ROL: Health department inspections of children’s summer camps in Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties turned up hundreds of violations last year, infractions that could put the camp’s charges – your kids – in harm’s way.

For the roughly 400 camps in the Catskills and Hudson Valley getting ready to open this week, the citations usually were mundane: inoperable smoke detectors, wrong doorknobs, mold and torn screens.

But then there were extreme examples: An August 2005 inspection of Camp Bnos Skwere in Fallsburg found that a medical director who was not qualified for invasive procedures was assisting a camper in administering an enema. The camp was also cited for trash strewn throughout the grounds, raw fish improperly stored and an unapproved trip to Lake Superior.

These were some of the scores of violations the Times Herald-Record discovered in a review of health department reports from May 2005 to May 2006.

Ohel Elozen Be’er Hatorah in Bethel was cited for operating last year without a valid permit. The camp was also written up for sewage discharging onto the ground, a leaky chlorine pump, and for having two fly strips hanging over work tables in a canteen area.

Not accounted for in the inspection reports was one of the worst summer camp incidents in recent memory: Five campers and a counselor from the Atlanta Dance Camp in South Fallsburg died in a horrific crash with a Sullivan County dump truck last July.

The camp had passed inspection in April 2005 and overall had a clean operating record, officials said. Following the crash, the state Health Department launched an investigation into the camp’s lack of supervision and was prepared to cite it. The camp owner, though, fled the country.

Health inspectors say the violations they find are seldom so life-threatening. And, they add, almost every camp has at least a handful of violations to address before a permit is issued each summer.

“It’s very rare, if not impossible, for a camp to get a 100 percent on a pre-operational inspection,” said Laura Burt, an environmental health aide for the Ulster County Department of Health.

Sullivan County faces the biggest challenge, with more than 170 camps, roughly 100 of them overnight camps. Most of those are housed in antiquated facilities, like old bungalow colonies or hotels. In contrast, Orange and Ulster counties have fewer than 100 camps each.

State and county health inspectors go through every summer camp in April and May to conduct pre-operational inspections. Another inspection is conducted once the camp opens. The fine-toothed review takes into account everything from water and sewage systems to freezer temperatures and shower curtains.

Other camps were cited for missing bed rails on top bunks or for not maintaining enough distance between kids’ heads while in their bunks – a precaution against the possible spread of lice.

Camp Bais Yaakov in Ferndale was fined after a July 27 inspection discovered several campers unsupervised. A second fine was issued for the same thing a few weeks later.

And the list goes on……………………….