KHC Standard Operating Procedures
KHC will publish a Guidelines and Expectations page on the KHC website and review it annually.
KHC will ensure that the Waiver in use is the one recommended by FMCBCC, as recommended by its insurers/risk managers. KHC currently uses an on-line waiver system. The waiver will be available on the website for the use of members, Guests, hike leaders, as needed.
KHC discourages the use of paper waivers, but if one must be used, then the completed form should be scanned/imaged and sent to khc@kamloopshikingclub right after the event.
All Guests must sign a waiver. No member or Guest may participate in a club event without first completing a waiver. Waivers are to be completed each calendar year as part of the membership process or guest registration process.
A link to the Club’s online waiver system will be found on Membership pages when membership is open, and on the Guests page and the Minors page all year.
Insurance is to be renewed annually through FMCBC. A copy of the Insurance policy, incident report forms, and other relevant forms are to be kept by a Director and copies posted to the website, as required. The President or designate will ensure that insurance coverage is managed with due diligence.
An annual report by all registered Societies is required each year. The President will ensure that the annual Society filing report with the Provincial Registrar is completed each year.
All members will be required to register annually using forms provided on-line by the club. Membership file will be kept (and backed up) by the Membership Director and updated, as required. Information from membership records will be provided to Hike Leaders or Directors on a need-to-know basis. Enquiries regarding membership will be directed to the Membership Director. The Membership Director will report to the Board, as needed.
The Board of Directors may establish and manage a membership “cap” for that calendar year, reviewing the status of the membership to events ratio at Board meetings. The purpose of setting the maximum number of members for the year is to ensure that the capacity of the club (the number of event leaders and total events) is sufficient to match the number of participating members.
As per the Society’s bylaws, a member retains his/her membership rights if he/she is in good standing - has registered annually with the club, has paid the relevant dues, and has completed a waiver. The Board may deem a member not in good standing through a motion of the Board, for a variety of reasons – safety infractions, repeated KHC policy/procedure non-compliance, harassment, unethical conduct, and/or relevant culpable behavior. The Board may remove the person’s website account and rights to book a place on an event. The member in question has the right to appeal in writing, addressed to the President who will take the matter to the Board of Directors for review. Membership fees will not be refunded if the member is deemed to not be in good standing with the Society.
An overview of KHC Membership is found on the website (Membership Information).
5.1 Membership Renewals
Annual memberships are for March 1st through to the last day of February in the next calendar year. Renewals for the upcoming year will start in February in a process defined by the Board and explained on the website.
During renewals season, a Membership Renewals page will be visible, accessible from the front page of the website.
5.2 Minors
KHC supports the inclusion of minors in appropriate hiking events on a limited basis. With the risks inherent in outdoor activities, some risk management issues arise that have resulted in some KHC policies.
the most up-to-date policy and procedures regarding Minors can be found on the Minors Page (link) on the website. If there is a discrepancy between the most recent SOP and the website page, the website page will be the “official” statement.
KHC has had a number of successful outings with minors and welcomes them and their parents/guardians for appropriate events each year, on a limited basis.
5.3 Privacy
KHC will ensure member’s privacy rights wherever possible through a number of measures which may include:
The Society’s Treasurer will be responsible for the Club’s bank account, deposits, payments, and financial records. All financial records and reports will follow widely-accepted accounting procedures. An official annual financial report is required for the AGM each year. All transactions will follow approved policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors.
All members in good standing have a right to a vote at the AGM. Voting will be by a show of hands. in the event of a tie, a ballot system will be used and if a tie still exists, the President will cast the final vote.
7.1 AGM
The annual AGM date and agenda will be posted at least a month in advance and all members will be invited through the website and social media.
The AGM will follow this general format:
The Board will meet within 6 weeks after the AGM. Prior to or at that first meeting, the meeting schedule for the year will be initiated and Director’s duties will also be established. The President (or designate) will chair Board meetings.
An agenda will be established prior to the meeting and sent to all Directors. Directors may add an agenda item in advance or at the start of a meeting. Matters of policy or expenditure (over a $value established by the Board) require a motion and seconder and are put to a vote, following well-established rules of order. Minutes of meetings are kept by the secretary. Minutes are published to the website, once approved.
A tentative meeting schedule for the Board will be established at the first Board meeting after the AGM. The schedule may be revised, as required.
8.1 Board of Director’s Duties
The following positions will be nominated at the AGM – President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary (may be combined with another role), and Membership. Other members may be elected either as Directors-at-Large or as Directors with specific responsibilities. Some of those duties may include:
The Past President is created by a motion at the AGM, if the retiring president is willing to accept the position on the Board of Directors.
At the first Board meeting following the AGM, duties will be defined for Board members.
8.2 Committees
From time to time, a committee (ie hike leaders) may be convened to further the mission of the club. The Board will appoint the Chair of the Committee and establish criteria for the Chair, Director-members, and individual members.
Fees for the calendar year are established by the Board before new memberships are accepted. Fees for the upcoming year will be posted on the website.
Kamloops Hiking Club has established affiliations with the Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC and the Kamloops Thompson Trails Alliance. Affiliations will be reviewed by the Board each year and a representative will be appointed to liaise of behalf of the club, reporting to the Board, as required.
Sponsors provide cash or an offset to cash for part of the Club’s budget. Supporters provide unbudgeted benefits to members of the Club. Sponsors and supporters are recognized on the website. Sponsors and supporters must be approved by the Board. The Board will appoint a Director to liaise with Sponsors and Supporters, as required.
The Board of Directors and/or a designate will welcome new members and provide information to new members, as required. An offer of liaison and support will be made through a newsletter.
13. Events
To ensure all KHC events are covered by insurance, all events will be published on the website. All events will follow the policies and procedures established by the Club, approved by the Board, and listed on the website.
It is the Board’s responsibility (or designate) to review posted events and advise the Event Leader of any required changes. Events that do not follow established policies and procedures will be revised or removed from the website. The Board will follow-up, as needed.
Event Leaders are expected to follow established procedures and policies in their event postings, meet-up arrangements, and during the event. Safety of all participants will be the presiding consideration.
Expectations and guidelines for all participants are established on the website and are also part of the registration process for each event. If an Event Leader determines that a participant is not sufficiently fit, properly prepared, or experienced enough for that particular event, the Event leader may refuse to include the participant on the outing. Such actions may be reported to and reviewed by the Board. The Board will appoint a representative to discuss the event and future events with the individual in question.
Participants need to know what they will face on a given club event. This is a two-sided set of responsibilities:
Participant’s Responsibilities
Event Leader’s Responsibilities
The Club’s Responsibilities
13.2 Event Listings
Each event is different, but some basic requirements allow for efficient registration and management in advance of the event. The following would normally be included:
13.3 Managing Risks
Any organization needs to develop a strategy and implement measures to reduce risks. For a hiking clubs, we can group risks into three categories:
Risks to Participants
We need to minimize risks to participants during an event (injury, getting lost, etc.):
Risks to the Hike Leader and the Club
Any specific expectations for the event may be included in the event posting, but the Hike Leader should emphasize any safety concerns for the outing at the meet-up or trailhead. A head-count will be taken at the start of the event. The Event Leader will determine the best process for managing the group, including faster and slower participants, bathroom breaks, lunch stops, rest breaks, and change of plans. Participants are expected to comply with these expectations while on the event. If participants would prefer alternate plans, they should discuss these with the leader prior to the event or after the event. If the issue is substantive (ie safety), the participant should address the issue with the leader at the time. If the issue is a matter of preference, the discussion can happen after the event with due respect to the volunteers in question, or alternately, the participant can register for other leaders’ events in the future.
A number of practices are recommended to Event Leaders, but are left to the Event Leaders discretion, depending on the event circumstances:
13.5 Co-leaders and Sweeps
KHC supports the practice of having a co-leader/sweep for each event. In some cases more than one person may be required and in some circumstances, one may not be needed. The Co-leader/sweep takes direction from the Event leader, but on the whole, stays near the back of the group to make sure no one is left behind or off-track. KHC also recognizes that situations and circumstances arise whereby the leader will have to adapt and make changes in the field. The presiding principle is a “duty of care” for the participants.
13.6 Injured or Lost Participants
The Club and its Hike Leaders will emphasize personal responsibility for staying with the group and avoiding accidents. Participants are expected to all carry their own first aid kit and to follow safe practices while on Club events.
The Website will provide “what to do...” advice and Hike Leaders will discuss the procedures, as needed:
Sharing of mobile numbers is a good practice.
If a hiker has to leave the trail for a nature call, they are to tell another hiker where they are going, then drop their pack, poles or something else on the trail at their exit point, and go no further than they have to into the bush.
If one of our members is missing, it is necessary to conduct a hasty search immediately for no more than 30 minutes to an hour, then notify the Police (911).
If the member is injured and unable to walk out, the authorities must be notified as soon as possible.
Search and Rescue is free. Notify the police or Park Ranger asap . It is far better to alert the authorities and SAR right away and cancel them later if not required, than to make a delayed call for help.
Search and rescue groups across BC and Alberta as well as the National Parks are trained and ready to transport injured hikers, bikers or snowshoers back to safety.
Event Leaders will need to complete an Incident Report Form following any incident in which a participant has been injured.
Members or guests may choose to register on a hike/event with a pre-existing medical condition. Participants are responsible for their medications/emergency items. It is expected that the participant will confidentially advise the hike leader of any condition or risk before starting on the outing. The Board reserves the right to share medical risks with individual event leaders on a need-to-know basis.
The Board of Directors will establish a Guests Policy and publish the policy and procedures to the website. All guests must sign a waiver prior to participating in any event. An Event Leader may not allow an unregistered guest to come along on an event for reasons of risk management, insurance coverage, safety, and fairness.
KHC’s Guest Policy is detailed on the website on the Guests Page.
The Board may designate specific events as a special event at which the Guests policy may be amended to allow additional guests for that event. For all activity-based events, a waiver is still required. At social events (ie potlucks, meetings, etc.) waivers may not be required.
Members can arrange any outings they wish with other members or friends outside of listed Club events. These “meet-ups” are not official KHC events and as such are not covered under the Club’s insurance policy and are the sole responsibility of the people involved.
The Board of Directors will establish a policy regarding the inclusion of dogs on club events and provide the statement to the website. the most recent version of the KHC polciy and procedures for inclusion of dogs is found on the Our Furry Friends page.
It will be up to the Event Leader to determine whether dogs can be included on the specific event, and or any further restrictions (ie leash). Problematic dog incidents can be reported to the Board, if additional follow-up is required.
A webmaster will be appointed by the Board. All members in good standing will be provided with user accounts to the website for the duration of their membership with the Club. Event Leaders will have accounts upgraded to allow them to post and edit events.
Any structural changes to the website will be done by the webmaster who will report the changes to the Board. All costs for the website will be borne by the Club.
All expenditures exceeding $100 thjat are not in the annual approved budget need to be approved by an approved motion of the Board. Reimbursements for expenditures require invoices and/or receipts before the treasurer can proceed. KHC does not normally provide expenses, unless approved in advance by the Board.
KHC expects all of its members to demonstrate respect in all Club-related Activities. The Club does not tolerate harassment in any form. Board members, Hike Leaders, and participants are strongly encouraged to be positive and supportive role models.
The following event categories are approved activities of KHC: hiking, scrambling, backpacking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, cycling, paddling, trail running, and camping.
21.1 Event Notes - Hiking:
21.3 Event Notes – Cycling:
21.4 Event Notes – Backpacking:
21.5 Event Notes – Winter
21.6 Avalanche Risks
21.7 Difficulty of Events
The Board will appoint a chairperson to oversee a committee which will review the SOPs each year. The Chair will make recommendations to the Board, as required.
Das/KHC Standard Operating Procedures/January, 2020