Our Approach to Safety

Safety is perhaps the most important concern of families looking for a summer program for their teenager. At Broadreach, we understand how difficult it is to balance our desires for our children to have exceptional experiences with our concerns for their well-being. The ideal program would provide your teen with an exciting and meaningful summer along with an unconditional guarantee of safety.

The truth is safety is not something that any program, including Broadreach, can guarantee. Even well-planned outings with trained staff include inherent and other risks, hazards and dangers. Companies that claim their programs are "very safe" or that they can “ensure safety” simply cannot back up these promises. At Broadreach, however, we can tell you that we are incredibly proud of our excellent safety record and the quality programs we have provided for over 7,000 teenagers.

Safety is our priority from conception to completion of each program. At Broadreach, we strive to manage risk, knowing that we cannot eliminate risk or assure participants’ safety. We begin with well-planned trips and a solid course design. We endeavor to provide participants with unique locations and appropriate equipment as they learn new skills and engage in adventure activities. Broadreachers learn skills in a small group setting, allowing us to give individualized instruction. Our goal is to allow participants to experience success through accomplishment, not success through high-risk adventure.

Our staff is a cornerstone of our approach to risk management and safety. We conduct a thorough and rigorous pre-program staff training that includes 80 hours of emergency medical training. At least one staff member on each trip has completed Wilderness First Responder or Emergency Medical Technician training, which is significantly greater than other adventure companies that only require Wilderness First Aid training. Our training, trip-planning, internal review, low student to staff ratios and emphasis on teamwork and instructor judgment in the field allow our staff to monitor and evaluate risks on program.

Our approach to risk management and safety is a year-round task that requires an on-going process of learning, improving and adjusting to strive to create appropriate environments for our participants without spoiling the adventure experience. We utilize help and consultation from individuals and organizations outside our organization in the external review process and at our annual risk management meetings. We incorporate feedback from staff, students and parents as we continually evaluate our policies.

Broadreach participants engage in a variety of activities — from scuba diving, swimming, sailing, surfing, whitewater rafting and kayaking to hiking, horseback riding, camel riding, rock climbing and many other activities. Participants and their families need to understand that engaging in outdoor adventure activities in a foreign country, often on a boat or in the wilderness, involves inherent or other risks and dangers that can lead to injury, property damage or even loss of life. These risks cannot necessarily be predicted or controlled and can include anything from unpredictable weather to recreational and travel risks. Even well managed trips and experienced guides are subject to the forces of nature and the possibility of accidents.

At Broadreach, participants learn to respect these risks and to evaluate risks as they learn new skills. We talk about how to evaluate and minimize risk. Participants understand that they are part of a team, and that they share in the responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others on the program.

One of our goals is to have a solid two-way communication with parents so they understand risks and our approach to risk management and safety. We encourage you to call us at 888-833-1907 if you have any questions about our various program activities, the associated risks, participant and parent responsibilities, course documents or other matters.

History cannot be a promise or guarantee for the future, but it can be a good barometer for how well we are doing in our ongoing focus on risk management. Our solid safety record is testimony to our success.