Safety at Sanborn

Safety of our campers is the number one priority of every member of the Sanborn Western Camps staff.

Our camp community strives to be a physically and emotionally safe place for every camper. Safety is more then just protection at the ropes course, while riding a horse, or while in the mountains.

Safety and quality judgment is woven into every aspect of the camp experience: from our hiring process, staff training, and throughout all of the decisions made during the summer.

Safety Facts

• Sanborn Western Camps is American Camp Association accredited, which signifies that our camps meets 350+ rigorous standards for safety, staff qualifications, and program quality.
• The camp facilities, kitchens and health centers are inspected annually by Teller County CDPHE (Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment), to ensure we meet all state required health standards.
• As a Colorado State Licensed Childcare Facility, we are inspected annually by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, ensuring that we meet all of the licensing rules for Resident Camps.
• Each camp has an Emergency Notification/Warning Siren with a 5 mile radius. Staff & campers engage in emergency preparedness drills at the beginning of each camp session. The camps utilize a formal Incident Command model and year round staff evaluate and make improvements to the process annually.
• The camps earned a MESH+ certification (Bronze) from the Alliance for Camp Health, one of only 14 camps in the country to have earned the certification in 2025.
• Each camp has its own modern health center and Sanborn Camps employ 5-6 onsite RNs/NPs and a year-round Medical Director to support the two camps during the summer.
• Sanborn Director Ariella Rogge is a certified National Registry and WMI of NOLS certified Wilderness EMT and provides health care guidance to the Medical Team.
• The camps’ kitchen staff are all ServSafe certified and have significant experience managing food allergies and dietary restrictions in industrial kitchens.
• All of our off-property trip leaders are certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR; on property trip leaders are certified CPR and Basic First Aid
• Climbing supervisors, ropes course supervisors, canoeing supervisors, mountain bike supervisors, wranglers, trip leaders, and van drivers receive specialized training before camp begins.
• Every member of our year round team has advanced first aid and are certified Red Cross Lifeguards

Staff Training

All of our staff go through a intensive 10-day staff training before camp begins. They are trained by both the Sanborn Western Camps year-round director team and outside youth development professionals. They learn camp health and safety, decision making, conflict resolution, kid skills, and how to ensure that every camper feels connected while at camp. All staff complete two backpacking trips and learn all of the skills necessary to be a leader in the backcountry.

Trip Leaders

All of our off property trip leaders are over the age of 21. They have Wilderness First Aid certifications (WFA, WFR or WEMT) and participate in an extensive trip leader training which includes backcountry communication expectations, medical evacuation and SAR protocols, and outdoor judgment and decision making scenarios. Our trip leaders have previous experience in the backcountry and are passionate about getting campers into the outdoors!

Wranglers

All of our wranglers arrive 14 days before the official start of staff training to receive specialized training in working with horses. They all have Wilderness First Aid and are considered Trip Leaders. They are picked for their background and knowledge in working with horses and some of them have previous experience at Sanborn Western Camps.

Van Drivers

Every Van Driver must be over the age of 21, have a clean driving record, and have had their license for multiple years. They receive a classroom training and a practical skills training and are aware of the importance of safety in vehicles. Staff are instructed to never drive over 55mph in the camp vans and we ensure that safety on the road is one of the highest priorities for our staff.

Security

• We are located on 6,000 acres about 7 miles down a dirt road and are very isolated from the public.
• All of our entrances have gates
• Staff vehicles are issued a special identifier; cars without proper identification are reported to the main office
• Our staff receive siren training so they can identify appropriate actions to take under specific siren scenarios

Weather and Wildfire

Colorado is famous for blue skies and plenty of sun. At an elevation of 8,600 feet the camps’ average daytime temperature in the summer is about 80 degrees F. Evenings are cool, usually 50-55 degrees F. Occasionally, we have an afternoon rain shower. Many of our trips into the high country camp above or near timberline and temperatures can be freezing, even in July!

All of our year round staff monitor the weather for thunderstorms and during staff training we extensively discuss best practices for storms. We make adjustments to the program as needed.

We have strong, responsive realationship with the fire department and other first responders who keep us posted on any relevant weather or fire related information.

We have been fire aware for decades, but we have only been evacuated from camp twice in our history. We were evacuated once in 2012 for the Spring Creek fire and once in 2018 for the High Chateau Fire. Because of the skill, speed and dedication of the local and federal fire officials, both of these fires were rapidly contained and we were only off of the property for two or three days.

Part of the success of our evacuations has been that our campers and staff are very well prepared and informed about what it will look like if we need to leave the property. We have “ready-bags” in the living units that the campers pack with one complete outfit on Opening Day, so–in case we have to leave while people are away from camp on trips–they will have a clean set of clothes when we reconnect at our evacuation site.

We have multiple evacuation sites available to us, but our primary site is the Manitou Springs High School campus. We have access to fantastic trails, great local parks, Garden of the Gods, Red Rock Open Space, multiple playing fields and other school facilities. There are separate sleeping areas for Big Spring and High Trails campers, shower facilities and excellent meeting spaces. During the evacuation, food will be prepared by our cooks in the Manitou Springs food service facility. Our nursing staff pack and bring all of the camper medications and medical supplies to support the community while we are away.

While we are off-site, we will communicate regularly with parents via email and on our social media platforms. We send updates and post photos on the daily activities our campers and staff are engaged in, and also keep families informed on any pertinent fire information we are receiving from our local officials. We do not give campers their cell phones and continue to operate our “Manitou Camp” as we do when we are up in Florissant.

If the feedback from our past evacuations is any indication, our campers tend to enjoy the new experiences they have and the new friends they make during our time away from camp.

And, so everyone will be prepared, we complete a fire drill with every camper and we have highly developed emergency plans for adverse weather conditions that may impact us in the Colorado Rockies.

Physical Health

Camper physical and mental health is important for a successful camp experience. While at camp, successful campers adhere to age-appropriate bedtimes, drink plenty of water, and eat enough nutritious foods to maintain their energy and stamina.

In the case of illness or injury, we have modern well-equipped health centers with registered nurses on duty in each camp, and we work closely with our local telehealth provider and our medical director. It is a 30-minute drive to Pikes Peak Regional Hospital in Woodland Park.

Parents will be notified by phone/email if your child requires offsite care for illness or injury.

Allergies and Food Allergies

Our health center and kitchen staff stay up-to-date on all allergic reaction protocols. On our longer trips, trained staff members have access to epi-pens and antihistamines in their first aid kits for emergency allergic response, if needed.

The demand for special diets has increased over the years, and we are able to accommodate some special dietary needs. Our kitchens are dedicated to producing nutritious high quality meals from fresh ingredients for our entire community and both space and time limit our ability to adequately provide for multiple special diets.

It is absolutely necessary that a child on a special diet be aware of his/her dietary needs, be cooperative with his/her dietary plan and self-advocate on trips or when away from the main camp area. He or she must be knowledgeable about what foods can and cannot be eaten and be willing to check in with our kitchen staff and trip leaders before each meal.

Emotional Safety

The recent ACA Youth Impact Study demonstrated that camp experiences increase:

• a child’s connection to the natural world
  
• a child’s sense of independence and grit
  
• a child’s willingness to try new things and
  
• a child’s overall social awareness
  

At camp, you have the opportunity to broaden your perspective and understanding of the world and all of the people in it. As our Sanborn Boundaries infographic says, “when we choose to live together in this community, we do so with the understanding that there may be times when we are uncomfortable, but if we are truly respecting each other (and the boundaries of camp), then we should never be unsafe.”

Emotional safety is established in our community through nightly living unit and trip debriefs, our almost 3 to 1 camper to staff ratio and our focus on shared leadership and collaboration throughout all aspects of the camp experience.

When campers make mistakes in this community, they are not ostracized or cancelled, but we do utilize behaviorial contracts and restorative justice models to deepen our respect for the community and each other.

While there may be times when your camper is uncomfortable at camp whether riding a horse, climbing a mountain, or attempting to jump off the zipline, we work hard year round to ensure that your camper is safe.

Parents are free to call the office at 719-748-3341 anytime during the summer with any questions or concerns and Krista, Will, or Ariella will help answer any questions that arise.