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together to determine the desired approach. Any bike patrol course each year, so OEC technicians are regularly reviewing
or host unit must have an agreement with the owner of the their textbooks.
land on which it operates, or permit holder (if on Forest We are excited to announce that the 6th edition of the
Service lands). Outdoor Emergency Care text is well underway. Our team of
Here are some considerations to keep in mind: editors are working with the NSP Medical Committee to
• Purpose of the patrol. What is the need for a bike update the information in the text to align with current
patrol or host unit? As you build or expand a bike area, evidence-based medical practices. Publication is targeted for
it is important to contemplate if those trails need to be late spring 2020.
patrolled or if they can be used as a recreation area that In other OEC news, the national board of directors
doesn’t require emergency care coverage. recently approved a streamlined path for currently licensed
• Skills the patrollers need. NSP bike patrollers must EMTs, Advanced EMTs, and Paramedics to become NSP
obtain Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) certification, patrollers and members. These qualified individuals who pass
while NSP bike hosts must obtain Outdoor First the OEC Modified Challenge course, comprised of the OEC
Care training. Practical Exam, will receive OEC technician cards and may
• Roles and responsibilities of patrollers in a bike be registered on a patrol roster, expanding our organization
park. It is important that you, as the owner/operator, to more members and ski areas.
clarify these expectations when forming the patrol. (For Our other education programs are continually fine-
example, will the patrollers and hosts greet guests and tuned to enhance the skills, experience, and knowledge
serve as ambassadors? Will they distribute pamphlets of the patrollers at your area. The Outdoor Emergency
or brochures and/or point out signage? Will they be Transportation (OET) program focuses on toboggan
responsible for sweeping the bike trails at closing?) training and the associated skiing and snowboarding skills.
• Signage and closures. Be sure to visit www.nsaa.org OET has developed a series of five short videos, available to
to find out about available resources for signage, the members on the NSP website, demonstrating proper tobog-
Mountain Biking Responsibility Code, and other gan handling as well as skiing and snowboarding skills.
materials designed to support bike park operations. The Instructor Development program now offers a hybrid
• Care and transportation. The extraction and care of online course that is easily accessible for new instructors
a guest in the warm-weather months differs from those and has encouraged more people to begin the instructor
procedures in the winter. It is important to remember training process.
that travel times tend to be longer and rougher in the Our group of patrollers working on avalanche train-
summer. Patrols need to conduct regular training on ing is revising our manuals to include companion rescue and
summer transportation techniques. current best practices. Since the national board approved
changing its name from Nordic to Nordic/Backcountry, the
For more information on how your area’s bike patrol unit, program has been adding more specific backcountry material
bike host unit, or individual bike patroller or host can to its courses.
join NSP, visit https://nsp.org/NSPMember/Get_Involved/ Our dedicated patrollers are also providing insights on
Join_the_NSP_/Bike_Patrols. the upcoming revisions to the NSAA Lift Evacuation Manual,
which is currently being updated to reflect new techniques,
Education Programs recent changes in OSHA regulations, and other considerations.
The NSP continues to proudly offer a wide variety of educa- Lastly, NSP has scheduled our Powderfall conference at
tional programming to its members. More than 80 courses Snowbird Resort in Utah for April 3-6, 2019, with a packed
are available through six curriculum-based programs. The agenda of education classes, demos, clinics, a tradeshow, and
curriculum is developed and delivered by a cadre of dedicated educational seminars from patrollers, insurance industry
volunteers who spend many hours on these tasks, in addition representatives, and NSAA. Visit www.Powderfall.com for
to their patrolling roles. registration, lodging information, and FAQs.
As you may know, the flagship first responder program Through these and other efforts, NSP strives to help its
is Outdoor Emergency Care. In addition to about 2,500 new members, and our ski areas, be as prepared as possible in
candidates completing the full course each year, all OEC providing exceptional patrolling services at ski areas. It’s a
technicians are required to complete a refresher course every relationship that has served the outdoor recreation industry
season to keep their skills and knowledge current. These and its public very well for more than 80 years, and one that
refresher courses are designed to cover about one-third of the the National Ski Patrol is committed to continuing.

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