Camp safety
Overview
All tents pitched at a Profound Decisions event must be pitched safely. Unsafe tents can be a danger to other participants as well as their occupants. Our team will always act, if needed, to remedy any situation where they deem a tent to be unsafe.
Our tent team can provide advice and help to ensure your tent is secure and pitched safely if you need any assistanec on the day.
The costume page has guidance on what tents are appropriate for the in-character field. The fire safety page has guidance for ground fires as well as cooking and heating tents at events. You must make sure you read and follow the fire safety rules if you are using cooking equipment or other sources of heat or fire at the event.
Tent Safety
- Your tent must be securely pegged and guyed down
- You must follow tent safety instructions given by the site crew
- If your tent is unsafe, you may be asked to remove it
- If your tent presents an immediate danger, our crew will take necessary steps to secure it
- These rules apply to tents on both OC and IC fields
- Ensure your tent is a safe distance from other tents
Before travelling to the event, check that you have all the parts of your tent, including pegs, poles, and ropes, and that your tent canvas is intact. Replace or repair any damaged or missing parts in advance. If, once you are on site, you discover that your tent is missing parts, or not in usable condition, please first try to seek help or borrow materials from other players, before asking crew. Our team will do our best to help if necessary, but be aware that we have a very limited supply of spare tent materials. We will offer what assistance we can, but in most cases we only have parts which are interchangeable between different styles of tents, such as pegs.
You must make sure that you pitch your tent carefully and safely. This includes pegging and guying down your tent securely to the ground. For most commercial out-of-character sleeping tents and in-character bell tents, all the materials you need to secure it will be provided by the manufacturer. You must use the guy-ropes supplied with your tent, or equivalent, even if you do not think the event will be windy.
Large tents such as marquees and garage tents must be appropriately secured and may require additional guys or storm-lashings. Garage and frame tents with solid metal structures can be very dangerous in high winds if not secured. We will usually ask that you secure these tents with storm-lashings which pass over the entire body of the tent and are secured with sturdy ground anchors.
Very lightweight tents, including some gazebos with aluminium frames, may require additional fixtures to keep them secure and prevent them blowing away in high winds. This may require pegs and guys beyond those provided by the manufacturer.
If you have been given a tent that has been erected by our site team, you must not alter the location of the guy lines without speaking with a member of the site crew first, as these may impact the stability of the tent.
An incorrectly pitched tent can present a danger to everyone. If our site crew (including camp planners) ask you to make any alterations to your tent, including taking it down or adding additional support, then you must follow the instructions given. If your tent cannot be made safe, we may need you to take it down.
In an emergency, if your tent presents an immediate danger (for example: we assess it is about to collapse or blow away), our crew will take necessary steps to secure it. This could involve adding additional supports, or partially or completely dismantling your tent. We will make best efforts to do this without damage, but we have to prioritise safety in these circumstances. If we need to make an alteration to your tent for safety reasons and we cannot find you, we will leave a note on your tent or at GOD explaining what we have done and why.
Tents should be far enough apart from each other that flames cannot easily spread from one to the next. The camp planners can advise you when pitching your tents to support this.
All these rules apply to tents on both the out-of-character and in-character fields.
Pathways
- Do not stretch guy ropes into, or across, pathways
Whether you are camping IC or OOC please ensure that the location of your tent and the guy ropes do not stray into pathways as this can cause injuries, especially at night. If you are camping IC and are not sure of the location of pathways in your nation, speak with your camp planner.
Mould
- Treat any mould on your tent with a fungicidal wash
Mould can develop on tents if they are not carefully maintained. Mould is not just unsightly, it can lead to ill health and can damage the fabric of the tent.
You are strongly recommended to check your tent before the event and if there is any mould present to properly treat it with a fungicidal wash
Fighting
- Do not fight near tents
You must not attempt to fight near a tent. More details are on the event safety page.