Camping Safety
Making the Right Decisions in the Wilderness
Start
Welcome to a wilderness adventure!
Lead your group to safety!
- Take on the role of a camper leading a small group on a wilderness camping trip.
- Face five decision points involving safety, preparation, and unexpected hazards.
- Your choices determine your group’s success—best, average, or worst outcomes.
- Play the game as many times as you need. Take the quiz to test your knowledge when you are ready.
Next Page
Learning objective
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to: Select the best methods for staying safe while camping when encountering the most common wilderness hazards.
Read the Instructions
decision-based scenario
You’re leading a group of friends on a weekend camping trip to a remote area. It’s your responsibility to:
- Ensure everyone’s safety.
- Prepare for the trip.
- Handle unexpected challenges along the way.
At each step, you’ll face critical decisions. Your choices will shape the outcome of the trip, leading to best, average, or worst results. Think carefully to ensure a safe and successful adventure!
Let's Start Your Adventure!
You are about to head out on a camping trip with your friends. How do you prepare before heading to the campsite?
Don’t worry about weight. Pack all your food and water, along with maps, a first-aid kit, extra clothes, and other essentials.
Bring the fun! It’s a friends’ trip, so make sure to bring games and snacks.
Pack light. Most of what you need is available in the great outdoors, and it’s a long hike
Great idea!
Good call! Proper preparation ensures readiness for any situation. By packing the essentials, you are setting yourself up for success!
Continue
Good Thinking!
It is not a bad choice, but it would lead to challenges if supplies were unavailable.
Continue
Underprepared
Also called the Donner Party scenario, this option neglects safety, increasing risks during the trip. You need to think about what things you will need.
Continue
One group member gets a minor injury (a cut on their hand). How do you respond?
Wrap the wound without cleaning it. You must save time reaching the campsite before nightfall; contaminated water can cause a worse infection.
A minor cut is nothing to worry about and you should conserve water, time, and first aid supplies for true emergencies. The wound will heal on its own.
Clean the wound with water, apply antiseptic, and bandage it. This takes some time on the hike, so you will reach your campsite later.
One group member gets a minor injury (a cut on their hand). How do you respond?
Wrap the wound without cleaning it. You must save time reaching the campsite before nightfall; contaminated water can cause a worse infection.
A minor cut is nothing to worry about and you should conserve water, time, and first aid supplies for true emergencies. The wound will heal on its own.
Clean the wound with water, apply antiseptic, and bandage it. This takes some time on the hike, so you will reach your campsite later.
One group member gets a minor injury (a cut on their hand). How do you respond?
Wrap the wound without cleaning it. You must save time reaching the campsite before nightfall; contaminated water can cause a worse infection.
A minor cut is nothing to worry about and you should conserve water, time, and first aid supplies for true emergencies. The wound will heal on its own.
Clean the wound with water, apply antiseptic, and bandage it. This takes some time on the hike, so you will reach your campsite later.
No Injury Too Small!
All wounds should be cleaned and properly bandaged. You planned and packed enough water and first aid supplies. Although you may lose some time making it to your campsite, you avoid the risk of a camper falling ill and slowing the whole team down even more. Great work!
Continue
No Injury Too Small!
All wounds should be cleaned and properly bandaged. You planned and packed enough water and first aid supplies. Although you may lose some time making it to your campsite, you avoid the risk of a camper falling ill and slowing the whole team down even more. Great work!
Continue
Well, It's Better Than Nothing...
You made it to the campsite before nightfall, but your camper's wound looks pretty gnarly. It might be an infection, or it might just be healing slowly. At least the wound was covered, so it probably won't get worse.
Continue
What's That Smell?
You reach the campsite early and settle in. The team notices your injured camper's wound looks swollen, full of pus, and is starting to smell. They may have a Staph infection or worse. You try rubbing antiseptic on it now, but it is not eliminating the smell.
Continue
While camping, you learn that a sudden thunderstorm is forecast for the evening. What do you do?
Trees can provide cover from the rain, so move to higher ground under the trees.
Since you thought to bring waterproof gear, set up on some open ground away from the trees and streams.
If you set up camp in a low-lying area, you’ll be sheltered from the wind.
While camping, you learn that a sudden thunderstorm is forecasted for the evening. What do you do?
Since you thought to bring waterproof gear, set up on some open ground away from the trees and streams.
Trees can provide cover from the rain, so move to higher ground under the trees.
If you set up camp in a low-lying area, you’ll be sheltered from the wind.
While camping, you learn that a sudden thunderstorm is forecasted for the evening. What do you do?
If you thought to bring waterproof gear, set up on some open ground away from the trees and streams.
Trees can provide cover from the rain, so move to higher ground under the trees.
If you set up camp in a low-lying area, you’ll be sheltered from the wind.
Great idea!
Coming prepared with waterproof materials will help you stay dry. By moving to a safer location away from trees and streams, you have minimized your chances of being struck by lightning or flooding your tent.
Continue
Great idea!
Coming prepared with waterproof materials will help you stay dry. By moving to a safer location away from trees and streams, you have minimized your chances of being struck by lightning or flooding your tent.
Continue
Good thinking.
Moving to a low-lying area will provide shelter from the wind. Staying in a low area away from trees can also protect you from lightning. However, moving to lower ground increases the chances of your tent flooding.
Continue
Shocking!
While trees do provide cover from the rain, sheltering under a tree during a thunderstorm is a hazardous idea. You have increased your chances of being struck by lightning.
Continue
Shocking!
While trees do provide cover from the rain, sheltering under a tree during a thunderstorm is a hazardous idea. You have increased your chances of being struck by lightning.
Continue
You’re preparing a campfire for the night. How do you ensure it’s safe?
Use as much wood as possible to create a big, warm fire.
Build the fire in an undesignated spot but take care to clear the area and keep it small.
Build the fire in a designated pit, clear of vegetation, and keep water nearby.
You’re preparing a campfire for the night. How do you ensure it’s safe?
Use as much wood as possible to create a big, warm fire.
Build the fire in an undesignated spot but take care to clear the area and keep it small.
Build the fire in a designated pit, clear of vegetation, and keep water nearby.
You’re preparing a campfire for the night. How do you ensure it’s safe?
Use as much wood as possible to create a big, warm fire.
Build the fire in an undesignated spot but take care to clear the area and keep it small.
Build the fire in a designated pit, clear of vegetation, and keep water nearby.
Great Job!
You chose to build the fire in a designated pit, clear of vegetation, and kept water nearby. This ensures safety and minimizes the risk of a wildfire.
Continue
Great Job!
You chose to build the fire in a designated pit, clear of vegetation, and kept water nearby. This ensures safety and minimizes the risk of a wildfire.
Continue
Ignores Safety!
You chose to build the fire in an undesignated spot but take care to clear the area and keep it small. While clearing the area and keeping the fire small helps reduce immediate risks, building outside of designated areas can still be unsafe and against park regulations. Always follow local guidelines to ensure safety.
Continue
Unsafe!
You chose to use as much wood as possible to create a big, warm fire. A large fire increases the risk of it getting out of control.
Continue
Unsafe!
You chose to use as much wood as possible to create a big, warm fire. A large fire increases the risk of it getting out of control.
Continue
You are enjoying the outdoors when one of your friends spots a bear just off of the trail. What do you do?
Run away as fast as you can. Definitely faster than your friends.
Approach the bear loudly and confidently to scare it away.
Stay calm, make noise, and slowly move away without turning your back.
You are enjoying the outdoors when one of your friends spots a bear just off of the trail. What do you do?
Run away as fast as you can. Definitely faster than your friends.
Approach the bear loudly and confidently to scare it away.
Stay calm, make noise, and slowly move away without turning your back.
You are enjoying the outdoors when one of your friends spots a bear just off of the trail. What do you do?
Run away as fast as you can. Definitely faster than your friends.
Approach the bear loudly and confidently to scare it away.
Stay calm, make noise, and slowly move away without turning your back.
Clever strategy!
You've remained calm and reduced your chances of provoking the bear. You've made noise so you don't startle the bear. You avoided acting like prey by turning away and running. Good work choosing the a safe response.
Continue
Clever strategy!
You've remained calm and reduced your chances of provoking the bear. You've made noise so you don't startle the bear. You avoided acting like prey by turning away and running. Good work choosing the a safe response.
Continue
Be the bigger bear.
Approaching loudly and with confidence stands a good chance of scaring the bear away. However, using this approach risks aggression from the bear.
Continue
Bears are fast.
Running is likely to trigger the bear's instinct to chase. Running from the bear is likely to result in injuring for your or one of your friends.
Continue
Best result
Well done!
Congratulations! You and your friends have had a safe and enjoyable trip, thanks to careful preparation and decision-making. In fact, it went so well that you've already made plans to do it again!
Restart?
Quiz!
Average result
Not Bad, but Try again.
Well, nobody died on your first camping trip, but let's say it was... eventful. Your trip was marked by some less-than-ideal choices. You may have packed inadequate supplies, risked an infection, flooded your tent, had a fire get out of control, or had a close run-in with a bear. We recommend you try again to learn the safety essentials.
Quiz?
Restart!
worst result
Oh no!
Your camping trip turned out to be very hazardous! You may have suffered from inadequate supplies, lightning strikes, infected injuries, or bear attacks. Gain more survival skill practice before you head into the wild again. Play the scenario again using the insight you've gained from this attempt.
Restart
Camping Safety Quiz
You are ready to test your knowledge of surviving in the wilderness!
Start
Camping Safety Quiz
Question 1/5
Camping Safety Quiz
Question 2/5
Camping Safety Quiz
Question 3/5
Camping Safety Quiz
Question 4/5
Camping Safety Quiz
Question 5/5
🎉
Congratulations!
By now, you should be a camping safety expert. Lead your friends into the wilderness!
References
REFERENCES
Genially. (n.d.). Branching scenario [Template]. Genially. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://view.genially.com/62de78c7ef076d00180718ff/interactive-content-branching-scenarioReference National Park Service. (n.d.). Staying safe while camping. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved November 23, 2024, from https://www.nps.gov/subjects/camping/staying-safe.htm National Park Service. (n.d.). Watching wildlife safely [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved November 23, 2024, from https://youtu.be/iZn7ctk3I2U?si=W_P7SLJb_gZSQUmh OpenAI. (2024). Nature-themed decision tree [Digital image]. OpenAI DALL·E.
This game was created as an educational assignment for the Master of Science in Instructional Science and Technology (MIST) program at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). It was developed by Team 9 as part of coursework in the Fall of 2024 and is intended solely for educational purposes, not for commercial use. The game content reflects the collaborative efforts of the following team members: Samantha Stockwell, Sara Rose, Steve Nixon, and Joey Notaro. Any external resources used in the creation of this game are appropriately cited in the references section above. All images and content not otherwise noted are sourced from Genially.
Did you know...
Wildlife encounters are one of the most exciting parts of spending time in nature, but they can also be dangerous if not handled correctly. Let's protect both people and wildlife while enjoying the wonders of nature.
Why is Camping Safety Important?
Camping offers incredible opportunities to connect with nature, but it also comes with risks that require preparation and awareness. Learning about camping safety is essential to protect yourself and others, prevent accidents, and respond effectively to emergencies. By understanding how to navigate hazards, you can ensure that outdoor adventures are not only enjoyable but also safe and memorable.
Camping Safety Training
Joey Notaro
Created on November 23, 2024
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Transcript
Camping Safety
Making the Right Decisions in the Wilderness
Start
Welcome to a wilderness adventure!
Lead your group to safety!
Next Page
Learning objective
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to: Select the best methods for staying safe while camping when encountering the most common wilderness hazards.
Read the Instructions
decision-based scenario
You’re leading a group of friends on a weekend camping trip to a remote area. It’s your responsibility to:
- Ensure everyone’s safety.
- Prepare for the trip.
- Handle unexpected challenges along the way.
At each step, you’ll face critical decisions. Your choices will shape the outcome of the trip, leading to best, average, or worst results. Think carefully to ensure a safe and successful adventure!Let's Start Your Adventure!
You are about to head out on a camping trip with your friends. How do you prepare before heading to the campsite?
Don’t worry about weight. Pack all your food and water, along with maps, a first-aid kit, extra clothes, and other essentials.
Bring the fun! It’s a friends’ trip, so make sure to bring games and snacks.
Pack light. Most of what you need is available in the great outdoors, and it’s a long hike
Great idea!
Good call! Proper preparation ensures readiness for any situation. By packing the essentials, you are setting yourself up for success!
Continue
Good Thinking!
It is not a bad choice, but it would lead to challenges if supplies were unavailable.
Continue
Underprepared
Also called the Donner Party scenario, this option neglects safety, increasing risks during the trip. You need to think about what things you will need.
Continue
One group member gets a minor injury (a cut on their hand). How do you respond?
Wrap the wound without cleaning it. You must save time reaching the campsite before nightfall; contaminated water can cause a worse infection.
A minor cut is nothing to worry about and you should conserve water, time, and first aid supplies for true emergencies. The wound will heal on its own.
Clean the wound with water, apply antiseptic, and bandage it. This takes some time on the hike, so you will reach your campsite later.
One group member gets a minor injury (a cut on their hand). How do you respond?
Wrap the wound without cleaning it. You must save time reaching the campsite before nightfall; contaminated water can cause a worse infection.
A minor cut is nothing to worry about and you should conserve water, time, and first aid supplies for true emergencies. The wound will heal on its own.
Clean the wound with water, apply antiseptic, and bandage it. This takes some time on the hike, so you will reach your campsite later.
One group member gets a minor injury (a cut on their hand). How do you respond?
Wrap the wound without cleaning it. You must save time reaching the campsite before nightfall; contaminated water can cause a worse infection.
A minor cut is nothing to worry about and you should conserve water, time, and first aid supplies for true emergencies. The wound will heal on its own.
Clean the wound with water, apply antiseptic, and bandage it. This takes some time on the hike, so you will reach your campsite later.
No Injury Too Small!
All wounds should be cleaned and properly bandaged. You planned and packed enough water and first aid supplies. Although you may lose some time making it to your campsite, you avoid the risk of a camper falling ill and slowing the whole team down even more. Great work!
Continue
No Injury Too Small!
All wounds should be cleaned and properly bandaged. You planned and packed enough water and first aid supplies. Although you may lose some time making it to your campsite, you avoid the risk of a camper falling ill and slowing the whole team down even more. Great work!
Continue
Well, It's Better Than Nothing...
You made it to the campsite before nightfall, but your camper's wound looks pretty gnarly. It might be an infection, or it might just be healing slowly. At least the wound was covered, so it probably won't get worse.
Continue
What's That Smell?
You reach the campsite early and settle in. The team notices your injured camper's wound looks swollen, full of pus, and is starting to smell. They may have a Staph infection or worse. You try rubbing antiseptic on it now, but it is not eliminating the smell.
Continue
While camping, you learn that a sudden thunderstorm is forecast for the evening. What do you do?
Trees can provide cover from the rain, so move to higher ground under the trees.
Since you thought to bring waterproof gear, set up on some open ground away from the trees and streams.
If you set up camp in a low-lying area, you’ll be sheltered from the wind.
While camping, you learn that a sudden thunderstorm is forecasted for the evening. What do you do?
Since you thought to bring waterproof gear, set up on some open ground away from the trees and streams.
Trees can provide cover from the rain, so move to higher ground under the trees.
If you set up camp in a low-lying area, you’ll be sheltered from the wind.
While camping, you learn that a sudden thunderstorm is forecasted for the evening. What do you do?
If you thought to bring waterproof gear, set up on some open ground away from the trees and streams.
Trees can provide cover from the rain, so move to higher ground under the trees.
If you set up camp in a low-lying area, you’ll be sheltered from the wind.
Great idea!
Coming prepared with waterproof materials will help you stay dry. By moving to a safer location away from trees and streams, you have minimized your chances of being struck by lightning or flooding your tent.
Continue
Great idea!
Coming prepared with waterproof materials will help you stay dry. By moving to a safer location away from trees and streams, you have minimized your chances of being struck by lightning or flooding your tent.
Continue
Good thinking.
Moving to a low-lying area will provide shelter from the wind. Staying in a low area away from trees can also protect you from lightning. However, moving to lower ground increases the chances of your tent flooding.
Continue
Shocking!
While trees do provide cover from the rain, sheltering under a tree during a thunderstorm is a hazardous idea. You have increased your chances of being struck by lightning.
Continue
Shocking!
While trees do provide cover from the rain, sheltering under a tree during a thunderstorm is a hazardous idea. You have increased your chances of being struck by lightning.
Continue
You’re preparing a campfire for the night. How do you ensure it’s safe?
Use as much wood as possible to create a big, warm fire.
Build the fire in an undesignated spot but take care to clear the area and keep it small.
Build the fire in a designated pit, clear of vegetation, and keep water nearby.
You’re preparing a campfire for the night. How do you ensure it’s safe?
Use as much wood as possible to create a big, warm fire.
Build the fire in an undesignated spot but take care to clear the area and keep it small.
Build the fire in a designated pit, clear of vegetation, and keep water nearby.
You’re preparing a campfire for the night. How do you ensure it’s safe?
Use as much wood as possible to create a big, warm fire.
Build the fire in an undesignated spot but take care to clear the area and keep it small.
Build the fire in a designated pit, clear of vegetation, and keep water nearby.
Great Job!
You chose to build the fire in a designated pit, clear of vegetation, and kept water nearby. This ensures safety and minimizes the risk of a wildfire.
Continue
Great Job!
You chose to build the fire in a designated pit, clear of vegetation, and kept water nearby. This ensures safety and minimizes the risk of a wildfire.
Continue
Ignores Safety!
You chose to build the fire in an undesignated spot but take care to clear the area and keep it small. While clearing the area and keeping the fire small helps reduce immediate risks, building outside of designated areas can still be unsafe and against park regulations. Always follow local guidelines to ensure safety.
Continue
Unsafe!
You chose to use as much wood as possible to create a big, warm fire. A large fire increases the risk of it getting out of control.
Continue
Unsafe!
You chose to use as much wood as possible to create a big, warm fire. A large fire increases the risk of it getting out of control.
Continue
You are enjoying the outdoors when one of your friends spots a bear just off of the trail. What do you do?
Run away as fast as you can. Definitely faster than your friends.
Approach the bear loudly and confidently to scare it away.
Stay calm, make noise, and slowly move away without turning your back.
You are enjoying the outdoors when one of your friends spots a bear just off of the trail. What do you do?
Run away as fast as you can. Definitely faster than your friends.
Approach the bear loudly and confidently to scare it away.
Stay calm, make noise, and slowly move away without turning your back.
You are enjoying the outdoors when one of your friends spots a bear just off of the trail. What do you do?
Run away as fast as you can. Definitely faster than your friends.
Approach the bear loudly and confidently to scare it away.
Stay calm, make noise, and slowly move away without turning your back.
Clever strategy!
You've remained calm and reduced your chances of provoking the bear. You've made noise so you don't startle the bear. You avoided acting like prey by turning away and running. Good work choosing the a safe response.
Continue
Clever strategy!
You've remained calm and reduced your chances of provoking the bear. You've made noise so you don't startle the bear. You avoided acting like prey by turning away and running. Good work choosing the a safe response.
Continue
Be the bigger bear.
Approaching loudly and with confidence stands a good chance of scaring the bear away. However, using this approach risks aggression from the bear.
Continue
Bears are fast.
Running is likely to trigger the bear's instinct to chase. Running from the bear is likely to result in injuring for your or one of your friends.
Continue
Best result
Well done!
Congratulations! You and your friends have had a safe and enjoyable trip, thanks to careful preparation and decision-making. In fact, it went so well that you've already made plans to do it again!
Restart?
Quiz!
Average result
Not Bad, but Try again.
Well, nobody died on your first camping trip, but let's say it was... eventful. Your trip was marked by some less-than-ideal choices. You may have packed inadequate supplies, risked an infection, flooded your tent, had a fire get out of control, or had a close run-in with a bear. We recommend you try again to learn the safety essentials.
Quiz?
Restart!
worst result
Oh no!
Your camping trip turned out to be very hazardous! You may have suffered from inadequate supplies, lightning strikes, infected injuries, or bear attacks. Gain more survival skill practice before you head into the wild again. Play the scenario again using the insight you've gained from this attempt.
Restart
Camping Safety Quiz
You are ready to test your knowledge of surviving in the wilderness!
Start
Camping Safety Quiz
Question 1/5
Camping Safety Quiz
Question 2/5
Camping Safety Quiz
Question 3/5
Camping Safety Quiz
Question 4/5
Camping Safety Quiz
Question 5/5
🎉
Congratulations!
By now, you should be a camping safety expert. Lead your friends into the wilderness!
References
REFERENCES
Genially. (n.d.). Branching scenario [Template]. Genially. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://view.genially.com/62de78c7ef076d00180718ff/interactive-content-branching-scenarioReference National Park Service. (n.d.). Staying safe while camping. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved November 23, 2024, from https://www.nps.gov/subjects/camping/staying-safe.htm National Park Service. (n.d.). Watching wildlife safely [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved November 23, 2024, from https://youtu.be/iZn7ctk3I2U?si=W_P7SLJb_gZSQUmh OpenAI. (2024). Nature-themed decision tree [Digital image]. OpenAI DALL·E.
This game was created as an educational assignment for the Master of Science in Instructional Science and Technology (MIST) program at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). It was developed by Team 9 as part of coursework in the Fall of 2024 and is intended solely for educational purposes, not for commercial use. The game content reflects the collaborative efforts of the following team members: Samantha Stockwell, Sara Rose, Steve Nixon, and Joey Notaro. Any external resources used in the creation of this game are appropriately cited in the references section above. All images and content not otherwise noted are sourced from Genially.
Did you know...
Wildlife encounters are one of the most exciting parts of spending time in nature, but they can also be dangerous if not handled correctly. Let's protect both people and wildlife while enjoying the wonders of nature.
Why is Camping Safety Important?
Camping offers incredible opportunities to connect with nature, but it also comes with risks that require preparation and awareness. Learning about camping safety is essential to protect yourself and others, prevent accidents, and respond effectively to emergencies. By understanding how to navigate hazards, you can ensure that outdoor adventures are not only enjoyable but also safe and memorable.