New Tour and Activity Plan to Be Unveiled
The new online tour and activity plan has been developed and will soon be ready for use.
When compared to the former tour permit process, the new plan will no longer require signatures or approvals. Rather, as the plan is completed online, the required prerequisites for that type of trip or activity will be displayed.
For any prerequisites that have not been met (for example, not having someone on a trip who has Hazardous Weather training where this training is required), and before being allowed to submit the form, the person completing the form will have to certify that all prerequisites will be met prior to conducting the trip or activity. Once submitted, an email notification will be sent to your council, chartered organization, committee chair, unit leader, and emergency contact to let them know that a plan has been submitted. Receivers of this notification can log in to MyScouting and review the plan.
Other tour and activity plan enhancements include the following:
•Because email notifications will be sent once a plan has been submitted, it is important to maintain current leadership information in the system.
•Links are provided to current program-required training and education.
•System prompts and warnings are included.
•You will be able to review and fix any deficiencies flagged by the system prior to submitting the plan.
•You can store, retrieve, copy, and reuse completed tour and activity plans.
•Files such as trekking plans and flight plans may be uploaded.
•Unit volunteers who currently have access to the tour and activity plan will be able to view and update all plans submitted for their unit up to the day before the scheduled tour date.
•There will be leader certification of the plan prior to submission.
For those who do not have Internet access or simply prefer paper over an electronic version, a PDF version can be found on the tour and activity plan FAQ page.
Tour and Activity Plan Demo
Before implementation to unit volunteers, we are providing a demo to familiarize you and your employees with this new tool. The demo will be accessible to councils on MyBSA until April 30. You will have the ability to create, edit, copy, or print a plan, but not submit one. On May 1, the new tour and activity plan will be activated for authorized unit volunteers to access in MyScouting. We encourage your employees to show the demo to key volunteers, but due to the need to protect the personal information of the membership, this must be done via MyBSA.
The demo may be accessed online. When the MyBSA login screen appears, enter your current MyBSA user name and password. It will take you to the tour and activity plan home page, where you can begin and create a new plan.
A training video has been developed that guides you through the application process and can also be shared with your unit volunteers.
Conference Calls
Conference calls are scheduled on March 26 and 27 at 10 a.m. CDT to answer questions about the new tour and activity plan. Please send any questions in advance to health.safety@scouting.org.
Dial-in information:
•Monday, March 26: 10 a.m.–noon CDT
888-251-2909 or 215-861-0692
Conference code: 9725802156
•Tuesday, March 27: 10 a.m.–noon CDT
888-251-2909 or 215-861-0692
Conference code: 9725802156
Remember that your council will no longer approve plans; instead, you will review submitted plans and offer support and guidance. The council's tour plan administration in MyBSA is also being enhanced, and details will be communicated at a later date.
If you have any questions or experience any issues during the transition period, please contact the National Service Desk.
FAQ Sheet
Q. Why should I complete a tour and activity plan?
A. The tour and activity plan is a planning tool for best practices to be prepared for safe and fun adventure. Completing the plan may not address all possible challenges, but it can help ensure that appropriate planning has been conducted, that qualified and trained leadership is in place, and that the right equipment is available for the adventure.
In addition, the plan helps to organize safe and appropriate transportation to and from an event, and defines driver qualifications and minimum limits of insurance coverage for drivers and vehicles used to transport participants.
Please complete and submit this plan at least 21 days in advance (check with your local council) to ensure your council has enough time to review the plan and assist as necessary.
Q. When do I need to complete a tour and activity plan?
A. Times when a tour and activity plan must be submitted for council review include the following:
■Trips of 500 miles or more; or
■Trips outside of council borders (exception: not to your council-owned property); or
■Trips to any national high-adventure base, national Scout jamboree, National Order of the Arrow Conference, the Summit Bechtel Reserve, or a regionally sponsored event; or
■When conducting any of the following activities outside of council or district events:
■Aquatics activities (swimming, boating, floating, scuba, etc.)
■Climbing and rappelling
■Orientation flights (process flying plan)
■Shooting sports
■Any activities involving motorized vehicles as part of the program (snowmobiles, boating, etc.); or
■At a council's request (Contact your local council for additional guidelines or regulations concerning tour and activity plans; many have set guidelines for events or activities within council boundaries such as for Cub Scout overnight camping.)
Regardless, the tour and activity plan is an excellent tool that should be included in preparation for all activities, even those not requiring it. It guides a tour leader through itineraries, travel arrangements, two-deep leadership, supervision qualifications, and transportation.
Q. Is it common for a council to set up a rigorous review of the tour and activity plan or have our unit submit a plan anytime we meet other than at our weekly meeting place?
A. Your local council knows your local conditions, common tours, and activies best. We find that many councils set their policies based on those known risks. We suggest you contact your council if it choses to exceed the above policy on when and for what reasons a tour and activity plan should be filed for review.
Q. Where can I find the paper version of the tour and activity plan?
A. Click on this tour and activity plan link. Please only use this format if you have a unit without access to MyScouting. We are encouraging everyone to use the online system.
Q. Where can I find the tour and activity plan online?
A. You will need to log in to www.myscouting.org and select the tour and activity plan under your "Unit Tool."
Q. Is there a training program to show me how to complete the tour and activity plan online?
A. Yes, please watch this interactive video if you are have questions. Watch video now.
Q. What if my trip or activity is as a council contingent or is an OA activity?
A. Contingent planners can either use the paper version of the tour and activity plan or the tour leader can record the plan under his or her primary unit affiliation and council, adding in other adult leadership as needed.
Q. What, if any, transition period is available?
A. If you previously completed a tour plan, it is still valid. You should start using the updated tour and activity plan immediately; all other paper versions are obsolete.
Q. Why can't I see tour and activity plans on my MyScouting account?
A. The most common reason for not seeing tour and activity plans in your MyScouting account is that your member ID is not attached to your MyScouting account profile. Please contact the National Service Desk for assistance at 972-580-2267.
A second common reason is that your registration (position code) does not support the permission for the application. The application is not available to individuals registered only as merit badge counselors, Scout parents, or Tiger Cub adult partners. Please contact your unit leadership if you would like to update your unit position. Click here for a list of unit positions with tour and activity plan access.
Q. Why change the tour permit?
A. This update replaces the former "online" tour permit with an interactive planning tool that allows you greater flexibility. It is the first phase to the online version—with more enhancements to come.
Q. What is the difference between a tour permit and the online version?
A. Several items. With the online version:
■The unit leadership certifies the plan.
■The local council reviews plans but does not approve them.
■An email workflow can be used to notify the council, chartered organization, committee chair, and emergency contact that a plan has been submitted for review.
■It contains interactive prompts and warnings.
■It provides active links to program-required training and education.
■It provides the ability to store, retrieve, copy, and reuse previously submitted tour and activity plans (not applicable to permits).
■It provides the ability to update the plan up until the day before the tour and activity date.
Q. With the older version, we had a "permit" to take with us. What do we take now?
A. You can print a tour and activity plan summary at the end of your submission. Copies can be made if needed for your unit, emergency contact, parents, etc.
Q. What materials do I need to complete the online version?
A. You will need the following:
■Leadership contact information
■Vehicle information
■Description of the activity
■Travel itinerary
Q. Is planning and preparing for Hazardous Weather training required for all tours?
A. Yes, it has been required for all tours since Jan. 1, 2009. It should be repeated every two years and is appropriate for not only adults, but Boy Scout-aged youth as well. A CD is available for use at your unit, district, and council events where Internet access is not available. Search for item number 610642 at www.scoutstuff.org.
Q. What should we use for permission from parents?
A. The Activity Consent Form and Approval by Parents or Guardian is an appropriate resource.
Q. Do I need anything else if we are going on a discovery flight?
A. Yes, please complete the Flying Plan Application along with an Activity Consent Form and Approval by Parents or Guardian (for each participant).
Q. With whom do I discuss why we are required to have certain training before we do certain activities?
A. We suggest that program and qualified supervision requirements be discussed with your unit leadership, unit commissioner, district commissioner, or district executive—in that order. The tour and activity plan does not set these requirements, policies, or guidelines; it is a tool to help unit leadership identify qualified supervision requirements for the planned program. The Guide to Safe Scouting is a good compendium of information to start your research with as well. In contains information on training such as Safety Afloat, Safe Swim Defense, and Climb On Safely.
Q. What should I tell the parents in my unit, who always question why they have to furnish insurance or driver information for their vehicles?
A. We suggest that you review the Scouting Safely alert on insurance information . For auto liability, the coverage provided by Scouting is secondary when those non-owned vehicles are used for an official Scouting activity. We get many reports that parents want to exclude their information since they are transporting their own children to and from an event. Recognize that in this scenario, the official Scouting activity for those youth and their parents would not start until arrival at the location and would end when they left the location; their travel is not an official Scouting activity.
Q. What kind of insurance coverage does the BSA provide for the Scouting program?
A. We suggest that you review the Scouting Safely alert on insurance information.
Q. Do we really need an Annual Health and Medical Record, No. 680-001, for all participants?
A. Yes, and while this is a frequently asked question, it is not a new policy. Information on the Annual Health and Medical Record, including FAQs, can be found at this link.
Q. What are the common issues why my tour and activity plan would be defective or require me to update it before we conduct the tour or activity?
A. Common deficiencies reported by councils that have reviewed many of the PDF versions of the tour plan suggest the following:
■There are no registered adult leaders.
■Two-deep leadership requirements are not met.
■Both male and female leadership for coed activities is not present.
■Qualified supervision is not identified for high-risk activities.
■Training is not completed for the planned program.
■Youth Protection training is not current.
■Hazardous Weather training is not current.
■The itinerary is incomplete.
■Travel plans include excessive mileage or travel in a 24-hour period.
■There are not enough vehicles identified to safely transport the tour.
■The planned activities are unauthorized.
■The plan was submitted after the activity or with no lead time.
■There is incomplete or inadequate insurance information for the tour or flying plan.
Q. What must be included in the emergency roadside kit?
A. The type of emergency roadside kit needed can vary depending on, for example, where you live, where the unit is traveling to/from, or the season (summer, winter). An emergency roadside kit may include items such as a reflective safety vest, tire jack and lug wrench, jumper cables, emergency flares, triangle reflective warning signs, fire extinguisher, flashlight with extra batteries, shovel, work gloves, space blanket, bottled water, whistle, basic tools (e.g., wrenches, multitip screwdrivers, and pliers), and a utility knife. You may choose to build your own emergency roadside kit or purchase one from a local general or hardware store.
Q. We don't know who the commercial carrier or charter bus driver will be for our trip, so what do we enter for driver and insurance information?
A. Enter the name of the company and make sure the commercial carrier provides you with proof of insurance: $5 million CSL for 16 or more passengers or at least $1.5 million CSL for vehicles designed to transport nine to 15 passengers. It is not expected that this information will be furnished for commercial airline transportation.
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