Paddle Trails Canoe Club Safety Protocol

The safety of its members and trip participants is Paddle Trails Canoe Club's top priority. With that in mind, the Club has adopted the following rules to promote a safe and enjoyable experience on Club trips. We recommend them for personal trips as well.

• Well fitted, Coast Guard approved PFDs must be worn at all times while on the water. Type III PFDs are required for river trips.
• Helmets must be worn while paddling Class II+ rapids or higher and are recommended for Class II rapids.
• Hardshell canoes and kayaks must have appropriate bow and stern flotation on Class II rivers and higher.
• You are responsible for determining your own fitness for any trip. Talk to the trip coordinator before the trip if you are uncertain.
• You are responsible for your own safety during a trip.
• For river trips, a minimum of three people and two boats is required, though a three boat minimum is highly encouraged. On lake or saltwater trips, a minimum of two people and two boats is required though we encourage trip coordinators to use their judgement to take conditions, route, participant abilities and other risks into account to determine the appropriate party size.
• Intoxication (alcohol, cannabis, etc.) is not allowed.
• Any incident which occurs on a Club event that was a significant threat to the health or safety of a person or persons or resulted in a serious injury must be reported to a member of the board of directors as soon as possible.
• Abide by State and Federal guidelines for the prevention of communicable diseases.

Paddle Trails strongly encourages all members and paddlers to educate themselves by whatever means necessary about the hazards of paddling. We strongly recommend becoming familiar with the Safety Code of American Whitewater.