Facilities: Opening and Closing Your Camp Facilities

Every camp should have a process in place for staff to open and close your facilities each day to ensure the building stays clean, safe, and organized. Here are some guidelines to opening and closing your facilities:

1. Make sure each staff member is assigned opening and closing duties each day.

2. Rotate these duties if possible. Each staff should be doing different closing duties each week so tasks don’t get mundane. It also gives everyone the opportunity to do everything so it’s fair when it comes to the less desirable tasks.

3. Create a daily check list for managing the opening and closing duties in each area of your facility.

4. Make sure your process includes things like putting away and organizing equipment, cleaning and taking out trash, and securing the facility.

5. Have a way for staff to report and document any cleanliness or maintenance issues. It is extremely important that you know of any issues as soon as they occur so it does not pose a safety hazard and you can address it immediately. Issues that linger or go unreported could turn into larger more costly problems down the road.

6. Make sure each staff has adequate time and opportunity to do their opening or closing duties without supervision responsibilities. This may require staff to come in a few minutes before their shift or leave after the kids leave so the facilities can be inspected and cared for properly.

7. Include facility maintenance in your staff training so staff of aware of the expectations and what they need to be looking for on a daily basis when it comes to opening and closing the facilities properly as well as reporting cleanliness and maintenance issues.

8. Make sure your daily processes and procedures include what staff is allowed and not allowed to access through the course of the day. Small things like adjusting the thermostat, using certain electronics or sound systems, accessing certain storage areas or kitchen areas, etc. may not be appropriate for all front line staff to have access to.

Once you have your process in place, here are some things to consider throughout your camp while staff is completing their opening and closing duties.

1. Make sure to review the opening and closing checklists on a weekly basis and do regular facility inspections.

2. Hold staff accountable if things are not getting done. It will very obvious if something is missed, since each staff is assigned to a different part of the facility. If you come across areas that were not opened or closed to your standards staff should be made aware to prevent further incident.

3. When cleanliness and maintenance issues are reported and documented make sure to attend to them immediately, especially if there is a safety concern for your campers to be in that area.

4. Prioritize Tasks: Maintenance is time consuming and can be expensive. To prioritize maintenance tasks, use the following guideline on which ones to accomplish first:

• Liabilities and Hazards: Anytime a liability or hazard is identified within your facility it should be addressed immediately. If you cannot accomplish the task in a timely manner, close off the area so no one can get near it.
• Mandates: If it is a mandate from the City, County, or higher up in your organization, you need to attend to those items next to ensure you are in compliance.
• Preventative Maintenance: When you have rectified your liabilities and mandates it is time to go back to your preventative maintenance plan and upkeep your facility on a regular basis.
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5. Make sure staff have the supplies they need to be able to maintain these areas. Keep up with your stock of cleaning supplies, trash bags, and paper products so staff are able to do their jobs effectively each day. We can’t hold our staff accountable and to a certain standard if we cannot provide them what they need to get it done.

If your facility is not opened and closed properly it does not take long for maintenance, safety, and cleanliness issues to arise. Providing the necessary tools to make it as easy as possible for your staff will make sure everything gets done daily to ensure your camp will be clean, safe, and organized space for your staff, volunteers, and campers.