ON-THE-HILL 2011
(Sunday 11/13/11)

1. Schedule:

0730 – 0800: Sign-in, Food, and Socialize.

0800 – 0900: Opening remarks:

Lift evac ground school

Lift evac incident command

0900 – 1130: Lift Evacuation Scenarios on Lifts 1 & 4.

1130 – 1230: Lunch (NOT PROVIDED)

Risk Management, Area specific protocols, etc.

1230 – 1500: Lift Evacuation Scenarios on Lifts 1 & 4

1500 – 1600: Self-evac & remediations

1600 – 1700: Additional Briefings/Wrapup

 

2. Registration Materials: Let’s all work to avoid a repeat of last year’s slow start by coming prepared with all required documents completed and signed. Our dedicated registrars will do their best to get you checked in efficiently so we can start (and hopefully end) on time. Required documents can be found on the website and are described in detail in the section below. Here’s a quick summary:

• Ops Manual Hold Harmless Release

• Waiver & Release of Liability (w/ parent signature if you’re a minor)

• Completed incident & supplemental forms based on 2011 scenario

• Ops Manual Test (accessible after watching the videos*)

• Fire Safety Test (accessible after watching the videos*)

• Sensitivity Training Test (accessible after watching the videos*)

• *The link to the videos is at the left side of the page below the links to the other forms.

3. Catering: A light breakfast (coffee/juice/bagels - plus any leftovers from Swap) will be served starting at 0730. Bring your own lunch (and dinner if you’re pessimistic about the schedule).

4. New Scenario-based Training: We will build on last year’s attempt to bring some realism to our lift evac training and prepare more patrollers to lead an evacuation. We’ll again be running scenarios with involvement from area personnel. You can help make things go smoothly by reviewing Chapter 8 of the Ops Manual, Lift Evac Ground School and Lift Evac Evaluation criteria on the website. WE WILL RANDOMLY SELECT 4 LIFT EVAC LEADERS and 4 SCRIBES ON SUNDAY, SO YOU REALLY MIGHT WANT TO REVIEW THE OPS MANUAL CHAPTER ON LIFT EVAC. The Area has graciously agreed to spin two lifts for us to try to get finished before the sun goes down. At sign–in you will be assigned a group. PLEASE STAY IN THE GROUP YOU ARE ASSIGNED. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT WITH THE MORE COMPLEX LOGISTICS OF THE SCENARIO. Out on the hill, an instructor will observe your performance and prevent you from doing anything dangerous. You will need to demonstrate your ability to perform lift evacuation without intervention. If significant coaching or training is required you will be provided remediation until you can do it on your own. Like past years, there are no Seconds, you are either qualified or not. To the degree possible, if remediation is required, it will be provided in the afternoon training. If you still need additional training after we are finished with lift evacuation, several make up periods will be offered.

5. Special Cases: Yes you are special. No you are not necessarily a special case. The Area understands that some people are not physically able to perform lift evacuation. (Hint – you may make a wonderful lift evac leader!) If you think you are in this group contact me and we will work it out. You still have to take whatever portion of the training you can but you won’t be qualified to perform lift evacuation. Our goal is that every normally abled person will be qualified to perform lift evacuation.

6. Candidate OTH Prep: You may have noticed that we are giving the candidates incident form and operations manual training on 11/10/10 at 1800 at the VA. You are welcome to attend this session however you won’t receive any credit toward On-The-Hill completion. The idea is to give expanded operations manual training as well as lift evacuation and self evacuation ground school. If you think this might be valuable to you please join us.

7. OEC Scenario: Once again we are emphasizing proper completion of Incident Reports. This year’s scenario is on our website along with the appropriate forms. Go to www.sandiapeakskipatrol.org; click “Training”, click “On-The-Hill”, download “Incident forms” and “Scenario to use to fill out the forms for OTH training”. Complete the Incident Report Form (including the Supplemental Form) and turn it in at the sign-in table. Not all the information needed to fill out the paperwork is contained in the scenario. Please feel free to exercise poetic license in completing those portions. Prizes may be awarded. This portion is mandatory so please don’t make Bob dream up some heinous penalty for failing to complete and turn in the forms.

8. Online Assignments. Since the scenario-based training is expected to take more time than our traditional skill demonstrations, we have attempted to streamline other parts of the OTH training, including moving the Ops Manual review to an open-book quiz. You can find the quiz on the SPSP website under “Training”, “On-the-Hill.” Also, view the Fire Safety, Fire Extinguisher & Sensitivity Training videos. Make sure you complete the associated quizzes and turn them in at On-the-Hill registration.

9. Release of Liability: All participants will have to sign a release of liability prior to taking part in any training. A copy is attached to this email so you may complete it ahead of time and save time at sign-in. If you are a Student Patroller or Student Patroller Candidate (you have not yet reached the age of 18) you must have the release of liability form signed by your parents in order to participate. If you forgot it or the dog ate it or whatever, you will not be allowed to complete any training that day. The release of liability form is attached to this email so you can have your parents sign it now and you can bring it with you. If your parents have any concerns or just want to find out what is going on, they should feel free to contact me at 235-7511. Also, if they would like to come and observe, that would be fine.

10. CPR Cards: For those of you who got your CPR training from work or someplace other than with the Patrol, this would be a really swell time to bring us a copy of the card. They will be collected at the sign-in desk and we will get you into the system.

11. Gunners: Once again, we are going to expand our gun shooters to as many patrollers as possible. If you think, you can actually ski the entire lift line in un-groomed crud with a line launcher in one hand and a bucket in the other, you are a candidate. We will be doing that training concurrent with lift evacuation. We really would like to have as many people as possible qualified.

12. Self-evacuation: Anyone who wants to can become self-evacuation qualified by taking training during On-The-Hill. Additionally, Benny has stated that all Team Leaders and Leaders of the Day must be self-evacuation qualified and carry the self-evacuation equipment when they are engaged in leading the day. We will have training rigs there for your use, but it would be best if you contacted Mark Leonard (891-2660) now to purchase your own equipment.

13. Business Casual Attire: Since we are spinning lifts 1 and 4, there is a better than ever chance to get stuck by the brambles. Appropriate clothes would include good boots, long pants and a long sleeved shirt all of which should be impervious to thorns. Good leather gloves are a must, don’t trust me, just look at the hands of the last people that didn’t believe me. Additionally, you may end up hanging in a chair for much longer than you had hoped. I will be heart sick if you get cold, as some did during last year’s “realistic” cold, snowy conditions.