Sam Houston Area Council B.S.A. Troop 505
Chartered to St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church
Houston, Texas

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Stripes
Local Tour Permits

The Troop is required to obtain a Local Tour Permit any time the Troop camps at a non-council site. This means that unless we are camping at Camp Strake, El Rancho Cima, Bovay Scout Ranch, Camp Brosig, or at a Camporee, Troop 505 must have a Local Tour Permit. If we don't have the required tour permit, the campout is considered unauthorized and BSA will not protect and defend our leaders should claims of liability ever be made.

A copy of the current Local Tour Permit Application (LTPA) is enclosed. It may also be obtained at the Scout Office. The correct version of the form is the December 2007 revision. Do not use an older version.

The LTPA must be signed by the Tour Leader (usually the Scoutmaster or an Asst. Scoutmaster, but it doesn't have to be) in two (2) places. The second place designates that the Tour Leader has in his/her possession a copy of the Guide to Safe Scouting and has read it. The LTPA further requires that an Assistant Tour Leader be named (although the Assistant Tour Leader doesn't sign).

Just as important, the LTPA requires the signature of a member of the unit committee who cannot be either the Tour Leader or Asst. Tour Leader. This would usually be the Troop Committee Chair, but anyone on the committee will do.

Please note that at least one registered adult who has completed BSA Youth Protection Training (YPT) must be present at the campout. I would suggest that all registered leaders obtain their BSA YPT, if not all adults in the Troop.

You must have a signed permission slip for each child that participates in the campout. This includes the scouts and their siblings. I have enclosed a form you may use.

Perhaps one of the most arduous tasks is obtaining driver's and insurance information on the second page of the LTPA. Note that for each person driving you must obtain the kind, year and make of vehicle, the number of passengers (including the driver), the driver's license number (TDL), make a statement that all will wear seatbelts, and lastly the public liability insurance coverage for liability and property damage. The troop maintains a driver's log on MS Excel (which should be updated annually) where all this information is gathered and located. If it's easier, you can attach the log and cross out those who are not going. The total number of passengers you show needs to be at least equal to the number of youth and adults you show going on the campout on the first page.

Please note that this driver's information must be obtained for all drivers going on the campout, even if they are only driving their own families. There are no exceptions.

The person you deal with at the Scout office for Local Tour Permits is a woman named Donna Burke. Her telephone number is 713-756-3322. The telefax number for Donna is 713-865-9199. I have always been able to handle everything by fax and phone with Donna. She is very helpful.

Although Donna will work with you on a pretty quick turn around, I wouldn't wait until the last minute to try to obtain a Local Tour Permit. My advice would be to fax all of your forms to Donna no later than 7-10 days before the scheduled campout. That will leave sufficient time to handle any questions or problems that arise and give Donna time to fax back the Local Tour Permit itself to you. The Troop should always travel with a copy of the Permit. In addition, the Troop should always travel with all of the adult and youth medical forms, all of the permission slips, and at least one very good first aid kit.

Lastly, you will note that I have included the Diocesan Fleet Safety Policy materials, which apply to us since we are chartered through the church. Of importance is the absolute prohibition on using 15 passenger vans for transportation.

If you ever have any questions about obtaining a Local Tour Permit, you may call me at home 713-660-8405 or the office 713-222-0980.

Tad Halbach
Stripes
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Sam Houston Area Council B.S.A. Troop 505
URL - http://www.stvincentscouts.org/t505/ltpa.htm
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