But they won’t get that anyway.
Both TG21 and TG22 have areas for contact information during the activity if that is different from normal.
At no point is that uploaded to SMS and will only exist on the paper forms (or scanned copies of them).
In the event of an incident, WHQ, who hold a copy of the forms, are likely to get alerted so the information will become available, but it will not be immediate.
I agree. My WHQ don’t even have copies of the forms until way after the event!
I do fear that if something did happen on an activity they wouldn’t be able to handle it effectively as they do not have the correct information to hand.
Perhaps up-to-date medical information on SMS instead of paper medical forms is the answer (which can be printed into a table for activities away from IT access), with just a small slip given out to obtain consent for activities.
I think over the years the organisation has gone overboard paperwork wise in a lot of areas but have not thought about important things enough in others.
And since there is no definitive policy of when TG forms are required & what activities WHQ need copies for the information may not exist on paper either. (Outside of annual camps I’ve never sent WHQ copies of TG forms).
Let’s be honest if there was an incident would you :
1 Start contacting NOK etc
2 Make a call and wash your hands of it
As a parent I would sooner have someone I know tell me something, rather than the voice of some disconnected individual on the end of a phone who sees you just as a name on a list, like they do in call centres.
Yes, I think I probably would call NOK first in many situations, but then each situation is different. In the Cadet Training Safety Precaution Guide it does say that you can do it yourself, as long as the CoC is informed. But if the CoC cannot be contacted then we are meant to phone JCCC direct.
Back in 2005 when I led an overseas parachute exped, a female officer broke her leg on landing.
We on the DZ co-ordinated all first aid activity whilst the parachute school liaised direct with the Dutch ambulance service who took the unfortunate officer to hospital on the mainland (we were on an Island). I then contacted HQAC through the out-of-hours contact number and it was they who notified the JCCC. The JCCC then arranged for a casevac back to the UK the following day albeit from Schipol Airport to which the ambulance service took her. It was all swiftly done and very well organised with constant comms from HQAC updating me on developments as they occurred. The JCCC did all the notifying of the officers NoK and upon her arrival in the UK, they had an ambulance ready to transport her to a local hospital in the West Midlands where she underwent emergency surgery.
Mind you, that was in the days before we had PIPE’s and I have to admit that on that occasion, I couldn’t fault the comms we had with HQAC personnel.
I would propose, and bear in mind I’m second guessing JCCC here, the requirement for manifests (activities) is to obtain a list of people in the event something rolls over or goes down at the rate of gravity. Largely useless given the circumstances the ATC operate in, especially when you consider a camp activity on the system won’t reflect whos in/on/attended if it’s a camp trip for a small selection. Access to the main data set is the key.
which also brings up the question of how we, at a Sqn, can ensure the contact details are correct, without sitting every cadet down at the Adj’s PC once/twice a year to go through the data we have for them.
I am sure in my dim and distant memory we used to be able to print out contact details to give them to check, but cant seem to be able to do that anymore.
Print screen, print. Job jobbed.
I’m not sure how that would be a problem. You could even take a laptop or two into a more convenient location and do it that way. Combine it with a photo update session and job’s a good un!
Canteen session. Couple of staff given surnames A-F, G-L and so on, cadets cycle through, with their mobiles at hand;
Cdt ADAMS,
Home address?
Your number?
Next of kin name (lives with you)?
Their number
Another number?
Any medical issues in last 6 months or currently?
Change items as required
Thank you, enjoy your can of fizzy soda. BRIANs
Thanks guys, we cant quite do it like that due to IT and staff limitations, but your comments have led me to a good way I can do it without it boring me to tears!
Cheers
We used to get a print out from school every September that came from their system, with their current info that we updated where we had to and sent it back. It wasn’t a screen dump it was a proper document. I’m pretty certain this could be set up for SMS as a form with somewhere to sign.
I would sooner have something from a parent signed by them, rather than a cadet.
Our kids didn’t know what number house we lived at for years, they knew the house and could direct you to the house one in, with red door. Even now they don’t know the home phone (only one I ever put on documents) without looking at their phones.