05/06/2026
Friends, here's an UPDATE:
We’ve had many folks reach out this week with questions regarding the current process of Camp Licensing from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), so we wanted to give everyone an update on the process.
First and foremost, the safety of our campers is priority. There were a few upgrades and policy changes that we had to implement over the past year and Alto Frio has been able to fully comply with the new camp laws.
The new process for renewing a camp license requires the submission of a robust Emergency Preparedness Plan and its approval and a Pre-Licensing Inspection. It is taking some time for DSHS to work their way through reviewing those emergency plans and scheduling the inspections.
Alto Frio submitted our Emergency Preparedness Plan on February 2 and we received confirmation that it was approved on May 4. Our Pre-Licensing Inspection is scheduled for May 13. We fully expect DSHS to issue our license soon after the inspection is complete.
Prior to the new law, all camps received an inspection by DSHS during their normal summer operating season. This included a thorough review of all of our policies, procedures and compliance in a multitude of areas such as: background checks, child protection training, sponsor:camper ratio, camper medical information, first aid station, food safety, dorms, pool/river safety and lifeguard certifications, ropes course safety and inspection records, drinking water testing, etc.
The Pre-Licensing Inspection will check for all of the items they previously looked for during camp operations, but they will also be checking to see that the procedures listed in our Emergency Preparedness Plan are in place. And we will still have our regular inspection sometime during the summer while we are operating.
Some of the changes you may have seen in the news that we have implemented include:
Installation of a Public Address System (we now have the ability to make camp-wide announcements that can be heard in every building and across the property)
Installation of Secondary Internet Service (much of the news stories have focused on camps that cannot meet the fiber internet requirement. Alto Frio has had end-to-end fiber internet through Hill Country Telephone Cooperative for years, but we added Starlink for our required secondary internet provider)
Primary & Secondary Evacuation Zones (the main dining hall is designated as our primary evacuation zone and the south tabernacle is designated as our secondary evacuation zone)
Evacuation Maps (maps have been created a posted at every building exit displaying the evacuation routes to the evacuation zones)
NOAA Weather Radio (we have purchased and will maintain an NOAA Weather Radio to monitor weather advisories)
Training (staff will be trained on the Emergency Preparedness Plan prior to summer camp season, and sponsors and campers will be lead in a camp orientation before the end of the first day of the camp week which will include what to do in the event of a Shelter-in-Place, Evacuation, or Lockdown)
Our full Emergency Preparedness Plan is available as a link in the footer of our website, www.altofrio.com, in accordance with the new camp laws.
Lastly, I know many are concerned about the floodplain and what that looks like at Alto Frio. Those who have been to Alto Frio know that our main property and all of our buildings sit high above the bluff from the Frio River. We have no records to show that anytime in Alto Frio’s 106 year history has the river ever breached the bluff and flooded our main property. Last July when the Frio River rose to almost historic height, there was no time that it ever got close to the top of the bluff or endangered any of our buildings.
Most areas have a FEMA floodplain map that is an interactive satellite map similar to Google Maps. Alto Frio’s location in Real County does not have an updated interactive map, so we only have a hand drawn map dated June 1987. It’s difficult to read and open to interpretation as you can’t zoom in and it doesn’t show any details of our property or buildings. As such, the most liberal interpretation of that map shows that a small corner of our property may lie within the 100 year floodplain. Because of this, the new laws require us to have ladders at those buildings to use for emergency evacuation to the roof and to post a notice on our website and include the statement on our Medical Release Form for parents to see. However, in accordance with our Emergency Preparedness Plan, we will have safely evacuated all dorms to the dining hall well before any water begins to flood onto our main property.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading this update. Thank you for partnering in ministry with us with your prayers, your donations, and your attendance at our events. We’re praying for all of our camps and campers this summer and we expect it to be another fantastic summer at Alto Frio with many lives changed and souls saved.
Alto Frio exists to provide a distraction-free environment for everyone to disconnect from the world, connect with the Living God, and experience life transformation. Our Facilities Alto Frio has a variety of accommodations for groups of varying sizes and purposes. From dorms to motel rooms, family....
