Volunteer position description
Sweep Team
SUMMARY OF ROLE
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Sweep Team volunteers ensure the safety of teams on the trail by following behind the last team (from a distance) and
providing immediate assistance and alarm if they come across any issues affecting participants. Prior to the event another
team of volunteers will have placed trail markers to guide, and ensure the safety of, the participants during the event. Sweep
Team volunteers also clear the trail of these markers, rubbish and any lost property.
TRAINING AND OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
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Attending a pre-event training session is MANDATORY for this role. Details of training dates and venue locations will
be sent via vNews and email.
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As a Sweep Team volunteer you are responsible for:
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Ensuring all walkers are safely clear of your trail section by following the last team on the trail - providing
assistance and encouragement only if you come across them and it is required.
Providing immediate assistance and raising alarm if participants are injured.
Collecting any litter and lost property left on the trail. Burying any obvious excrement on the trail or noting its
location on your map so Oxfam Event Staff can remove it after the event. Oxfam would like to leave the trail in a
better condition than when we found it.
Clearing all trail markers including glow sticks and other signage. Ensure you look on both sides of the trail and at
eye height and higher in case it is the only place the trail markers could be secured.
Ensuring that all trail marshals have been informed that the last walkers have passed and that they should return
to their designated checkpoint.
Noting anything the event organisers may need to know, e.g. damage to the trail, discussions with the residents
or public that should be noted.
Key points to note:
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You will need to have a reasonable fitness level and be confident walking long distances in potentially poor
weather conditions. You will be assigned 1 section of the trail only (e.g. Checkpoint 1 to Checkpoint 2). Please
refer to the trail map to understand the distance and terrain of your trail section. You will be walking with at least 2
other volunteers who you will be put in contact with prior to your shift to coordinate transport. We recommend at
least 1 person in your group walks the section before the event.
You will need to organise your own transport to and from your starting and finishing locations (this may involve a
car shuffle with your fellow Sweep Team members).
You will need to be flexible with your shift start and finish time as your departure on the trail will be dependent on
the departure of the last walkers. Please note that your shift could be slightly longer than predicted depending on
the pace of the final walkers. We will endeavour to be as specific as we can in predicting this and will give you as
accurate a shift time as possible.
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Use the Essential Information Checklist to make sure you are prepared to volunteer at the event. This checklist is included
in your Volunteer Shift Confirmation email and on your Volunteer Profile online. An overview of the event and your role as
an Oxfam Trailwalker volunteer can be found in the Volunteer Handbook (linked to in the Essential Information Checklist).
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If you have any further questions or issues regarding your involvement prior to the event, please contact the Oxfam Events
Volunteers Team.
ON-THE-DAY RESPONSIBILITIES
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Please arrive for your shift ON TIME to assist with the smooth running of the event. If you’re running late, please call
the on-the-day Event Control Centre Volunteers’ Coordinator (1300 369 606) and let us know. Refer to your Volunteer
Shift Confirmation email for the full details of your volunteer shift time and location. If you cannot locate your Volunteer
Shift Confirmation email head to our website and click ‘Check your status’ to review your Volunteer Profile online.
Ensure that you have the following items with you:
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Personal equipment
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A large backpack for carrying the equipment in your Sweep Team Kit (i.e.: 60+ litres is ideal).
A minimum of two personal mobiles per Sweep Team (with fully charged batteries).
Sufficient water (minimum of 2 litres per person is recommended) and snack foods (feel free to take some from
your Start Location checkpoint if there is some leftover).
Warm clothes and wet weather gear (ensure you have sufficient layers for all conditions).
A strong torch for each team member if your shift is at night or in the afternoon (a head torch is preferable).
Sunscreen and sun hat (for teams operating in daylight hours).
Oxfam supplied items (contained in the Sweep Team Kit awaiting your collection at the checkpoint)
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The Master Trail Map for your allocated section of the trail and a Sweeping Procedures sheet (detailed below).
A supply of white woven nylon bags for collecting markers (so the markers can be reused next year).
A supply of garbage bags and disposable gloves for collecting rubbish.
A trowel used to bury toilet paper and human waste.
A pair of cutting pliers for cutting down glow sticks and other cable tied signage.
An Oxfam Trailwalker Map Book (to supplement your Trail Map for directions).
A first aid kit.
Sweeping Procedures:
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Upon arriving at your Start Location checkpoint, report to the Assistant Checkpoint Coordinator (wearing a purple
volunteer vest). It is essential to tick your name on the sign-in sheet for WH&S purposes.
The Assistant Checkpoint Coordinator will provide you with your Sweep Team Kit. Check the kit before leaving the checkpoint
to ensure you have everything you need for your shift.
The start time of your shift is 1 hour before the time that all walkers must leave your Start Location checkpoint in order to
complete the event within the time limit. We ask you to arrive earlier than the enforced checkpoint close as teams often leave
before this time. As it is difficult to predict the exact pace of the teams on the day you may be required to be on standby at or
near the checkpoint for a period of up to an hour before departing. Basic food and drinks are available at the checkpoint
while you wait. You may choose to bring a book or something to keep you occupied. If the teams are faster than predicted on
the day, we may call your Sweep Team to start your shift early if you are available.
Once the Checkpoint Coordinator has confirmed that the last participants have departed, wait 30 minutes so that they have a
comfortable lead. (Please ensure the last team have actually left the checkpoint, and are not just checked out but still sitting at
the checkpoint).
Please keep at least 250 metres between you and the last participants on the trail. You should avoid communicating with them
unless they require your assistance. Please respect that they have the right to travel at their own pace. Under no
circumstance should you suggest they quicken their pace.
While you sweep, you will be required to collect ALL the markers, glow sticks, and any other directional or event related signage
(such as hazard marking tape, arrow boards and their stakes, night line, rope assisting up a rock slab etc.). There will be
markers approximately every 60 - 100 metres, or closer in some areas of potential confusion such as track junctions. It is
important to be thorough with this task as each year we have markers found on the trail weeks after the event. The markers are
numbered consecutively so you should know what number marker is next and if you have missed a marker along the way.
You are also asked to pick up all rubbish to ensure there is no evidence of the event remaining on the trail. This includes toilet
paper. When human waste is found please bury it using the trowel supplied or mark the location on your map with a short
description so that an Oxfam Staff member can find it and bury it. We sincerely apologise that you have to come across this and
we do our best to insist teams bury their own waste off the trail.
Trail Marshal volunteers (wearing orange and yellow reflective vests) will be stationed at designated locations along the trail to
assist walkers at road crossings and provide directional aid. As you encounter them, please inform Trail Marshals that all
teams have passed by their location and they can return to their supervising checkpoint and finish their shift.
If any personal or participant safety issues arise, please contact the Safety Coordinator at the Event Control Centre on 1300
735 730 immediately.
When you arrive at your Finish Location checkpoint, please return all collected markers, lost property, and Sweep Team
equipment to the Assistant Checkpoint Coordinator of your Finish Location checkpoint. Dispose of any garbage
bags/rubbish in the waste bins at your checkpoint. Be careful not to discard the markers as they are expensive to replace.
Call the Volunteers Coordinator at the Event Control Centre to sign-out. Remember at this point to also describe the
location of any damage or human waste that needs attention so that plans can be made to deal with it ASAP.
Thank you so much for your help – we hope you enjoy
being a part of Oxfam Trailwalker!