How We Approach Safety at North Star Camp
A note on safety from Andy Shlensky, Owner & Director.
There is no greater honor than being entrusted with other people’s children. That responsibility sits at the center of every decision we make at North Star Camp, and it shapes the safety practice we build and refine year after year. Safety is not guaranteed. There is a reason it is called a practice: you must work toward it every day.
Learning From the Guadalupe River Tragedy
In the summer of 2025, the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas took the lives of 25 campers, 2 counselors, 2 camp directors, and many more along its banks. Our hearts continue to break for those families, their friends, and their loved ones. For everyone who runs an overnight camp, that tragedy was a reminder of the weight we carry when we welcome families into our care, and of what can happen when circumstances outside anyone’s control converge in the worst possible way.
We carried that weight into every safety decision we made in the following off-season, and we carry it into every summer since.
Our Safety Practices at North Star
We spend significant time each year evaluating and re-evaluating our safety practices. In recent seasons, we have revamped our Standard Response Protocols, installed an emergency speaker system throughout camp, and refreshed our staff training practices from the ground up.
Those are the practical anchors. Behind them sits a simpler idea: vigilance is a daily discipline, not a set of rules you file away. Every counselor, every activity lead, every director on our team knows that keeping the boys safe is the first responsibility of the job, above everything else.
 Working With The Safety Navigator
We work with an organization called The Safety Navigator, which was born out of the Texas floods and brings safety expertise from the mining and oil and gas industries to the field of camp. Those industries have built some of the most rigorous safety cultures anywhere, and The Safety Navigator translates that experience into practices that fit the reality of a summer camp. Bringing that outside perspective in has sharpened how we think, how we train, and how we prepare.
Advocacy Through the American Camp Association
Camp safety does not stop at the edge of our own property. As a Board Member of the American Camp Association, I serve as co-chair of the Government Relations Committee. ACA administers the only Camp Accreditation process, which uses best practices to ensure safe, quality camp experiences, and it advocates for camp regulation at the state and federal level for the benefit of every child around the country.
Over the last year I have engaged with a dozen states on new camp safety bills, testified in multiple statehouses, and worked with our Congressional Camp Caucus in Washington, DC. I have also had the honor of spending time with the parents of Heavens 27, the girls who died at Camp Mystic during the Texas floods. Sitting with them, and hearing their stories, has reminded me every day of the weight of what we do.
Fighting Complacency
Patrick Marsh, father of Sarah Marsh who passed away at Camp Mystic, spoke at the ACA National Conference about the necessity of fighting complacency. That message has stayed with me. No camp can promise that nothing will ever go wrong, and any leader who tells you otherwise is not being honest. What we can promise is that our whole team is working, and will keep working, to give every boy who arrives at North Star the safest possible summer. That work is never finished, and it is the work I am most proud of.
FAQ
How does North Star Camp approach safety?
North Star Camp is accredited by the American Camp Association and continually refines its safety practices, including updated Standard Response Protocols, an emergency speaker system throughout camp, and refreshed staff training. Owner and director Andy Shlensky serves on the ACA Board and co-chairs its Government Relations Committee, working with states and Congress on camp safety legislation.
What is The Safety Navigator?
The Safety Navigator is an organization that translates safety expertise from the mining and oil and gas industries into practices suited to the camp environment. North Star Camp works with The Safety Navigator to strengthen how we train, prepare, and respond.
Who is Andy Shlensky?
Andy Shlensky is the owner and director of North Star Camp for Boys, a Wisconsin overnight boys summer camp. He serves as a Board Member of the American Camp Association and co-chairs its Government Relations Committee, advocating for camp safety at the state and federal level.
