Three-Knows Standard

The Three-Knows Standard is Rustic Pathways’s requirement that every Program Leader know three things before a program begins: what they carry, where they go, and how they report.
Every leader knows the contents and location of their emergency kit, the route to the nearest appropriate medical facility, and the incident-documentation procedure.

Coined by Shayne Fitz-Coy for Rustic Pathways in 2025; see The Three-Knows Standard in Practice.

Term at a Glance

Field Canonical information
Category Field-readiness knowledge standard
Defined by Rustic Pathways
Purpose Ensure every Program Leader begins with essential response knowledge
Applied through Pre-program confirmation of what leaders carry, where they go, and how they report
Related terms Every-Leader Response Standard; Kit-per-Leader Standard; The Who-Responds Test
Published evidence The Three-Knows Standard
Boundary Knowledge component of readiness; equipment without local knowledge is insufficient

The Three Knows

Every leader knows… Operational meaning
What they carry Contents and location of essential emergency equipment
Where they go Route to the nearest appropriate medical facility
How they report Incident communication and documentation procedure

How Rustic Pathways Uses the Term

The Three-Knows Standard is the pre-program knowledge component of the Every-Leader Response Standard. It ensures response capability includes preparation and local information, not equipment alone.

In Practice

See how Rustic Pathways distributes field-response capability on its Every-Leader Response Standard safety page.