Training Philosophy & Code of Conduct

 
 

SSC Training Philosophy

We are all about training our staff and volunteers to help users have fun and be a friendly source of information. All staff and volunteers will be required to complete CPR/First Aid and Leave No Trace training, as well as specialized training required by partner landowners/managers before engaging with the public. The Leave No Trace curriculum will focus on minimum impact skills and ethics as well as techniques for educating others about these low-impact practices.

SSC will partner with the Shasta-Trinity USFS, Siskiyou County, Mt. Shasta Recreation and Park District, and Dunsmuir for Phase I of the program. Staff and volunteers will be well versed in the policies of each land management agency or entity. The procedures will be available for reference in the SSC Trail Host Manual. Training will consist of classroom sessions and practical scenarios, and all staff and volunteers will be equipped with a first aid kit.

Code of conduct

  • Interacting with users is mandatory. Staff and volunteers will be friendly and approachable. The overarching goal of this program is to help users have fun by providing a physical presence at our local recreation areas. If at a designated fixed station, the trail host will initiate contact and conversation with users. When traveling on the trail, hosts will stop and engage with the user, while demonstrating proper trail use etiquette.

  • Staff and volunteers will maintain a calm and diplomatic approach to public engagement. They will be gracious ambassadors, not police officers or enforcers. When encountering prohibited activities, trail hosts will ensure their safety first, and if applicable, inform the user of their mistake and offer an alternative. When an unhappy or frustrated user is encountered, hosts will listen with empathy to their concerns and provide direction to sources of further information or options. These interactions will be documented in the daily log by the trail host. Staff and volunteers will be supported to refrain from interacting with questionable people at their discretion.

    • Hosts will refrain from engaging in political discussions.

  • SSC staff and volunteers are not tour guides and will not offer guided tours to guests. Point-topoint guidance may be provided if necessary, and the interaction will be documented in the daily log.

    • Volunteers are prohibited from speaking with the media. All media inquiries will be directed to the lead SSC crew member and SORA executive director.

 

uniforms

SSC staff and volunteers will be required to wear an SSC name tag, t-shirt, or hat while on shift. If required, they will wear uniforms provided by partner agencies or entities. Hosts will also be required to wear all of the appropriate safety gear including sunglasses, helmet, goggles, gloves, and boots.