Trips & Tours. 2013/14 Edition. Trips & Tours. Page 1 imperialcollegeunion.org/training

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1 2013/14 Edition imperialcollegeunion.org Page 1

2 Contents This manual will: Contents 2 Introduction 3 Planning a trip or tour 4 Risk assessment and emergency planning Using minibuses 7 Overseas trips & tours 8 Recognition as a tour 11 College recognition 14 Information about participants 15 Activity registrations 16 Managing a trip or tour 19 Conduct 20 Minor incidents 21 Critical incidents 22 Accident reporting 24 After the event 25 Appendix One - Useful contacts 26 Appendix Two - Useful websites Provide students with guidance on how to plan a trip including budgeting, bookings and bus hire Outline how to apply for money for your trip or tour Give students advice for what to do if things go wrong Tell us what you think of this training publication /training-feedback 2013 Imperial College Union Version July 2013 Page 2

3 Introduction Whether you are going on a day trip, a week long tour or a month long expedition it is your responsibility as the organiser to ensure that the activity runs smoothly and that you and your participants are as safe as possible. This training manual outlines the main aspects of planning a trip or tour, the things you must do to keep your participants safe and how to deal with incidents should they arise. It can never be absolutely exhaustive though. Yas Edwards Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) E: dpcs@imperial.ac.uk T: , extension: There is further training material available. If you are considering running a trip or tour then make sure you have undertaken Key Information elearning. The Event Budgeting training manual provides a useful framework in which you can plan the financial aspects of a trip or tour, Money In and Money Out discusses how to administer the finances and the Publicity training manual discusses advertising. There is much more information available online from Your main points of contact in the Union when considering running a trip or tour are the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) and the Student Activities Manager. Page 3

4 Planning a trip or tour With around 320 different Clubs, Societies & Projects at Imperial it is impossible to provide a definitive guide to running a trip or tour. Every group is different and every activity unique. The steps outlined in this training manual are intended as guidelines only. Pick a destination and activity Regardless of which Club, Society or Project you are from the first thing to do is decide where and when you want to go, as well as what you will be doing when you get there. If you are going on a tour and applying for a tour subsidy you should start thinking about this during the previous term. Details regarding tour funding are given in the Recognition as a Tour section. If you are going on a shorter trip or not applying for tour funding you will need to decide where to go at least two weeks beforehand. Deciding where to go will also allow you to gauge interest amongst your members and discover if there are enough potential participants to make the trip or tour viable. Overseas trips and tours If you are planning a trip or tour outside of the UK then special arrangements apply to ensure the activity is planned appropriately. There are guidelines and policies in place surrounding when proposals must be submitted to the Union regarding overseas activities. These are outlined in the Overseas Trips & Tours section. Budget Even if you are not applying for tour subsidy (see section on Recognition as a Tour) you should still write a budget. This gives you and your members an accurate esjosephate of how much the trip or tour will cost. This budget will need to be approved by your Management Group Treasurer and more than likely the Deputy President (Finance & Services). Guidance on writing budgets for trips and tours can be found in the Event Budgeting training manual, available from. Page 4

5 Planning a trip or tour cont... Advertise the trip or tour Students have many demands on their time so the earlier you advertise a trip the better. Your Club, Society or Project members can then plan their time and commit to the trip or tour. You should give as much information about the trip or tour as possible, such as any special equipment needed, dates and costs, (especially any extra costs that might not be included in the fee you are charging). Make sure you have a clear process to select people if the trip or tour is oversubscribed. Using a first come first served system is fine, but it must be clear to avoid disputes. On some trips you will need experienced members to come along, for example first aiders or when a minibus is being used. In these cases individuals with the relevant experience may need to be given priority before other members. If your trip involves peer-to-peer teaching (i.e., club members are teaching less experienced members) then you must make sure you have a sufficient ratio of instructors to trainees. Be sure to open your trip or tour up to the widest group of people possible though. However, no committee members should be given a finacial benefit in the form of discounts or free places. Deposits By taking deposits for the trip or tour you protect yourself from people pulling out at the last minute and subsequently increasing the price for the other members. Participants must commit to the activity in advance financially, so you have finances to cover payments which will need to be made in advance of departure. The deposit should cover all the fixed costs (accommodation, travel and any other bookings you have made). You should accept deposits via your Club, Society or Project s shop on the Union Website. To find out how to create products see the Money In training manual. Bookings You should book accommodation, venues or travel tickets as early as possible to ensure availability. Accommodation and transport also tend to be cheaper the earlier you book them. If you wish to use a Union Minibus you should request this as far in advance as possible. For details of using a Union Minibus see the Driving a Minibus training manual. Page 5

6 Risk assessment and emergency planning Risk Assessments Most of the core activities of a trip or tour will be covered by the existing risk assessment for your Club, Society or Project. However you should still carry out a risk assessment prior to your trip or tour as it is very important to consider risks specifically associated to the venture. The group of people participating in a trip or tour may be different to your normal activities, the location and environment are likely to be different and the activity is almost certainly going to be of a greater duration. Risks associated with travel, language barriers and accommodation will change depending on where you are going but should be considered. For general information see the Principal Officers training manual. Areas to include A completely exhaustive list of what to include within a risk assessment can never be written, but here are a few starters. Health risks in the place you are visiting, including the availability of health care, vaccinations required and rescue. Security risks such as personal safety, safety of baggage and possibility of unrest. Page 6 Risks associated with the activities being undertaken, this might be building work, mountaineering or knitting. Medical issues of the participants such as existing or chronic conditions, dental work, medications being taken or allergies. Travel risks, both the availability of travel, its reliability and likelihood of accidents. Accommodation risks such as quality of accommodation and the likelihood of it not being available Reputational risks to the Union and College. Emergency plan After writing your risk assessment you should have highlighted ways to mitigate risks, but you are also likely to have considered scenarios which would constitute an emergency, which should also be planned for. You should go through all the possibilities and construct a clear plan which should be circulated to all participants. Such scenarios might include: How to obtain help in the case of a serious accident Loss of valuables, money or travel documents Loss of critical medical supplies or equipment Weather or other natural disasters preventing travel or activity Civil unrest or Loss of liberty

7 Using minibuses Imperial College Union operates a fleet of minibuses. Many different groups regularly use the minibuses we operate, and hundreds of people are entitled to drive. Using minibuses is a very popular transport option for trips and tours, especially ones which take place in the UK. Whether you have a sports fixture on a Wednesday afternoon or are embarking on a month long tour you need to plan in advance if you want to use a minibus. There are 15 minibuses available for booking, with seating capacities ranging from 9 to 15 people including the driver. There are 13 x 15 seaters and 2 x 9 seaters. Requesting a minibus To request a minibus, you can use the online booking system located at: imperialcollegeunion.org/mini-busbooking. You will receive an confirmation with your details which you then print off to take with you when you collect the keys. Driving a minibus Before you can drive a minibus you must have passed a theory and practical test administered through the Union. Information on how to book a minibus test can be found by going to imperialcollegeunion.org/minibuses and then clicking the Becoming a Driver link. It is important that all potential drivers understand both the legal aspects of driving minibuses, together with the internal procedures for ensuring everything operates smoothly and efficiently. It is the responsibility of all users to abide by the rules and procedures in place - one group doing things incorrectly can spoil things for many other people. All the information you need to know about minibuses is contained within the Driving a Union Minibus training manual, available from imperialcolegeunion. org/training. The webpages at imperialcollegeunion.org/driving also provide more information about driving minibuses. Page 7

8 Overseas trips & tours Notification policy Vaccinations and health checks You must notify the Union if you are traveling abroad according to the Activity Registration policy discussed in the Activity Registrations section of this training manual. If you are traveling abroad you may need to have vaccinations. The vaccinations you need will be dependent on the area of the world you are visiting. The Imperial College Health Centre can advise you as to which vaccinations you will need. They can also help you carry out health checks for any tours with above normal physical demands. General travel advice Before you travel abroad check your destination with the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office available at www. fco.gov.uk to see if there are any travel advisories for your destination. It is safer to travel in groups so avoid splitting into groups smaller than two or three people. Take the same precautions you would anywhere else - don t drink to excess, make sure you have some way of staying in contact and be careful with your possessions. Page 8 Travel insurance It is absolutely essential that anyone travelling outside of the UK on a Club, Society or Project activity has suitable travel insurance for the country they are visiting. The Club, Society or Project Officer in charge of a trip should ensure that

9 Overseas trips & tours cont... all participants are covered by suitable travel insurance, including search and rescue cover where appropriate. Organisers should check the Foreign & Commonwealth Office s current travel advice before planning or embarking on an overseas trip, available online at Some Club, Society or Project trips outside of the UK which are of a representational nature may be able to make use of the College s Travel Insurance Policy. Project ventures which have been approved by the College s Exploration or Student-led Projects Review Boards (see section on College Recognition) may also be able to use the College s travel insurance. College Travel Insurance Use of the College Travel Insurance is subject to regular change, so please do not assume you are automatically covered. If you wish to make use of the College policy please contact the Student Activities Manager well in advance of your trip. For Club, Society & Project trips the excess for personal property claims (such as mobile phones, cameras, ipods etc.) is 100. Participants are advised to arrange independent cover for their personal possessions as they see fit. Cancellation or disruption Trip and tour organisers need to be aware that insurance companies will be unlikely to respond to travel cancellation/ disruption claims arising from a cause which existed or the possibility of which existed and for which advance warning had been given before the date on which the journey was booked. It is reasonably likely that volcanic ash disruption and airline strikes will fall within this exclusion category, please consider this in the planning of the venture. Trip and tour organisers are welcome to use whichever travel insurance provider they feel most suits their needs, but all participants Page 9

10 Overseas trips & tours cont... going overseas must have suitable travel insurance for the activities being undertaken. Pay special attention to the benefits outlined in the policy detail and areas such as rescue cover and repatriation. Generally there is a likelihood of foreseeable travel disruption over the summer months for various reasons. Given these circumstances trip and tour organisers may conclude that it would be prudent to avoid incurring nonrefundable expenditure until as close to departure date as is reasonably practicable. This will reduce the likelihood and severity of any cancellation or curtailment claim arising. Trip and tour organisers are encouraged to look closely at the insurance policy they will be using for their trip or tour and make participants aware of the details of that policy should the need for a claim arise. Queries can be directed to the Student Activities Manager. Equipment You must ensure that the equipment you are taking is suitable for the activities being undertaken. While your activity may have a standard set of essential equipment; e.g. rope, harness and protection for the mountaineering club, but you may need extra equipment. For example, if you are camping you will need different gear than if you are staying in a hostel and the time of year will dictate the type of clothing and safety equipment you need. This information should be given to your members as early as possible in case they need to acquire any items. If you are travelling abroad make sure you are not carrying any prohibited items and check the restrictions on what can be carried on aircraft, both in the hold and as hand luggage. You should also make sure your airline has given you sufficient weight allowance for your equipment. Driving overseas Driving overseas may be a necessity for the activities which you are proposing to undertake. Be sure to check that the driving licences of those proposing to drive are valid for the country you are going to, and be sure to check the conditions of vehicle hire contracts. If you wish to take a Union minibus outside of the UK you can only use a vehicle with 9 seats due to differential driving regulations in Europe. Union vehicles cannot be taken beyond Europe. For more information about the Union s vehicle fleet see the Driving a Union Minibus training manual. Page 10

11 Recognition as a tour The Clubs & Societies Board holds a fund of money to be allocated to Clubs & Societies to help fund their tours. The tour fund is divided into Winter, Spring and Summer and applications for each section are made in October, January and May respectively. All Clubs & Societies can apply for a subsidy to cover up to 33% of travel costs. Funding is approved dependant on whether the proposal is accepted as a tour. This is decided at the Tours meeting of the Clubs & Societies Board. Clubs & Societies can only submit one tour proposal for each funding period. Definitions An activity must fall within the following criteria to be considered as a tour: A tour is defined as being a period of at least two residential nights spent by members of a Club or Society away from the geographical locality of their mainstream Club & Society activities, supplementary to their normal practices. The purpose of a tour should be to further the aims and objectives of the Club or Society, supporting their activities beyond which can be achieved through usual day-to-day, week-to-week operations. The primary activity whilst on tour should be the Club or Society activity. Geographical locations of tours should be chosen to make use of opportunities that would normally be unavailable and not otherwise visited by the Club or Society whilst undergoing normal levels of activity. A tour should have a clear aim or objective against which success or failure can be measured and should not be purely social. Travel is defined as being the travel, by any means, to, from or during a tour; to reach the geographical location in which the activity shall take place, rather than as part of the activity being undertaken. Page 11

12 Recognition as a tour cont... Tour funding applications A tour funding application needs to be completed to apply for money from the Clubs & Societies Board. Applications must be made using eactivities. Log into eactivities, then click Administration, then Clubs, Societies & Projects, then the tab labelled Tour Applications. Select the tour period for which you are applying by clicking either Winter Tour, Spring Tour or Summer Tour. Complete the required details on the form, remember to say why your planned tour meets the criteria discussed previously. Once you have filled in all the details boxes will appear to add in the planned income and expenditure. Once you have entered all the information press Commit. By clicking the Final Overview subtab you can view a breakdown of the money you are applying for. The Previous Tours subtab lets you see the applications from the past few years which your Club, Society or Project have made. Add in the details of the tour Page 12

13 Recognition as a tour cont... If you are unsure of numbers going on your tour, give the best esjosephate. Money is allocated on a per person basis, so over-esjosephating the number will not benefit you financially in the long term. If you are unsure of the exact cost of travel, give a good esjosephate based on a number of quotes you have received. Remember to include extra items such as accommodation, food, equipment hire and other costs. Remember to submit the application for funding at least seven days before the relevant Clubs & Societies Board tours meeting. Late applications will not be accepted. Your Management Group Chair will remind all their Clubs & Societies well in advance of when the upcoming tours deadline is. It is mandatory to attend the Clubs & Societies Board meeting when your tour application is considered, and be prepared to explain, discuss and defend your application, based on the tour definition above. Tour funding allocations Clubs & Societies whose applications are successful will be informed by the Deputy President (Finance & Services) and the money will be allocated to a tour category on the Club or Society s transaction pages on eactivities. All tours are required to write a report which is sent to both Felix and the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies). Tour reports will also form part of an annual report which the Union is required to submit to the IC Trust who provide the bulk of the funding for tours. Important: Any unspent tour grant is transferred back to the CSB tour fund at the discretion of the Deputy President (Finance & Services) after the tour has taken place. Therefore, the Club or Society Treasurer needs to ensure that all grant awards which have been made are spent by that date. Tour Period & Deadlines The tour period is defined by the date when the trip begins: Tour Period Winter Spring Summer Start Date Start of Christmas vacation to end of Spring term Start of Easter vacation to end of Summer term Start of Summer vacation to end of Autumn term Page 13

14 College recognition If you are planning a very ambitious trip or tour overseas then you can apply for College recognition - this is usually when you are going to areas with low levels of economic activity and limited medical facilities, or will be undertaking dangerous activities e.g. construction, remote mountaineering. This means that the College will officially support your project with insurance and expert advice but will also require certain safety conditions to be met. Two forms of recognition are possible, an Expedition or a Student-led Project. A committee containing expert College staff, alumni and student representatives will then decide if your idea will be given official recognition. The relevant approval board may make suggestions for changes but remember that they are there to help, not to make it difficult for you. To apply for this type of support the Student Activities Manager as soon as possible. The Union will help you to polish your application before consideration by the College. Items for proposals Please note that not all the items may be applicable to all trips or tours, nor is it an exhaustive list. Executive Summary - Where you are going, for how long and what you will be doing. Risk Assessment - This should contain all aspects of your trip, including travel, activities and accommodation. Emergency Incident Plan - This should cover not only accidents but also major emergencies such as civil unrest or evacuations. Logistics - How will you complete your trip? Do you have access to food, water and medicine? Itinerary - Where, when and with whom are you traveling. Health - Do you have the required vaccinations? Do the participants require a Health Check? Are the participants physically fit enough for the activities being planned? Medical - Do you have the necessary first aid training? Contacts - Contact details of not only the participants but also any NGOs or collaborators. Permits - Do you have all the permits and visas required to complete the trip? Funding - What are your sources of funding for the tour or trip? Page 14

15 Information about participants Information When you have finalised all the details of your trip or tour you must let the participants know in good time. This should include when you are leaving and returning, where you are staying, what you will be doing and any specific equipment needed. If you are traveling overseas you must also inform the participants if they need any visas, special permits or vaccinations. If individuals are meeting the main party during the trip or tour or departing early ensure you are clear about the arrangements with them. Information flow will most likely be an ongoing process throughout the planning stages of the tour. Personal details You do not, nor should you, collect any next of kin details from participants on any trip or tour. These are kept by the College in accordance with the Data Protection Act and in case of an emergency College Security can inform the necessary people. As the trip organiser you should not inform next of kin of any accidents. See the Minor Incidents and Critital Incidents section for details of what to do in an accident. Before any trip or tour you should enquire if participants have any dietary needs or requirements. You should also ask if there are any medical conditions which are applicable to the activities being undertaken on the trip or tour. The trip or tour leader, as well as participants, should definitely know about conditions such as severe allergies to food or medication, as well as other medical conditions you may need to ensure are treated quickly such as diabetes or epilepsy. Page 15

16 Activity Registrations Each Club, Society & Project has a responsibility to ensure the safety of their members while they are participating in activities. Undertake sensible activities and make sensible decisions. Activity Registrations Registration of activities is mandatory for all Clubs, Societies & Projects. The information provided will help the Union and the College in the case of an emergency involving members while away from campus. The registration must be done online using eactivities. It will only take two or three minutes. The information required falls into two parts, namely: Part A: Details of where, when & what the activity is, who is in charge, as well as departure and arrival places and times. Part B: Details of who is participating, their names & CID numbers. Depending on the activity being undertaken, the information summarised in the table below will need to be provided. Increased Risk Activities On Campus None None Off Campus but within M25 Part A & Part B Other Activities Part A Beyond M25 Part A & Part B Part A & Part B Residential Activities Part A & Part B Part A & Part B Page 16

17 Activity Registrations cont... The list of Increased Risk Activities is: Airsoft Basketball Caving Canoeing Clay Pigeon & Rifle Shooting Climbing Cross Country Cycling Football Free running Gliding Hill walking Hockey Ice Hockey In-line Hockey Kickboxing Kite Surfing Lacrosse Martial Arts (all types) Motorsport Mountaineering Orienteering Parkour Paintballing Parachuting Polo Riding Rugby Rowing Sailing Skiing Snowboarding Squash Surfing Wakeboarding Water polo Waterskiing Windsurfing Yachting The level of information required is relative to the activity being undertaken rather than the Club, Society or Project undertaking it. For example the Yoga Club, who usually do their activities in a room on Campus, generally would not be required to register their yoga sessions. However, if the Yoga Club decide to go on a sailing trip then they would need to register that activity. Conversely, the Sailing Club must register each of their trips sailing, but if they decide to have an evening of Yoga on campus then they would not need to register that activity. The only exception to this registration scheme is for regular sports training, such as the Hockey Club training at Harlington on a Monday evening, or the Boat Club training on the River Thames each morning. Page 17

18 Activity Registrations cont... Activity Registration submissions Activity Registration submissions can be made by any committee member of a Club, Society or Project Committee. First log into eactivities and then navigate to Administration, Clubs, Societies & Projects and finally to Activity Registrations. The screen will default to submitting a new registration. Complete all the details, when the required fields are complete a second section at the bottom of the page will appear so that you can add in the attendees. The current members of the Club, Society or Project will appear on the Attendees subtab. If individuals are attending who do not appear on the drop down list they should be added using the Non Member Attendees subtab. When the registration is complete click Submit Activity Registration. Click Submit Activity Registration when all the details have been added If you need to add new addresses then use the Change/Add New Addresses tab Add attendees here Page 18

19 Managing a trip or tour Managing a Trip Regardless of your Club, Societies or Project s activities the key to a successful trip or tour is clear and effective management. If everyone knows what they need to do and where they need to be during the day (or night) then it is easier for your participants to manage their time. Starting and ending each day with a short brief is essential. This brief can be as formal or informal as you like, but should outline what the planned activities are, where they are taking place and when, as well as any travel arrangements to ensure no one misses any flights, trains, coaches or important engagements. It is also an opportunity for your participants to provide feedback. Your schedule should be as accurate as possible but be realistic - there will often be delays and hold ups so factoring in some extra time will make it easier for you. Assistants Running a trip on your own can be a daunting task and it is strongly recommended that you work together. This allows you to split the tasks involved, and delegate responsibilities. One person can be in charge of organising cooking, another can arrange the transport, while a third can book the activities. This will not only make it easier on the main organiser, but also quicker and more efficient. It is also an excellent opportunity for less experienced members of the Club, Society or Project to gain knowledge and experience running a trip or tour. Finances During the trip you may need to pay for small outlays, particularly during overseas trips. These may include venue hire, parking or food for participants. If you are travelling to remote areas, even in the UK, remember that not all places are like London and cash points may be difficult to find. Plan ahead and take enough money with you. You should work out the trip costs as soon as possible after your return. Don t forget to include any vehicle hire or fuel purchased with the Union s fuel cards. The sooner you can let the participants know how much they owe or are owed the easier it is for them to budget for the cost. Advances of money from your Club, Society or Project accounts are available in the form of an imprest. More details of this process is available in the Money Out training manual. Page 19

20 Conduct Wherever you go you will be recognised as being associated with Imperial College London. Clothing and minibuses are branded with the College s name and bookings at venues will often be made under your Club, Society or Project s name. This means that you and your members are acting as ambassadors for the College. Any detrimental behavior will reflect badly on yourselves, your Club, Society or Project, the Union and the College. Being an ambassador means you should not act in a way that would cause others to think badly of the College or the Union as a result of your actions. Examples would include dangerous or inconsiderate behavior, excessive drunkenness or unlawfulness or rule breaking. Both the College and the Union treat any complaints from the general public very seriously and if you feel any member of your group behaves badly you should inform the Union of this. There is nothing the College or the Union can do to help you if you are involved in illegal activities. Don t break the law - any lawbreaking reflects particularly badly on College and is likely to adversely affect your career prospects. In terms of activities you undertake whilst on a trip or tour make sure they are all appropriately risk assessed. You shouldn t do anything where you have not first considered the risk to your participants. Both the Union and the College can discipline anyone found to be acting dangerously or misbehaving and this can take the form of a fine, community service, an entry on your formal College record or in some cases expulsion. Any negative actions will be remembered for a long time and build a reputation not only for you but also for other Clubs, Societies or Projects. A negative reputation can result in groups being barred from venues and events. It could also jeopardise any sponsorship agreements in the future. Page 20

21 Minor incidents Normally all trips and tours pass without incident. Very occasionally though, something unplanned happens. The level of response from you the people in charge of the activity very much depends on your activities - for example the wind getting stronger very quickly could mean serious issues when mountaineering or SCUBA diving, but might provide an excellent day s activity when sailing or windsurfing. You have responsibility for thinking and responding sensibly and safely when planning for and responding to unplanned incidents. Each trip or tour leader needs to be aware of what to do when unplanned things happen and establish a clear procedure for dealing with them. It is important that everyone involved in organising and running a trip or tour is aware of what to do. The two different levels of minor incidents and response needed is detailed below: Simple Unexpected Incident Simple things that do not adversely affect the overall operation of the event, trip or activity. Such things may include a coach or bus turning up late, forgetting to pack some of the necessary equipment, a disagreement over how to cook dinner. What to do: Do what is necessary at the time to resolve this incident. Learn from the experience and enjoy the rest of the activity. Try to ensure something like this does not happen again in the future. General Unplanned Incident Situations that are unplanned for and are likely to have an impact on the overall activity, for everyone involved. For example a vehicle breaking down, a participant needing to be taken to A&E for a simple injury, forgetting the keys to the accommodation. What to do: Deal with the incident on the ground at the time. Be aware if any of the circumstances have turned (or are likely to turn) the incident into a critical incident (e.g. press interest). If so, then follow the process in the Critical Incidents section. Call the Student Activities Centre, if necessary, to report the details of the incident. Complete an Accident Report Form on return from the activity if necessary. If any type of assistance is required or if in any doubt follow the critical incident process. Page 21

22 Critical incidents Critical incidents are serious incidents which are likely to require professional staff at the Union and the College to resolve. It is very important that if a critical incident occurs you follow the procedure and advice in this section. Critical incidents include: A death or multiple or serious injuries to participants. Participants missing, overdue or in other immediate danger. Serious illness or hospital admission. Arrest or detention by Police or other security services. Participants being a vicjoseph of a criminal incident. Serious Road Traffic Accident Any situation where the emergency services are involved. Any situation which is likely to bring the College into disrepute. Any situation where the media are attending or may attend or have an interest in. Also any situation in which the person in charge of the activity is not confident in dealing with appropriately is considered a critical incident. As experts in the activity being undertaken trip or tour leaders (or their colleagues present) need to deal with the incident in the very first instance. This is why it is vital that organisers know what to do if something does happen. What to do: Call 999 for the emergency services if necessary. As soon as possible (when the situation is under control), call Imperial College Security on to report the incident. Calling the phone number and providing information about the incident will also allow a briefing to be given to the College Press Office - this is a very important consideration as there is generally a large amount of media interest in incidents involving students. The staff who answer the phone and deal with the incident have extensive experience in this area. Most things have been seen before so do not be afraid of calling. The number is manned 24 hours, every day of the year. Additionally a senior member of Union staff is always on duty to deal with Critical Incidents. Wallet-sized business cards detailing what to do in the event of a Critical Incident are available from the Student Activities Centre. Every person leading a Club, Society or Project activity should have a copy of this. Page 22

23 Critical incidents cont... Things to Remember 1. If an emergency occurs do not forget about the rest of the group who are present. Make sure they are safe while dealing with the incident. 2. If you are overseas having someone in your party who can speak the local language is very important. 3. If you call the emergency services you will need to know how to reach them (remember to find out if you are overseas) and exactly where you are. Knowing, or being able to find, your location (a road name, and map reference or a GPS position) is essential at all times. 4. Make sure you know if a participant has any specific medical conditions which may have caused an incident or may affect their treatment. Make sure you know if they are taking medication, what it is, and what the local name of it is if overseas. 5. Make sure you know the emergency phone number for your travel insurance company if you are overseas. 6. Do not talk to the Press and certainly do not attempt to sell stories to the Press. 7. No Club, Society or Project member should admit liability for an incident. 8. Under no circumstances should any member of a Club, Society or Project contact the Next of Kin of a fellow participant. If Next of Kin need to be contacted call the Critical Incident phone number: Ensure you have a well-thought out Risk Assessment. Ensure people organising the event/trip know what is written on these documents. 10. Fill in an Accident Report Form if you have had an accident or a dangerous occurrence. 11. Keep calm at all times. Getting stressed and panicking is likely to make things worse. Page 23

24 Accident reporting If an accident or dangerous occurrence (i.e. an event that could have resulted in an accident) happens while on a trip or tour you must fill out an Accident Report Form. Even though the incident did not happen on an Imperial campus it is still considered an Imperial College London activity, so must be reported. Paper copies are available from the Student Activities Centre, or you can register the incident yourself online on the Imperial College website at formsandchecklists/accidents. You should ensure you take some paper copies away with you on trips or tours. Accident Report forms must be returned to the Student Activities Centre within 48 hours of your return to London. They can be ed to activities.centre@imperial. ac.uk Imperial College is required by Law to submit details of accidents and provide accident statistics. This is not a piece of bureaucracy that is applied only to Clubs, Societies & Projects - every College department and employee is required to report accidents and dangerous occurrences in the same way. The objective of accident reporting is to stop identical accidents reoccurring in the future if possible. A Club, Society or Project will not get into trouble for reporting accidents, nor will your activities be stopped, save under extreme circumstances. Accident reports will be reviewed and advice to review risk assessments may be provided by the Union Health & Safety Committee. Minor injuries and dangerous occurrences, as well as major incidents, must be reported. In the event of certain types of incident you need to follow the procedure in the Incidents section. Page 24

25 After the event Trip or tour report While the trip or tour is still fresh in your memory you should write a trip or tour report. This is mandatory for any tours funded through the Clubs & Societies Board as the funding comes from external sources, but useful for all trips. A trip or tour report informs the rest of your Club, Society or Project of what you have been doing and encourages them to come on the next venture. Most sponsors and donors will want to see a copy of the full trip or tour report, so make sure it is accurate and well presented, as well as being written soon after the end of the event. In addition to a full written report it is good to write a summarised version which can be used as a publicity tool to advertise your event and encourage more people to become involved in your Club, Society or Project. This type of report can be sent to Felix for possible publication (contact the Felix Editor for details), included on your website or the Union or College website (contact the Marketing & Communications Manager for details). For more information about publishing reports see the Publicity training manual. Feedback At the end of your trip you should make a note of what went well and, if anything, what went wrong. This is useful to know as it is likely that you, or your Club, Society or Project will run a similar trip in the future. For this purpose it is also useful to save all this information in one place (your shared drive for example) for future Club, Society or Project committees to use. Page 25

26 Appendix One Useful contacts Yas Edwards Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) , extension Kieron Creagh Deputy President (Finance & Services) , extension Aziz Bilgrami Clubs & Societies Finance Administrator , extension Anthony Crowther Student Activities Manager , extension Kate Colthurst Membership Services Administrator extension Phil Power Membership Services Manager , extension Malcolm Martin Head of Finance , extension Alex Mckee Central Services Manager , extension Joseph Letts Felix Editor , extension Yas is the lead Sabbatical for nonfinancial matters for Clubs, Societies & Projects. Kieron is the Sabbatical responsible for finances. He is responsible for approving all expenditure over Aziz is responsible for administering finances of Clubs, Societies & Projects. Queries about financial content should be directed to him. Anthony is responsible for all the nonfinancial support services available to Clubs, Societies & Projects. Laura can help with queries relating to minibuses and coaches, together with associate and life memberships. Phil is responsible for all the Union s non-commercial services, he can assist with complex queries. Malcolm can assist with complex finance queries and financial planning. Alex is responsible for the Union s buildings, marketing and IT. Joseph is the person to talk to if you want to put something into Felix. Page 26

27 Appendix Two Useful websites Area FCO Travel Advice International Office Imperial College Student Homepage Travel information for Europe Foreign Languages for Travellers Worldwide Hotel reservations Hostelling International Lonely Planet Rough Guides Department of Health Virtual Tourist Imperial College Exploration Board Website address Page 27

28 Imperial College Union Beit Quadrangle Prince Consort Road London SW7 2BB Registered Charity No: Tel: Fax: imperialcollegeunion.org