Leading a small group in a wilderness emergency
When a hiking or family group gets into trouble, everyone often talks at once, or nobody decides. Better: one person decides, everyone else contributes their knowledge. This guide shows how to agree on a leader, count and check everyone, discuss the plan out loud, give everyone a task, look after the weakest, resolve disagreement and check in regularly.
- First coordination in 5–10 minutes, then ongoing
Explained simply
Imagine you are out with your family or your group, and suddenly something happens: someone gets hurt, or you cannot find the way any more. Now everyone talks at once. One wants to go here, another there. That costs time and frightens everyone.
That is why it is good when one person decides – ideally the one who knows the most and stays calm. Everyone else may say what they notice, but in the end one person decides. Then you count whether everyone is there and how each person is.
After that everyone gets a task: collect wood, look after the whistle, write down the time. Children get a small task too. You pay special attention to those who are tired, hurt or quiet. And nobody goes off alone. That way you stay together and manage it together.
How it works
Under stress groups find it hard to decide together. Often one of two things happens: everyone talks at once and nobody listens, or everyone waits for someone else to say something. In both cases valuable time is lost, and the uncertainty increases everyone's fear. Clear leadership breaks through this.
Good leadership does not mean knowing everything alone. The leader gathers everyone's knowledge and concerns, then decides and makes sure the decision is carried out. Concrete tasks give every member the feeling of being able to contribute. This feeling of collective efficacy strengthens cohesion and confidence – experts count it among the factors that help people in crises.
What really matters
Choosing the leader should be quick and said out loud. Ideally the most experienced and calmest person who is not injured leads – not necessarily the loudest. Directly afterwards comes the overview of everyone: count heads and ask each person individually whether they are hurt, cold, wet or thirsty. Injured and freezing people are looked after first; fixed pairs look out for each other.
The plan is discussed out loud: where are we, what is the goal, how do we proceed? The question “What am I missing?” invites people to voice concerns early. Then the leader decides, and everyone sticks to it. Tasks are assigned concretely, with names and time frames, and match people's abilities: anxious people get a manageable task; children gather leaves or give whistle signals.
Pace and plans are set by the weakest member. Quiet people are regularly asked personally how they are, because they often keep cold, fear or pain to themselves. Nobody goes off alone, not even briefly, without telling someone and staying within calling distance.
Safety: what to watch out for
Splitting the group is one of the riskiest decisions. If help has to be fetched, at least two people go, with a clear route, timetable and written notes on the situation. Injured people and children are never left alone. An emergency call to 112 – in Austria also 144, or 140 in the mountains – is almost always better than a march on foot if there is reception anywhere.
The leader is also a safety factor. An exhausted leader makes mistakes; so leadership is handed over deliberately and out loud when necessary. And a leader who overrides concerns can amplify mistakes. Listening is therefore not weakness but part of good decision-making.
When it makes sense – and when not
Clear leadership helps any small group in an emergency: hiking, family and youth groups, circles of friends, strangers who happen to be together at a hut. With strangers a short round of introductions with names and skills helps, such as “I am a nurse” or “I know the area”.
As soon as trained rescuers are on site, they take charge and the group follows their instructions. Different rules apply to large crowds; this entry is meant for small groups of about three to ten people.
Good to know
Mountaineering textbooks such as “Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills” cover leadership, decisions in small groups and emergency procedures in detail. A recurring idea in them: good decisions arise when a leader takes responsibility while remaining open to everyone's observations.
Regular short rounds in the morning and evening keep the group together: what is done? How is everyone? What do we change? Acknowledging successes out loud and saying thank you noticeably lifts the mood. How to defuse tension and conflict is described in the entry on conflicts in groups under stress.
Step by step
One person decides
In the first minute agree on who decides – ideally the most experienced, calmest person who is not injured themselves. Say it out loud: “Martin decides, everyone says what they notice.” Leadership is a task, not an honour, and can be handed over later.
- 1
One person decides
In the first minute agree on who decides – ideally the most experienced, calmest person who is not injured themselves. Say it out loud: “Martin decides, everyone says what they notice.” Leadership is a task, not an honour, and can be handed over later.
- 2
Count and check everyone
Count everyone and briefly ask each person: are you hurt? Are you cold or wet? Do you have water? How are you? Treat the injured first, change wet clothing, wrap children and older people up warmly. Form fixed pairs who look out for each other.
- 3
Discuss the situation and plan out loud
The leader briefly sums up: where are we, what is the goal, what is the plan? Then they ask: “What am I missing? Who has concerns?” Everyone may say something briefly. Then the leader decides, and everyone sticks to it. Make the emergency call immediately if possible.
- 4
A task for everyone
Assign concrete tasks with names and times: “Lena and Tom: collect wood until dusk.” “Jonas: whistle and signal panel.” “Grandma: look after the phone and note the times.” Anxious people and children also get a task that suits them – it calms them.
- 5
Look after the weakest
Set pace, breaks and plans by the weakest member. Regularly ask quiet people personally how they are. Nobody goes off alone – not even briefly to fetch water or go to the toilet without telling someone and staying within calling distance.
- 6
Resolve disagreement fairly
If there is disagreement: listen, repeat the concern in your own words (“You think the stream is too dangerous?”), check the facts, then decide and briefly explain the decision. No votes in the middle of an argument and no splitting up out of anger – staying together is almost always safer.
- 7
Check in regularly
Get together briefly in the morning and evening and after any major event: what is done? How is everyone? What do we change? If the leader is exhausted, they hand over deliberately and out loud to another person. Acknowledge successes out loud – it keeps the group together.
Common mistakes
- Nobody decides, everyone waits
- The loudest instead of the most experienced person leads
- Assigning tasks vaguely (“Can someone make a fire?”)
- Overlooking quiet members
- Splitting the group in an argument
- Never relieving the leader until exhaustion leads to mistakes
Quick view
Materials
Field notebook and pencil
For plan, tasks and emergency call details
Signal whistle
Carry within easy reach, not deep in the pack.
Do not blow right next to other people's ears.
Group shelter bag
Airtight – ventilate regularly.
No stoves or candles inside.
Suitable for
- Hiking, family and youth groups in an emergency
- Getting lost, injury, sudden bad weather, darkness
- Waiting for rescue over a longer period
Not suitable for
- Situations where trained rescuers are already in charge – then follow their instructions
- Large crowds
Prerequisites
- A group of about 3 to 10 people
- Willingness to leave the decision to one person
Safety
- Pace and decisions are set by the weakest member. Quiet people in particular may be cold, frightened or in pain without saying so – ask each person regularly.
How it works
Under stress groups find it hard to decide together: everyone talks, nobody listens, or everyone waits for someone else. A clear leader who listens and then decides saves time and energy. Concrete tasks give everyone the feeling of being able to contribute – and that strengthens the cohesion and courage of the whole group.
Advantages
- Faster, clearer decisions
- Everyone feels needed
- Less conflict and fewer mistakes
Disadvantages
- A poor leader can amplify mistakes – so listen and take concerns seriously
- Not everyone easily accepts a leader
Deep knowledge
Background
Mountaineering textbooks such as “Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills” cover leadership and decisions in small groups and how to proceed in emergencies in detail. Hobfoll and colleagues name collective efficacy and connectedness among the core elements that help people in crises, and the psychological first aid guides stress paying particular attention to vulnerable people.
How to defuse tension and conflict in a group is described in more detail in the entry on conflicts under stress.
Variants
- As a family
- Usually one parent leads and the other looks after the children. Children get small, safe tasks such as gathering leaves for the ground layer or giving whistle signals.
- With strangers
- Introduce yourselves briefly, giving names and skills (“I am a nurse”, “I know the area”). That makes it easier to choose a leader and assign tasks.
Common mistakes
- Nobody decides, everyone waits
- The loudest instead of the most experienced person leads
- Assigning tasks vaguely (“Can someone make a fire?”)
- Overlooking quiet members
- Splitting the group in an argument
- Never relieving the leader until exhaustion leads to mistakes
Limits and risks
- Not training as a trip leader
- Legal questions about leaders' responsibility are not covered
Material alternatives
Derived from material properties: a substitute must have all relevant properties. Observe the notes on the substitute.
- Group shelter bag
- Tarp, Plastic sheet / large bin bag (Tears easily; never pull over the head (suffocation risk).), Emergency blanket (Tears easily once punctured; short-term shelter only.), Document folder (waterproof) (Store securely – contains sensitive personal data.), Rain poncho (When used as a shelter, it no longer protects your body from rain.), Bivy bag (Never fully close off the face.), Tent (Do not cook or heat inside the tent (fire and carbon monoxide danger).), Heavy-duty bin bag (large) (Suffocation risk: never pull plastic bags over the head or face and keep them away from small children.)
Results come exclusively from structured entries. No improvised instructions are generated.
Sources
The Mountaineers Books (2017): Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, 9th edition
Leadership and decisions in small groups, emergency procedures
Hobfoll, S. E. et al. – Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes (2007): Five essential elements of immediate and mid-term mass trauma intervention: empirical evidence
Collective efficacy and connectedness as core elements
World Health Organization, War Trauma Foundation and World Vision International (2011): Psychological first aid: Guide for field workers
Paying attention to particularly vulnerable people
Headquarters, Department of the Army (USA) (2002): FM 3-05.70 Survival
Sizing up the situation and acting according to a plan in emergencies