Responsibilities for safety and emergency response will fall on various people, including crew supervisors, managers, Band Office front desk, and other emergency contacts (such as the RCMP or other local government field personnel). Ensure that everyone understands their role, and that office staff have the authority to initiate a search in the event of distress calls from field staff.
Make pre-season reviews and refreshers of safety and emergency protocols mandatory. Conduct mock scenarios and unplanned tests in the field to ensure staff are confident, have adequate skills and that communication systems work according to plan. Run through emergency procedures once a month (e.g., fire on board, man overboard, etc.)
Take incidents and unacceptable employee conduct, behaviour and performance seriously. People won’t take safety seriously if there are no repercussions to their actions.
Brief all guests and visitors accompanying your Guardians in the field on safety procedures prior to going out on patrol.