Safety & Risk Management at NNCS

Risk Management Mission Statement

Nunez & Nunez Consulting Services, Inc. (NNCS) fosters a supportive, intentional, and growth-minded culture that promotes peer communication, collaboration, and tone-setting that centers the health and well-being of employees and participants as one of our highest priorities. This document describes Risk Management (“RM”) for field expedition courses for our Community Connection to Wildlands (CCtoW) program.

Our experienced, trained, and certified instructors/admin staff share over 40 years of experience working with diverse youth as coaches, educators, and outdoor instructors. Having led over 100 camping, backpacking, and day hikes our team understands trip safety, planning, coordination, and implementation. View our team bios by clicking here.

Risk Management Training: Our admin team has completed a training and certificate course from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) on Risk Management for Administrators. We believe Risk Management is an ongoing process that is continuously undergoing review and evaluation. Please contact our team if you are interested in viewing our Risk Management (RM) plan.

Wilderness Medicine: Our instructors are at minimum certified in Wilderness First Aid (WFA), Basic Life Support (CPR & AED), & Food Handling. Several of our instructors have advanced Wilderness Medicine certifications that include Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Advanced First Aid, and Epinephrine Auto-injector. In addition, several of our instructors are Level 2 Instructors from the American Safety & Health Institute (AHSI) and are certified to teach BLS, CPR, Epinephrine, and WFA.

Field Training: Our instructors have either graduated from or trained staff and/or instructors for the Diverse Outdoors Leaders Institute (DOLI) with Outward Bound Adventures (OBA). Our program team holds graduates from the Sierra Club Wilderness Travel Course, Wilderness Stewardship Performance Program, Leave No Trace Level 2 (Master Educators), University of California Naturalists, and Certified Interpretive Guides.

Risk Management Goals

We recognize that risks exist inherently in all aspects of our work, without which our programs would not be possible. While we don’t believe “100% safe” exists in the real world, we also don’t believe any risk is worth taking unless there is a positive outcome to be gained from it. The following goals aim to guide the organization’s engagement with risk to maximize positive outcomes for the youth we engage:

Commit to a shared vision of ongoing mutual learning, understanding, and anticipation of risk through a collaborative systems approach to risk assessment that considers the likelihood and
consequences as key factors that determine risk level
To prevent fatalities and serious, disabling, or disfiguring injuries and serious illness
To reduce all injuries, severe emotional distress, incidents, and near misses
To continuously reflect, discuss, evaluate, and improve Risk Management practices to identify gaps or silos in implementation, and areas of improvement
To maintain a Risk Management Committee with staff, participants, and partners
To anticipate and respond effectively to emergency situations with the aim of promoting the health
and well-being of all people involved with suitable protocols and plans

Essential Eligibility Criteria (ECC)

Essential eligibility criteria (EEC) apply to all participants in our Community Connection to Wildlands program. An eligible person is one who can meet the EEC for participation in the program activity. Nunez & Nunez Consulting Services, Inc. is not intended to be rehabilitative or clinically therapeutic and does not specialize in serving those with special needs including; mental, emotional, social, or behavioral difficulties. If a youth participant is unable to meet some of the criteria relating to their chosen activity/ies, please contact us; we may be able to make reasonable accommodations unless it would alter the fundamental nature of the course, would compromise the participant’s safety, the safety of other participants or staff, or would place an undue financial or administrative burden on Nunez & Nunez Consulting Services, Inc.

General Outdoor Outings EEC (Pertains To All Outdoor Activities)

Breathe independently (i.e., not require medical devices to sustain breathing).
Independently hold head upright without neck / head support.
Manage personal care and personal needs (maintaining adequate nutrition and hydration, dressing appropriately for environmental conditions, maintaining personal hygiene, and managing known medical conditions, etc.) either independently or with assistance of a companion, excluding Nunez & Nunez Consulting Services, Inc. instructors.
Must have the ability to follow visual and/or verbal instruction independently or with the assistance of a companion, excluding Nunez & Nunez Consulting Services, Inc. instructors.
Must have the ability to move about the location of the program, either independently or with the assistance of a companion, excluding Nunez & Nunez Consulting Services, Inc. instructors
Perceive and comprehend the inherent risks of the activity, including, but not limited to, the ones identified by Nunez & Nunez Consulting Services, Inc. Instructors and to adhere to safety policies and procedures even when instructors are not present.
Ability to stay alert and reasonably engaged for the duration of the program.
Effectively signal or notify instructors or other participants of personal distress, injury or need for assistance.
Able to refrain from inappropriate physical touch and behavior.
Able to refrain from being under the influence or in possession of alcohol, tobacco, controlled
substances, and any misuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for the duration of an outing.
Must have the ability to withstand exposure to the outdoors, including but not limited to cold, sun, heat and insects, for the duration of the program.
Must have the ability to withstand physical impact, relevant to the potential of each activity, of a minor fall, bump, scrape, etc. with minimal consequence to health or medical condition.
Must be able to adapt to venue terrain, and changes in terrain brought on by inclement weather and changing light conditions.
In order to use Nunez & Nunez Consulting Services, Inc. transportation: Participants must be able to enter and exit vehicles independently or with the assistance of a companion, excluding Nunez & Nunez Consulting Services, Inc. instructors. Or otherwise, use an alternative means of transportation to travel to the activity location.

Activity-Specific Outdoor Outings EEC

Hiking:

Meet all of the General EEC, listed above, in addition to those listed here:
Must be able to travel over uneven and variable terrain; including but not limited to, uphill and downhill surfaces.
Travel distances at a reasonably sustained pace relevant to the program duration for up to 1-hour between rest breaks.

Camping:

Meet all of the General EEC, listed above, in addition to those listed here:
Ability to be in outdoor element for an extended period of time without use of electricity