Incident Reporting

Updated February 13, 2026

Navigating Incidents: Guide for Units

Use this tool designed to equip you with the tools and steps necessary to respond effectively to unexpected situations. This guide serves as a roadmap, outlining the steps to take when faced with an incident while prioritizing safety and appropriate action.

Scroll down for the three different incident reporting tools.

Navigating Incidents: Guide for Units

An incident has occurred.

Take care of the injured/find a safe place.

2. Preserve and document the evidence/take photos if appropriate.

3. Complete an incident report and notify your local council.

Timely, clear, concise, and complete incident reports allow for an appropriate response and an opportunity for analysis while promoting continuous improvement of our programs. You can report incidents, near misses, and youth protection / membership infraction incidents to your local council or enter them yourself.

How Do I know if I need to report?

Open this diagram into its own window as a PDF

So, how do I report an incident?

• Gather the facts using the tools below.

Incident Information Reporting Tool

Use this tool to report all injuries, illnesses, and incidents during Scouting activities or on council-owned properties that require the intervention of a medical provider beyond basic Scout-rendered first aid.

Incident Reporting Tool

Youth Protection/Membership Infraction Information Reporting Tool

Use this tool to report all allegations of abuse, violations of Scouting America guidelines or policies, inappropriate behavior by a Scout/Scout leader/parent/other.

Youth Protection or Membership Infraction Reporting Tool

Near Miss Incident Information Reporting Tool

Use this tool to report near misses in programs such as COPE and climbing activities. A near miss is an incident that did not result in injury, illness, or damage by definition but that had the potential to have done so. Near misses with clear lessons learned can bring to light opportunities to improve safety performance or program practices.

Near Miss Reporting Tools

Then

Report the incident to your local council: Great Trail Council

Great Trail, 4500 Hudson Dr., Stow, OH 44224

Phone No. : 330-773-0415

Email: Nate.Watson@Scouting.org

Council Locator

In an emergency, if timely council contact cannot be made, you can also enter an incident yourself by following this link: https://riskonnectbsa.my.salesforce-sites.com/

Incident Reporting Video

If you are entering a Youth Protection/Membership Infraction report, follow the same steps as in the incident reporting video above and select “Membership Infraction” after you leave the welcome screen.