Peer Support at Work
It’s Thursday morning a little after 9 AM with eight patrollers at Patrol Headquarters on top of the mountain. Opening work is done, and the lifts have been cleared by patrol for the public. The patrollers at PHQ are getting coffee, a morning snack, and making small talk. I, a senior member of the patrol say “I heard you guys had a tough one the other day.”
A couple of days earlier, the patrol received a call for a skier off the side of a trail. On arrival, the size up resulted in a request for additional patrollers, a loaded toboggan, and ropes and rescue equipment, all which arrived within several minutes.
The skier had gone off trail, down the side, and struck and gone over a snowmaking pipe. He was conscious and alert but injured and could not self-extricate. The toboggan was belayed and lifted over the pipe. The skier was packaged and a route of travel was chosen that would rejoin the trail further downslope.
Once the extrication was complete, the skier was transported to First Aid Base followed by fire department ambulance transport to an area hospital. There were six patrollers involved including the patroller sitting in dispatch which operates from PHQ.
After mentioning the incident and waiting for the initial silent period, a characteristic following a serious incident, I commented “Heard the skier was in a tough spot, but you guys put together a good plan and although you had to belay the sled to him then lug it out a different way, things went slick.” Finding some positivity in a situation is key to enabling an active discussion.
From this point forward, each patroller who participated in the incident spoke of what was done and how well they worked together. I was able to guide the discussion by asking questions such as “Is there anything else you needed? Is there something you would have done differently? Or did it weigh on you after it was over?”
In the course of the patrollers sharing their stories, I was able to recognize a job well done as I assessed any need for follow-up conversations. There was no follow-up necessary, but the call was talked about throughout the day and, in fact, even lent itself to be a learning experience; difficult calls can occur on not so difficult terrain. This was a novice trail.
This story is indicative of the good use of a peer-to-peer support system, something we, the division’s PSAT, strive to achieve as we promote patroller wellness. While there are other important and often necessary ways to address critical incidents including debriefing by CISM providers, peer-to-peer support, which is not counseling or debriefing, is a helpful step patrols can offer through sensitive listening, positive feedback, and meaningful social support, all significant factors in helping to reduce stress injury.
The division’s PSAT believes in the strength of peer-to-peer support and supports developing this program division-wide so we will truly become “patrollers helping patrollers.”
If you’d like to learn more about the Stress Awareness Program, please contact Melinda Mingus, MD, Eastern Division Safety Team and Patroller Stress Awareness Advisor by email at patrollerstress@easterndivisionnsp.org or phone 646-522-1451.
