Duty Officer Policy

Purpose of the Role

 

The role of the Club’s Duty Officers (DOs) is to supervise local club sessions  for club members who have received a minimum level of training.  The DO  leads a group who are familiar with the area and the route. The group needs  safety supervision and minimal guidance. 

Qualifications

Duty officers must be qualified by either: 

  1. A British Canoeing sheltered water / Sea / WW coach or leader award, or  above
  2. MCC DO training and assessment 

They must: 

  1. Complete a one-day first aid course which meets the BC First Aid Policy in terms of suitable First Aid Training Provider and content, and
  2. Complete Safeguarding training (30 min online BC course), and 
  3. Confirm in writing as having read this MCC Duty Officer Policy,  MCC Generic Risk Assessment and MCC Health and Safety Manual

Equipment

The DO must carry on the water, or have access via the group, to the following equipment:

  1. A small first aid kit
  2. A tow-line and safety knife
  3. A mobile phone

Club sessions

When planning for a session, Duty Officers must take into consideration:

  1. Their own experience, confidence and ability
  2. The group’s experience, confidence and ability
  3. The river and weather conditions

They need to ensure that:

  1. A maximum supervision ratio of 1:20 unless there is another paddler who is a qualified DO or has completed rescue training at FSRT level or above
  2. All paddlers meet the requirements of the Health and Safety Manual wrt clothing, protective equipment etc.
  3. The route is within the competence and confidence level of the paddlers
  4. The group may only split up if either:
    • Another DO is available to lead, or
    • One of the groups operates without a DO under ‘peer paddle’ rules
  5. Splitting the group is only permitted at the discretion of the DO and provided no group has less than 3 paddlers
  6. For pool sessions:
    • Limited to pool sessions approved by the committee
    • Pool lifeguard present

Scope and Limitations

Any DO may cancel a session, limit paddler numbers, or stop less experienced paddlers  getting on the water if they feel it is unsafe or outside their remit. 

A duty officer with the MCC DO training and assessment should first seek a higher-qualified DO if they are booked against a club session in which in their judgement is likely to be outside the limitations below.  If no one suitable is available, they should communicate that the session is cancelled. 

The following limitations apply for DO-led Club Sessions:

  1. River conditions as detailed below
  2. Between Boulters Lock and Hambleden Lock
  3. Main channel or back streams / weirs at Cookham, Marlow, Hambleden and intervening islands provided the group can paddle upstream in the conditions
  4. River sections that are free of ice (portaging around the ice is acceptable)
  5. Between the hours of sunrise and sunset
  6. All paddlers have completed the Discover course or paddle competently at that level

River conditions

A duty officer with the MCC DO training and assessment must remain within the British Canoeing sheltered  water definition. Their group must be able to paddle upstream without stopping. They should demonstrate  additional caution when the Environment Agency has put the river on ‘red board’ conditions. They must not  lead a session when the Marlow Lock Upstream Gauge is above 0.45m. 

British Canoeing qualifications

A Duty Officer who holds a British Canoeing qualification is not subject to the above limitations.  They must remain within the remit of their award.   For the Club Sessions between Boulters and Hambleden Locks, a Sea Kayak Leader may assume  the same river condition limitations as a WW Kayak Leader. 

MCC DO training and assessment

The training course covers:

  1. Remit, roles and responsibilities 
  2. Clubhouse safety 
  3. Incident Reporting 
  4. Judgement and decision making 
  5. Safety frameworks, including the Club Generic Risk Assessment 
  6. Local hazards and environmental hazards 
  7. Rescues and incident management  
  8. Leadership style and behaviour 
  9. Group and safety equipment 
  10. Personal equipment

The MCC DO Training and Assessment is managed in the following way:

  1. It has a formal training syllabus (listed above)
  2. The DO Training Course must be delivered and assessed by a paddler holding British Canoeing Performance Coach Award, a British Canoeing Moderate Water Coach or Leader award, a British Canoeing provider for a sheltered water award, or above.
  3. The Assessor will inform the DO Coordinator on the Committee
  4. The DO Coordinator will propose the DO to the Chair and at least one other Committee member for approval based on the following criteria:
    • Holds the external qualifications or has passed the MCC DO assessment
    • Has previously demonstrated good communication skills and sound judgement
    • Has knowledge and experience of:
      • The approved paddling areas
      • The clubhouse and its equipment
      • The format for Club sessions
      • Fellow members’ competence levels
  5. The DO Coordinator will update the list of DOs on Member Mojo and arrange for the decision to be minuted at the next Committee meeting
  6. The qualification is valid for 3 years.
  7. Assessment may be conducted by formal on-the-day demonstration or based on recent experience of the DO candidate displaying the skills

Version 4.0 dated June 2025