Safety
Health and safety are our top priorities at The Prouty. Please help us keep The Prouty safe and familiarize yourself with safety and etiquette guidelines for your chosen event.
Prouty Bike Safety & Etiquette
Prouty Walk Safety & Etiquette *If you bring a dog, please follow Prouty Pup Protocol.
In the case of...
Questions While on Route: Call The Prouty Incident Command Center at (603) 646-1593.
Reporting Medical Emergencies: Dial 911 directly without delay. Help to detour walkers, bicycles and or vehicle traffic as needed. If you choose to render first aid, do so only to the extent of your training. When appropriate, call The Prouty Incident Command Center at (603) 646-1593 with the participant’s bib number or bike plate number and the nature of the incident.
Medical Support: EMTs are stationed at each bike SAG and have direct communication capabilities with Emergency Services or The Prouty Incident Command Center. While at The Prouty venue, medical personnel are available at The Prouty medical tent. As needed, please plan to bring needed medication to the event with you.
Prouty Inclement Weather Planning
It’s essential that Prouty participants and volunteers understand the dangers of severe weather while outdoors participating in The Prouty. Weather intensity can fluctuate greatly from town to town. Weather in Wells River, VT could be vastly different than that in Hanover, NH. Yes, our safety plan when initiated may be an inconvenience. Nevertheless, we ask for your cooperation. Safety first!
Weather Policy: The Prouty is a rain or shine event. When faced with showers or light rain, The Prouty will not likely be altered enough to impact the event. When severe weather has been detected, however, The Prouty’s Inclement Weather Planning will be initiated, helping to minimize the potential risks posed by severe weather, especially lightning.
- Prouty Mountain Bike: We will be monitoring trail conditions leading up to the event. We may need to alter the route or in severe conditions even close the route. We understand the disappointment that would cause but we need to be respectful to the landowners who have allowed us access to their land and the trail builders to not ruin their work. In the event of a closure we invite riders to join a different route options.
- Prouty Golf: In the event of inclement weather, Prouty Golf may be postponed by Eastman Golf Club. A rain date would be rescheduled accordingly and communicated to all participants.
Monitoring the Weather: On the day of The Prouty, participants and volunteers are encouraged to be familiar with local weather forecasts. During the day, The Prouty Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located at the Richmond Middle School, works with the National Weather Service (Burlington, VT) to continuously monitor weather radars throughout the day.
Event Communications & Weather Updates: The Prouty’s EOC is fortunate to have the support of Amateur Ham Radio Operators who can communicate up and down the Connecticut River Valley corridor and into black holes like Warren, NH. If severe weather has been detected, The Prouty’s EOC may initiate some of the following contingency plans:
- Contact Prouty Aid Stations with routine or severe weather updates.
- Coordinate the closure or collapse a route based on pending weather.
- Coordinate the opening of an emergency shelter.
- Dispatch buses to pick-up participants/volunteers at aid stations or shelters.
Collapsing a Route, Suspending Activities, and Emergency Shelters: The Prouty EOC in conjunction with Aid Station Volunteers will monitor weather conditions and determine when to collapse a route or to suspend activities directing participants and volunteers to an emergency shelter. Please refer to your event map to determine shelter locations and rowing take-out points. Once suspended, activities should not resume until 30-minutes have passed since the last lightning strike with a flash-to-bang of less than 30-seconds. The resumption of activities will be determined by the lead Aid Station Volunteer after consulting The Prouty EOC. Participants not in close proximity to a Prouty Emergency Shelter should not hesitate and seek shelter in an area business, home, or sturdy structure.
Lightning Safety: When lightning roars, get indoors! Don’t wait, as lightning often strikes in advance of rain despite clear skies. When a shelter isn’t available, you have to assess your options and make a choice. It will be a judgment call, influenced by the proximity to a shelter, the intensity of the storm, and the direction it’s traveling. Here are some practical tips by the US. National Weather Service when caught unexpectedly in a lightning storm.
- Avoid open areas and bodies of water, staying away from isolated tall trees or towers.
- Stay away from and don’t touch metal objects including electrical wiring, plumbing, golf clubs, and fences.
- Avoid using a landline telephone.
- If a storm front is fast approaching the safest thing to do is seek shelter while you’re still dry! Why dry? Because you’ll stay warmer if you’re not waiting around in soaked clothing and shoes.
Event Communications & Weather Updates: The Prouty’s EOC is fortunate to have the support of Amateur Ham Radio Operators who can communicate up and down the Connecticut River Valley corridor and into black holes like Warren, NH. If severe weather has been detected, The Prouty’s EOC may initiate some of the following contingency plans:
