Introduction
A Risk Management Plan is a document that is prepared that documents any of the risks that are bound to happen and how the risk will impact the events that are planned to take place (Phillips, 2004). A Risk Management Plan helps the specific people who are planning for the specific event to be able to prepare for any kind of risks that are to happen and helps in knowing how they can reduce on the impact of the risk.
In an outdoor environment the risk of a loss or damage occurring is very high so there must be a clear risk management plan is the loss or damages that are anticipated to happen may occur at any time (Watson, 2009).
Thesis Statement
With reference to that given question this paper will outline a risk management plan for an outdoor trip that is expected to take place. This paper will also identify the risk that will be involved and evaluate their likelihood or frequency and the impact that the risk may cause.
In addition to that this paper will outline the strategies for managing risks and outline a clear emergency action plan with the procedure, evaluation routes and group management policies.
Trip Overview and Description
For our outdoor trip we will visit the famous Kilimanjaro Mountain in Tanzania. We are expected to hike up the mountain and see all the natural vegetation that the mountain is famous for. We expect to travel a distance of approximately ten kilometers each day and the travel methods will be by foot.
Vehicles cannot be able to go up the mountain that is why we chose that we will be traveling by foot up the mountain and we expect to be able to get to the top of the mountain in less than five days. We will be traveling during the day time and we will be resting during the night time so as to be able to get enough rest that will be needed to hike up the mountain.
The objectives that the group expects to accomplish during this trip may include; the group will be able to visit the mountain that is very famous all across the world for being the highest mountain if Africa and the second highest mountain all across the world.
The expected age range of the participants will be twenty to twenty six years because it is important to note that this is the age group that has participants who are the most energetic and this being the case, we have chosen participant from this age group. We expect that the participant will have at least hiked up a mountain to at least an altitude of 3000 meters above sea level.
This is important because we will be hiking Mount Kilimanjaro which is more that 5000 meters above sea level and we must be sure that the participants we take with us have the ability to hike to such height and come back safely.
In addition to that, the participant must be physically fit in that they should not have any kind of chronic diseases which may affect them while on the hike of Mount Kilimanjaro. This is very important because we must be able to safeguard the health of the other participants who will be coming with us for the hike.
Leadership
There will be several leaders when we hike the mountain. The main role of the leaders is to safeguard the security and health of the other participants which is our main focus (Inhofe, 2001). Some of the other leaders will be tasked with making sure that the goals and objectives that have been set while going up the mountain are adhered to and that they are achieved by the end of the hike.
Some of the leaders that we will be having include; the captain who is tasked with the task of making sure that everything runs smoothly and according to plan. In addition to that, the captain will be the overall leader and will be taking reports from all the other leaders in the hike and will be also be mandated to finding ways by which problems that may arise from the hike are solved.
He / she must be well trained with regards to leadership management in that he must have undergone a leadership training course from a well known university or college all across the world.
The other leader that we will have during the hike is the route officer. This leader is mandated with the task of making sure that we get to the intended destination at the intended time and that we get back to where we began our hike safely. This leader must have a vast experience in climbing mountains and must have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro once or twice before.
He / she must be able to locate the necessary routes that are needed to get up the mountain and getting down to the base without any trouble. He / she must also have undergone a tour guiding course in that he / she must have at least a certificate in tour guiding from a well known university or college all across the world.
During the hike of the mountain, we will also have a cook who will be mandated with the task of making all the preparations with regards to making sure that the participants get enough food to eat and water to drink as they hike up the mountain.
He/ she is mandated with the task of making sure as we go for the hike up Mount Kilimanjaro, we must carry enough food that will feed all the participants for the whole hike up the mountain and back to the base of the mountain. He must have a certificate in cookery and must be able to plan for all the participants.
On the other hand, we will also have a tour guide who will be mandated with the task of making sure that all the participants of the hike learn everything that there is to learn from the hike. The tour guide will teach the participants about the vegetation that is found as up the mountain and all the rocks that are found on the mountain.
There will also be scouts who will be mandated with the task of making sure that all the participants with problems are brought to the captain and their specific problems solved in a comprehensive manner. The number of the scouts will depend on the number of the participants in that one scout caters for five participants so as to be able to work more efficiently.
Trip Itineraries
During the whole course of the trip, there will be a lot of activities that will be lined up each day (Walsh, 2005). The activities that will be lined up for each day will be selected by the participants themselves so as to give them the freedom to choose what they want to do and when they want to do it.
The captain will then take the activities that are selected by the participants and will arrange them to see how they will fit into the schedule that is planned by the planners of the hike. In addition to that, the captain will also consult with the tour guide and the route office to see if the selected activities can be incorporated into their schedule.
The activities that are planned during the hike will include; in the morning, the participants will wake up at five am and the cook will have prepared breakfast and by half past five all the participants will have taken breakfast. Then the participants will assemble at an assembly point that will be chosen by the captain and will be given the specific instructions which will include the briefing of the day (Taylor, 2010).
After the briefing from the captain, the participants will assemble at the exit point that will be chosen by the route officer and the tour guide where they will be briefed on the routed that they are expected to follow that day and how they are to protect themselves from any risks that may occur during the hike.
The captain will assign a scout to every five participants who will be mandated with the task of making sure that the participants do not encounter any kind of problem during the hike and if they do, he / she is to report it to the captain who will know what course of action to take afterwards.
The scouts are to always stay with range of the participants that they will be mandated to take care of at all times and must make sure that all the participants have everything they need for the hike up the mountain.
The participants and their leaders will then hike up the mountain until noon where they will rest and take their lunch. Here, the cook will make sure that all the participants have taken their lunch and will make sure that every participant has had enough water before they have to continue again up the mountain.
The captain will be given a report by the scouts on how their specific participants have performed during that time and if there is a problem it is resolved.
They will then hike until dusk where the captain and the tour guide will find a specific place where they can camp for the night. The cook will serve the participants with supper and the scouts will make sure that all the participants have tents where they can sleep with for the night.
Equipment
During the trip to Mount Kilimanjaro, we expect to encounter some obstacles and it is for this reason that we are to need some equipment that will help us in the smooth running of the journey. One of the most important equipment is the stretcher which will be used in case any of the participants gets sick of is injured during the trip. With the stretcher we can be able to carry the injured to receive treatment.
In addition to that, every contest will have to have walking stick which will be used to support them when they are hiking up the mountain. The walking sticks will also help the participants in climbing the steep lanes of the mountains.
Water Sources and Treatment
Most of the water that will be used during the trip will be from natural water sources in that the participants will use water from rivers and other sources on the mountain (Gray, 2011). This water may have germs that may affect the health of the participants that is why we will advise every participant to carry his / her water purifiers that they may find fit for their health.
Others may opt to bring their own water from their homes but most of them will have to use the water from the natural sources. For the purification we will use a water purifier known as ‘Water Guard’ that helps in purifying the water and helps in getting rid of any kind of germs that may be in the water.
Weather Related Information
The weather terrain of the mountainside is expected to be very cold and we will advise all the participants of the trip to carry heavy jackets and pullovers that will help them in keeping them warm during the hike up the mountain.
The average temperature of the mountainside is expected to be at around -2 degrees which means that it will be very cold. The sunrise time of the mountainside is at seven am and the sunset time is at half past six in the evening.
All the participants will be asked to declare any kind of cold related problems that they may have so as to be able to know who among the participant we have to be careful about because he / she might get very sick while on the hike and we must be able find a way of treating him / her.
Transportation
Transportation will be by flight to the country that the mountain is found and after that it will be by car to the foot of the mountain where the participant will have to travel by foot to the peak of the mountain and back to the base of the mountain. All the participants must be physically fit so as to be able to hike up the mountain and back to the base on foot without any problem whatsoever.
Rules and Regulations
The rules and regulations that the participants are to follow will be given to them when they get to the specific areas in which the rules apply. One of the most important rules that the participants must follow is that they must always stay in a group and none of the participants are allowed to wonder of as an individual.
This rule is very important in that we may encounter some wild animals which always attack individuals and thereby cannot attack groups.
Risk Assessment and Management
Some of the risks that may take place while on the trip may include; a participant falling from the mountain side and the result may lead to death or very serious injury. In addition to that, a participant may be attacked by wild animals which roam the mountain and may lead to death or very serious injury.
The likelihood of these risks taking place is very high that is why we have organized programs that will train the participants on how to protect themselves if they find themselves in any kind of trouble related to the risks that are mentioned above.
The participants are to be taught on how to react in case they encounter such risks and how they are to behave around such.
In case a participant may fall from the mountain side, he / she should remain calm and try as much as possible to clinch to any tree or branch that is close-by thereby helping him / her in reducing the speed by which they are to fall. On the other hand, if the participant is attacked by a wild animal, he / she should remain calm and try as much as possible to remain still and call for help if possible.
The participants will also undergo a training program that will train them on the need to walk in groups and not as individuals so that if any of these things may happen, then they would most likely be saved by the other members of the group.
If a participant may fall from the mountain side, the other members of the group will be able to hold him / her thereby preventing the fall and wild animals will not be able to attack them when in a group.
Emergency Action Plan
If any of these risks may occur in the process of hiking the mountain, then the scouts that are available are to inform the captain. The captain will then contact the forest rangers in the area where they are who will be able to provide emergency response to the risk and help in preventing further injury to the participants.
The captain must have the phone numbers of the forest rangers in the area so as to communicate with them in case any of these events is to take place during the hike up the mountain side.
The captain will also visit the mountain well in advance to meet with the forest rangers who will show him around the mountain and show him all the evacuation routes and how to evacuate in case any of the participants is caught up in any of the risks mentioned above. Some of the most like evacuation routes will be via a helicopter which can get to the top of the mountain fast in case of a fall by a participant.
Contingencies
Some of the possible situations that are likely to take place as we hike the mountain include; a participant falling sick in the course of getting to the top of the mountain.
The captain who is a well trained Red Cross officer will help the sick participant and give him first aid and incase there is a need for him / her to be taken to the hospital then, the captain will have to contact the forest rangers who are always available in the mountainous areas.
Misc
The captain will be mandated to take the numbers of the forest rangers who will be available on the mountain side and the numbers of several hospitals in the area in case anything might happen to a participant while on the hike. The captain will also be well informed of the rules and regulations of the specific place the contestants will visit and will keep the participants well informed of the rules and regulations.
References
Gray, T. (2011). Risk Management in the Outdoors. London, UK: Oxford University Press.
Inhofe, M. (2001). Risk Management Plan. California, CA: University of California.
Phillips, C. (2004). Risk Management Plan. London, UK: John Wiley and Sons.
Taylor, B. (2010). Outdoor Program Administration. London, UK: John Wiley and Sons.
Walsh, P. (2005). The Risk Management Plan. Oklahoma, OK: Cengage Learning.
Watson, M. (2009). Risk Management Plan. London, UK: Oxford University Press.