Standard Operating Procedures

KHC Standard Operating Procedures

Guidelines and Expectations

KHC will publish a Guidelines and Expectations page on the KHC website and review it annually.

Waivers

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.  

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.

KHC Online Waiver System. A link is also found on the on Membership, Guests, and Minors.

Insurance

KHC’s insurance is provided through the Federation of Mountain Clubs of British Columbia (FMCBC), of which the Club is a member. KHC reports a Risk Management Review and Schedule of Activitiees to FMCBC annually. For a copy of a certificate of insurance, please send a request to the Board of Directors at info@kamloopshikingclub.net.

Society Reporting

Kamloops Hiking Club is registered under the Societies Act of British Columbia. To request a copy of any Club record information contained in the minute book, please contact the Board of Directors at info@kamloopshikingclub.net.

Membership

All members will be required to register annually. Membership file will be kept (and backed up) by the Board of Directors and updated, as required.   Information from membership records will be provided to Hike Leaders or Directors on a need-to-know basis.

The Board of Directors may establish and manage a membership “cap” for that calendar year. 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 their membership benefits if they are in good standing: annual membership registration renewal, paid annual membership fee, and completed an annual 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 ability to book a place on an event. The member in question has the right to appeal in writing, addressed 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 Info).  

Membership Renewals  

Annual memberships are March 1st through the last day of February in the next calendar year. Renewals for the upcoming year will start in February. For more information see Membership Info.

Minors

KHC supports the inclusion of minors in appropriate hiking events on a limited basis. See Minors Policy and Procedures.

Privacy

KHC will protect member’s privacy and confidentiality by:

  • Providing email addresses for hike leaders and directors only when requested.
  • Limiting access to membership lists and data to those with a legitimate need to know.
  • Restricting selected website pages to logged-in members.
  • Restricting access to event-related information to logged-in members.
  • Considering requests from membesr for additional privacy measures, where reasonably possible.
Treasurer/Finance

KHC’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.

Member Voting at the AGM

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.

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 meeting is chaired by the President (or designate).
  • Welcome all parties.
  • President’s Report.
  • Treasurer’s Report.
  • Membership Report.
  • Other reports, as determined by the Board.
  • Questions and Answers.
  • Nominations and Elections.
  • Welcome to the New Board and any comments by the incoming President.
  • Adjournment of the Business Meeting.
  • A social and/or discussion may follow.
Board of Directors

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 for additions or changes. 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. See KHC Business Page for current Board of Directors.

Board of Director’s Duties

At the AGM, members will elect a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Additional directors may also be elected as Directors-at-large or assigned specific responsibilitie, including:

  • Membership
  • Public Relations, Marketing, Social Media, Newsletter, Communications
  • Equipment
  • Hike Leaders
  • Website
  • New Members
  • Risk Management/Insurance/Safety
  • Club Programs/Social Events
  • Liaison – FMCBC, Trails Alliance, Sports Council, KOC, Sponsors and Suppliers

At the first Board meeting following the AGM, duties will be defined for Board members. See KHC Business page for current Board of Directors.

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

Annual Membership 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. See Membership Info.

Affiliations

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 and Supporters

Sponsors provide financial or in-kind support toward the Club’s budget. Supports provide additional benefits, including vendor discounts available to members at participating local retailers. All sponsors and supportors must be approved by the Board.

New Members

The Board of Directors and/or a designate will welcome new members and provide information to new members, as required.  

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 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.

All event participants must follow the Guidelines and Expectations. 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.

Informed Consent

Participants need to know what they will face on a given club event. This is a two-sided set of responsibilities:

Participant’s Responsibilities
  • Carefully read the event listing.
  • Register for the event, having read the information.
  • Register for the event only if fitness, experience, equipment and listed requirements can be met.
  • Read and understand KHC’s Guidelines and Expectations.
  • Ensure that any sponsored guests can also meet the event’s expectations.
  • Comply with KHC’s policies, procedures, and expectations during the event.
  • Communicate with the Event Leader if staying with the group will be a problem; ensure mutual consent if venturing away from the group (alternate routes, turning back, etc.).
Event Leader’s Responsibilities
  • Provide an event listing that lists expectations, possible risks, and requirements (beyond the usual ones faced in the outdoors).
  • Communicate with the registrants if there is a question of fitness, health, experience, or preparation; if the leader perceived that the participant can’t meet the expectations, KHC expects the leader to cancel the participant’s booking.
  • Ensure that all participants have registered properly (implying informed consent) and have completed waivers.
  • Verbally confirm any expectations or arrangements at the trailhead or meet-up.
  • Communicate with participants during the event.
  • Communicate and ensure mutual consent is achieved if the participant will not be with the group (alternate route, return early, etc.); KHC expects that any such verbal agreement will be witnessed by other participants.
The Club’s Responsibilities
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:

  • Event Name
  • Location
  • Date and Time
  • Duration
  • Meet-up time and location
  • Carpooling information
  • Leader (and co-leaders, if needed)
  • Distance
  • Difficulty
  • Category (hike, snowshoe, bike, etc.)
  • Registration (number of places max, cut-off date/time, number of spots)
  • Any specific items required (ie Ten Essentials, risks, special requirements, equipment, etc.)
  • Cycling, paddling, and snowshoeing events may have additional information required
Managing Risks

KHC will take reasonable steps to reduce risks to participants, event leaders and the Club.

Risks to Participants

Event leaders will reduce risks to participants by:

  • Providing clear event descriptions, including difficulty, hazards, required experience, equipment and preparation.communicating additional information to registered participants when required.
  • Assessing whether participants appear able and prepared to complete the event safely.
  • Providing cautions and safety instructions as needed.
  • Addressing unsafe conduct or conditions during the event.
  • Carrying appropriate emergency communication and first aid equipment.
  • Following KHC policies, expectations and guidelines.

Participants are responsible for reviewing event information, arriving properly prepared, following the leader’s directions and disclosing any medical condition or limitation that may affect their safe participation.

Risks to Event Leaders and the Club

Risks to event leaders and the Club will be reduced by:

  • Requiring participants to register for events online.
  • Requiring participants to agree to KHC policies, expectations and guidelines.
  • Requiring a completed waiver before participation.
  • Maintaining clear and accessible policies, procedures and safety information.
  • Allowing event leaders to refuse or end a participant’s involvement when safety requirements are not met.
  • Requiring event leaders to act reasonably, prioritize safety and follow KHC policies and procedures.
  • Maintaining appropriate Club insurance.

Event leaders should address unsafe conduct when reasonably possible. Participants remain responsible for their own decisions, conduct and compliance with Club requirements.

Event Procedures

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:

  • Use of two way handheld radios
  • Mobile radios for radio-controlled backroads
  • Spot/InReach devices
  • GPS, map, compass
  • Mobile phones
  • Whistle
  • Establishment of a “sweep”
  • Sharing of cell phone numbers
  • An emergency contact list
  • Safety and survival gear
  • Ten Essentials (specify which ones are required for participants)
  • Water filter
  • First Aid Kit
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.      

Injured or Lost Participants

Participants are responsible for staying with the group, following safe practices and carrying appropriate personal safety and first aid supplies.

Hike Leaders will:

  • Review relevant safety procedures before or during an event, as needed.
  • Ensure participants know what to do if separated from the group.
  • Take reasonable steps to locate a missing participant.
  • Contact emergency services promptly when a participant is missing, seriously injured or unable to continue safely.
  • Ensure an injured participant is not left alone while awaiting assistance.
  • Contact the participant’s emergency contact when appropriate.
  • Complete an Incident Report Form as soon as possible following a significant injury, missing-person event or other serious incident.

Completed incident reports must be submitted to the President for review, referral to FMCBC and the insurer where required, and retention in Club records. The President or designate will manage Board notifications, follow-up and any media enquiries.

Detailed procedures are provided on the KHC website under What to Do if Someone Gets Lost and What to Do in the Event of a Serious Injury.

Medical Risks

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.

Guests

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.  

Special Events

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.

Meet-ups

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.

Dogs

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. See Dogs for more information.

Website

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.

Expenditures

All expenditures exceeding $100 that 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.

Code of Conduct

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.

Club Events

The following event categories are approved activities of KHC: hiking, scrambling, backpacking,  snowshoeing, cross country skiing, cycling, paddling, trail running, and camping.  

Event Notes – Hiking:
  • Hiking events may include scrambling, but participants should be warned in advance and a procedure established for all hikers on the event.  
  • Risks like getting lost, wildlife, ticks, snakes, and falls should be addressed up front, when required.
  • Leaders should establish procedures and expectations for faster and slower participants on their events.
  • Leaders may establish an event pace and ask that participants meet that requirement as part of registering for an event. Events that permit a wide range of fitness and ability should use co-leaders and/or a sweep to support slower participants.
Event Notes – Paddling:
  • All Nav Canada safety requirements must be met for all boats.
  • Event leaders must be knowledgeable of safety and rescue techniques while on the water.
  • PFDs must be worn by all participants while on the water.
  • Event leaders and participants must ensure that the boat type and experience matches the type of route.   Small lakes and shorelines are suitable for most boats. Rivers, larger lakes, and the ocean will require seaworthy boats.  
  • The Event Leader has the right to refuse any participant who is not properly equipped or does not have a boat suitable to the outing.
Event Notes – Cycling:
  • Helmets are required for all participants.
  • Participants must follow the rules of the road while on Club events.
  • Participants are responsible for their own punctures/replacements while on Club events.
  • Bike leaders need to address unsafe behavior from participants. 
Event Notes – Backpacking:
  • It is recognized that each backpacking trip is different, so KHC relies on the Hike Leader to establish the criteria for the event.
  • Since the success of the trip is reliant on the cooperation/collaboration of all participants, the Hike Leader will retain the right to refuse any participants who cannot meet the group standard.  
  • Since the ability of participants may vary a great deal and the effect is magnified while carrying a backpack, the hike leader has to establish a process to manage safety and communications with slower and faster hikers.  
Event Notes – Winter
  • The Event Leader is responsible to know the risk of avalanches in the proposed area and to make decisions that reflect safety and caution.
  • Any leader traveling into the backcountry where avalanches may occur is expected to have  avalanche safety knowledge (or training).  
  • The Board of Directors may intervene to cancel any outing that is slated to go through avalanche terrain during a period of risk.
  • Scheduled events may land on a cold weather day. Any event on a day below -15 degrees C should be considered very carefully. Any day with a wind chill of -20 should normally result in cancellation/rescheduling.  
  • On a cold weather day, leaders should check with each participant to make sure they are adequately prepared for that day. A designated sweep is a recommended practice for cold weather outings.
Avalanche Risks
  • Using the Canadian Avalanche Center as a resource, KHC will cancel any event in a area that has an Extreme or High avalanche rating.
  • Any event in an area that has a Moderate Rating must be led by led by a leader with avalanche safety training and all participants must have either the training or sufficient experience to venture into the backcountry in these conditions.
  • The Board will intervene in situations of risk, if needed.
Difficulty of Events
  • A common definition of the difficulty of events is a goal for KHC.   A descriptive statement can be found on the Difficulty of Events page on the website.    
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

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.  

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Revision History
  • Aug 2026 – DClark edited SOP’s to remove duplication from existing policies, update hyperlinks, and reduce verbiage.
  • Aug 2026 – EHerndier updated minor spelling and formatting
  • Jan 2020 Das/KHC Standard Operating Procedures