Training and Safety

The HWC Search, Rescue and Training Sub-Committee (SR&T) supervises training and safety and helps organise searches.
The objectives are to:

• Oversee Club training trip operations
• Promote the Club's search and rescue roles
• Advise the Club on training in leadership, bush skills and bush safety
• Advise the Club on general safety aspects of bushwalking
• Have an operational call out list.
  

Safety is vitally important to all our activities. The Club has produced a book Safety in the Bush and a small booklet to be carried with you called Bushwalking – Emergency Management. Both are free to Members when they join the Club and available in some bookshops.
As part of the joining process prospective members undertake an Essential Skills Day to learn about bushcraft, basic navigation and basic first aid. We run other training events from time to time. These include:

• 'Real Navigation' courses, in which walkers 'get lost' and use map and compass to navigate to safety
• GPS training
• Training in the use of mobile phone navigational apps
• Non-accredited bushwalking First Aid courses
• Coordinator training courses
  
  

Bush Safety

Safety in the Bush
The book – Safety in the Bush – is produced by the SR&T Sub-Committee. It is an excellent guide for walking in Tasmania and is free to members when they join the Club and is also available for sale at some bookshops. It should be noted that in the current (2021) edition of Safety in the Bush the duties of a walk coordinator have been changed to better reflect that each walker must be primarily responsible for their own safety and well-being.
The book is a comprehensive guide to planning and preparation for walking in the bush – whether on day trips, overnight or extended walks. It provides tips for identifying potential dangers, both before the trip, during the planning stage and while in the bush. It shows how to walk and camp in the snow and how to find your way (route finding and navigation). It also looks at how to deal with any medical or other emergency that arises (first aid in the bush, emergency procedures); and provides a guide to walking in the bush while preserving the natural environment.

Safety in the Bush Contents

• Rights and responsibilities
• Minimum Impact Code
• The party
• The trip
• Camping
• Equipment and clothing
• Food
• Walking and camping in the snow
• Route finding and navigation
• Dangers and difficulties
• Emergency procedures
• First aid in the bush
• Medical emergencies

Bushwalking – Emergency Management
This booklet is designed to be carried with you on every bushwalk. It contains essential information to help you deal with an accident, illness or emergency. It is written on waterproof paper and weighs only 42 grams.

Last updated: June 2022