Lightning and thunder was the theme last night and this morning at Camp Howard, a regular part of all our lives during the year. Watching kids during lightning kicks it up a notch. I have often thought writing about the concerns we prepare for at the camp might be interesting to people especially in light of the tragic situations that have taken place in the camping industry around the country.

Our major concerns at the camp on a day to day basis are of course the swimming pool and the kitchen. Those are also the two areas of concern at all camps for the Health Department. We value the help of the Health Department and use them from time to time to help us as needed. They are a great partner. We welcome their annual visit and strive to be prepared as they would expect us to be, every day. At the pool, in addition to lifeguards, we also implement counselor “spotters” to actively keep watch during their pool session.

Outside of those two areas of concern, fire and wild animals are our next areas of concern. Most of the time, animals want to leave us alone as much as we want to leave them alone. We have protocols for dealing with them and during my 30 camping seasons, we have not had an incident other than sightings. We have the occasional bear trying to get into the dumpster or the compost/garden, but our livestock dogs keep them at bay for the most part. Staff are trained on what do do if they see a bear or cougar and how to react. Again, we have never implemented the training but always prepared.

Fire is the threat that probably bothers us the most and we are diligent about keeping an eye out especially during and after lightning storms. Last night, the Corbett Fire Department came to camp during dinner as their cameras had identified smoke in the Bull Run after some lightning strikes. Camp Howard has the best view of the area and the Fire Department is another great partner of the camp. We helped them navigate the trails leading to the views of the Bull Run. They were able to identify where the area was that was burning and it was a very small, smoldering spot. A team of firefighters went by foot down into the area and worked it by hand, putting it out. Like a great partner, they came back to camp and let us know all was well.

What would we do if fire was a threat to the camp? We are prepared to evacuate all of the campers by vehicle including luggage truck, camp van, trailers and employee cars. Depending on the direction the fire might be coming from, we would either evacuate to Sandy or to Corbett. Our office in Portland is prepared with a system to contact all of the parents and let them know the plan immediately.

Last night, after we got word of the “smoking tree”, we prepped our fire evacuation plan and made ready among the administrative team of the camp. It was a good practice and one of our ways to always be prepared.

Camp Howard is accredited by the American Camping Association which means we voluntarily hold ourselves to the highest standards in camping. We follow a textbook of several hundred standards that are designed to keep kids safe. Several staff attend the annual convention and we always attend the sessions on keeping camp safe based on tragic situations other camps have experienced.

After all, camp should be about the fun kids look forward to experience…

Camper pulls in a beautiful rainbow trout during fishing camp this week.

Nothing like catching a fish to put a smile on your face!

Last night was Hawaiian night at dinner and many campers dress the part including these young people in their grass skirts!

It was a great day at Camp Howard!