Night Safety Protocol: Check-Out, Check-In, and Cut-Off Time
In daylight and with no rush, the class rehearses the safety protocol a real night orienteering event would need: check-out and check-in, buddy pairs, a cut-off time, and what to do if someone doesn't come back. It turns safety into a procedure the students run themselves.
How to play
- Why a protocol: at night you see less, move slower, and are harder to find. Agree on the cut-off time and the group's whistle signal (3 min).
- Design the log: a sheet with pair names, start time, course, last planned control, and return time. Two students run check-out and check-in (5 min).
- Rehearsal: pairs head out on a short course with an 8-minute cut-off. Privately, the teacher asks one pair to stay at a control and not return (10 min).
- Trigger the protocol: using the sheet, the group figures out which pair is missing and where to look; two search pairs follow the planned route and find them (4 min).
- Takeaways: which details on the sheet were useful and what was missing (3 min).
Rules
- No one leaves without checking out or comes back without checking in.
- Partners never split up.
- The cut-off time is non-negotiable: you head back even if controls are left.
- Whistles are used only for the agreed signal.
Variations
Easier
Very short course and no 'missing' pair.
Standard
8-minute course with one 'missing' pair.
Harder
Two 'missing' pairs in different places, and the group organizes the search without teacher help.
Adaptations
- Hearing impairment: the whistle signal is replaced by a visual one (arm raised with a colored pinny), agreed with the partner beforehand.
- Limited mobility: runs the check-out/check-in log, the most important role in the protocol.
- Low confidence: paired with someone they trust and never given the 'missing' role.
Learning goals
- Learn and apply a safety protocol for outdoor and urban activities.
- Recognize the value of a sign-out log and a cut-off time.
- Organize a group response to a simulated incident.
Equipment for a class of 25
- check-out/check-in sheets: 2
- whistles: 15
- school maps: 30
- control markers: 8
- stopwatches: 2
- clipboards: 2
Teacher tip
Brief the 'missing' pair quietly and keep them in your line of sight. The typical mistake is logging names only: without start time and course, the sheet can't help anyone find anybody.
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