization, establishes standards for safety and emergency preparedness among its member camps, which number over 40. Halsey explained that member camps are mandated to maintain crisis and disaster plans, employ trained and qualified staff to implement these plans, and demonstrate that they conduct regular practice drills. He highlighted that while each camp's emergency plan varies based on community needs, location, and nearby water bodies, having a structured plan is indispensable.
Provincial regulatory bodies akin to Alberta's exist across nearly every province to enforce safety standards in summer camps. Additionally, the Canadian Camping Association oversees these provincial bodies. In some regions, such as Ontario, legislation exists that requires camps to develop comprehensive safety plans. Eric Shendelman, a former president of the Ontario Camps Association and an authority on drowning and injury prevention, expressed that the catastrophic event in Texas would prompt camp organizers nationwide to evaluate their emergency preparations. “It’s amazing how a traumatic scenario like that, even if it’s across another nation, does have this ripple effect,” he remarked.
Shendelman added that while he was uncertain whether improved planning would have prevented the tragedies at Camp Mystic, which had its emergency plans approved just two days before the flooding, this incident serves as a wake-up call for Canadian camps. Reports indicate that despite having emergency plans, campers at Camp Mystic were not moved to higher ground following a flood watch issued a day prior by the U.S. National Weather Service. This negligence has raised concerns among Canadian camp organizers who are now deliberating on their actions in similar scenarios. “We’ve heard from a number of directors who are quite concerned,” Shendelman noted, emphasizing the need for expert insight into flood management practices.
In Alberta, the timing of the Texas flooding coincides with staff training sessions at Bar Harbour Camp, located 170 kilometers south of Edmonton. Co-director Darielle Rairdan recognized the Texas incident as a critical reminder of the necessity for rigorous emergency preparedness. “We don’t just talk about these things to talk about them,” she asserted. “If something like that happens, you need to know what we’re doing.” While wildfires represent the most significant risk to Bar Harbour, the camp remains conscientious of the potential for future disasters despite never having experienced a fire-related evacuation in Rairdan’s 20 years of involvement.
Rairdan, also a board member of the Alberta Camping Association, stated, “We need to make sure that we know what we’re doing so that if we do happen to have a huge wildfire, we don’t end up in a situation like that where we have all these casualties.” The focus on emergency preparedness and proactive planning has taken center stage, underscoring the importance of safety in summer camp experiences.
