May 31, 2020
Dear zone presidents and division presidents,
The national CSP organization has been asked by division and zone presidents to provide direction on how the CSP will resume activities and services. There is no simple and universal answer, however the health and safety of our members and those we assist and support remains our No. 1 priority.
When COVID-19 arrived in March, the national Training and Development Department initially distributed a modified patient assessment for patrollers providing services at resorts that delayed closing in the spring. Since then, a plan for training and qualification for the upcoming season was developed and approved by the CSP board of directors. Training and Development will continue to monitor information from health officials, governments and countries that are now preparing for winter activities requiring patroller advanced first aid services. As information emerges from multiple sources, Training and Development will as needed adjust, provide and monitor practices and training for patrollers to staying current with health authorities’ official recommendations. We ask that all zones and divisions stay current with of all information coming from the national VP of Training and Development and to stay in touch with all their zone and division CSP leaders to make sure that new procedures are understood and adhered to. Training and Development will do their best to keep information current and to answer all questions quickly.
At some point the CSP will be asked to provide services, whether on snow or at non skiing events. The severity of COVID-19 transmission and health authorities’ resulting guidance around physical distancing and general isolation protocols is very regionalized. Our ability to provide CSP services will strictly depend on regional health officials’ guidelines and, only where allowed by provincial and local governments. For that reason, the national organization is asking for all zones and divisions to closely monitor the recommendations by their provincial and regional health officials. Where possible, zone and division presidents should try to establish a direct contact with a person who is able to provide quick and reliable information and is able to answer questions to address concerns in that region. The CSP must follow the guidelines set out by the relevant provincial and regional health officials and governments. Until gatherings and events are allowed, the CSP will not approve members participating in any event. Should gatherings and events be allowed, members must follow the latest practices while patrolling, training and providing services as published by the national CSP VP of Training and Development. Members are free to choose to participate and they may refuse any assignment without any repercussions to their membership with the following exceptions:
- Not participating in the training for qualification purposes will result in having their qualification suspended.
- Once signed in for a duty, patrollers should perform with the expected ability.
Due to the nature of COVID-19, some areas may be totally locked down while another area in the same province is more open. It is not possible for the national organization to say when we can resume CSP activities. We can only provide what must be in place prior to any activities resuming and ask that the divisions and zone work together to stay informed locally before engaging in activities. The national level of the CSP is putting practices in place that are reasonable measures to help protect members when CSP activities resume. Our first priority is patroller health and safety.
Additional resources:
COVID-19 – Frequently Asked Questions
Your mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Sincerely,
Tom Carr, Vice-President – Patrol Operations
(tom.carr@skipatrol.ca)
This post is also available in: French