Keeping Players Safe with Agents of Discovery
An Interview with Colton Whitworth, Visitor Information Assistant at Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
The Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest incorporates safety information in their Missions to ensure players stay safe in the forest. Colton Whitworth, Visitor Information Assistant at Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, discusses the U.S. Forest Service’s approach to safety information, and shares tips on how to incorporate safety into your Mission.
How the U.S. Forest Service approaches safety messages
The U.S. Forest Service provides information in their Missions including hike preparation, wildlife precautions, winter safety, and general ecology. One of their most common safety messages includes the “10 essentials”. These include: navigation (Map/compass), sun protection (sunscreen), insulation (extra clothes), illumination (headlamp/flashlight), first-aid supplies, fire (waterproof matches/firestarter), repair kit and tools, nutrition (extra food), hydration (extra water), and emergency shelter. The U.S. Forest Service incorporates these essentials into their safety messages so that visitors can be prepared for any situation.
It’s not just visitor safety that’s important to include in Missions – information about how players can protect the land is also really important.
“One of our guiding principles is outdoor education … We try to teach people about the importance of protecting the forest and being stewards of the land. I think getting them interested in the biodiversity of the cascades, the diversity of the wildlife in this area, will only help to bring about that interest and that desire to work towards stewarding these lands, and taking care of them.”
How you can incorporate safety into your Mission
Safety information isn’t necessary at every Mission site, but Colton has some tips for sharing safety info when you need to:
- Don’t rely on brochures to convey important information. “If you have kids visiting your Mission sites, they’re probably not going to pick up the brochure, but they’ll pick up a phone and play the game.” Interactive safety information engages players, which helps them remember it better.
- Make sure a child could understand your safety messages. “If a child sees an important safety warning, they are likely to report that to their parents. Any time you can incorporate a lesson for a child, that stuff will sink in and it usually sticks with them for quite some time.” Kids are great at recognizing important safety information, and engaging them with interactive info can help them and their families stay safe.
Keeping players safe is SUPER important, so try to include safety messages in your Mission where appropriate. Incorporating interactive safety information as Challenges will help players better understand your critical safety messages.