by Kathy Fitzpatrick, Safety Supervior | Dec 18, 2024 | Division News, Spotlight Articles
The Eastern Division Safety Team would like to bring your attention to a new safety initiative called Take-A-Break & RECHARGE. It was created by Safety Team members Jesse Remmey (NVT) and Eric Talbot (CT).
Take-A-Break addresses the importance of recognizing fatigue and its relationship to preventing accidents. The committee kicked off this initiative after reading an article citing a 5-year study in New Zealand by ACC Statistics, an evidence-based research company emphasizing prevention. It revealed that most injuries occur in late morning and mid-afternoon citing tiredness and congestion on the trails as the main cause.
“Statistics indicated people were tired after a big morning of runs and needed to take a break to prevent injuries,” according to ACC injury prevention leader James Whitaker. Physiology Professor Robert Mazzeo believes that “Fatigue is one of the primary causes of falls, which are the major cause of injuries.”
We want the public to Take-A-Break. To rest and rehydrate, especially late morning and mid-afternoon, when many accidents occur. Go in and warm up when temperatures drop. Learn not to push your body to take that last run if you are tired. Take breaks to avoid fatigue, rest your body, and regain energy. It sounds like a simple act, but using this practice routinely could have a big impact on injury avoidance.
Recognizing your whole body’s energy level is key to this initiative. Educate others about how fatigue is related to increased injury. Are we getting tired, hungry, or cold? Are we making mistakes as we ski or ride? Parents should pay close attention to how well their child is performing or listening on the mountain. If your little one is beginning to fall, get cold, express hunger, voice opposition, or is unusually quiet, it is likely time to give them a break.
People who ski in groups should learn to recognize how they feel and take the break they need and deserve rather than stay out to keep up with a group that may have more tolerance or less self-awareness.
As patrollers, it’s important to know our energy level especially when pulling a double shift. Don’t take risks with fatigue. Take-A-Break when you are tired and encourage your fellow patrollers and customers to do the same if you notice they are tired or stressed.
When you respond to an incident that does not require transport or a higher level of care, such as when an individual simply needs help getting up from a fall or assistance getting down a challenging trail, encourage them to take a break and go inside. Even better, ask if your area will offer patrollers coupons to share for a free hot chocolate to encourage such behavior.
Take-A-Break is great advice on the mountain and in life!
by Ollie Neith, MSW | Nov 18, 2024 | Program News, Spotlight Articles
As patrollers, we train physically and mentally to be ready to go when the snow finally flies. How many of us train to be ready emotionally for the possible stress injuries resulting from the bad scenes we may encounter?
During my 30-year career as a ski patroller, I always had a pre-season skiing-specific training program to prepare physically for the demands of patrolling. Annual OEC refreshers provided an opportunity to mentally revive the knowledge and skills necessary to care for injured skiers.
It wasn’t until late in my career that I began to pay attention to training for the emotional resilience needed to effectively confront potentially traumatizing events. Now I make it a point to regularly engage in what the All Clear Foundation calls “resilience workouts” as a way to be ready for life’s daily challenges and those high-stress rescues encountered on the hill.
My workout includes three evidence-based, effective “exercises” or activities—breathwork, time in nature, and mindfulness. These activities stimulate the vagus nerve, a critical part of the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for regulating heart rate, mood, and inflammation response. The vagus nerve calms the survival response and is the key to unlocking the relaxation response.
BREATHWORK
One of the best ways to activate the vagus nerve is slow, deep breathing. Attention to breathing shifts your focus away from stressful mind chatter and toward the rhythm of the breath itself.
Try BOX BREATHING, known as the “Navy Seal” breathing technique. It can be used to relax during a busy day or as an in-the-moment coping tactic to control the stress response. To go in-depth on the topic, read Breath by James Nestor.
I recommend a daily five-minute session of 4-2-6 paced breathing. Inhale through the nose to the belly for four seconds, hold for two seconds, and then exhale through the mouth for six seconds. Remember, whatever technique you choose it needs to be practiced regularly for you to be able to deploy it when it’s needed.
TIME IN NATURE
Did you know that when walking in the forest you breathe in phytoncides—oils released by the trees? These oils can lower levels of the primary stress hormone, cortisol. That’s why you feel calm and less anxious when walking in a forest.
Almost any serene and visually pleasing environment can enhance mood and trigger positive emotions and a sense of tranquility. I’ve been thinking about taking up fly fishing.
MINDFULNESS
As responders, we tend to move through our days picking up rocks and putting them in our pack. Mindfulness practices are a way to put down the things we don’t need to be carrying. That’s why I integrated mindfulness practice into my daily routine.
A recent study found that 10-minute daily mindfulness sessions using the Medito: Meditation & Wellness app improved mental health and encouraged healthier lifestyle behaviors, with lasting effects on well-being and habits like exercise and sleep:
• Reducing depression by 19.2% more than the control group.
• Improving well-being by 6.9% more.
• Decreasing anxiety by 12.6% more.
Another study found that mindfulness practices can decrease body mass index, waist circumference, weight, and percent of body fat.
Mindfulness is just being present—focused on the present moment rather than ruminating over the past, fearing the future, or chasing your monkey mind. It comes in many forms. Any activity that completely absorbs your focus—like skiing, climbing, or coincidentally, fly-tying can be mindful. There are any number of other exercises you can add to your resilience workout. Just do a quick search for “build emotional resilience.”
The key is to find activities you enjoy. That way you’re much more likely to do them and to work them into your daily routine. For more information about operational stress injury and resilience practices, contact Ollie Neith.
by John Brown, ICISF Peer Counselor | Oct 14, 2024 | Spotlight Articles
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.
by Melinda Mingus, Patroller Stress Awareness Advisor | Oct 14, 2024 | Division News
We’re pleased to announce that the Eastern Division Patroller Stress Awareness Team (PSAT) has partnered with Responder Alliance, a leading resource for stress injury tools and education, to offer patrollers discounted training access. All NSP Eastern Division members will receive 25% off the Stress Injury Awareness for the Individual online course through a discount link. Click here to register.
Don’t miss the next Patroller Stress Awareness Forums Zoom Meetings:
• November 13 at 7 pm
• December 11 at 7 pm
Learn from the experts – Network with colleagues – Share information about patroller wellness – Patrollers Supporting Patrollers.
Zoom Link for all meetings. Visit the Stress Awareness page on the Eastern Division website for more information.
by Eric Krawczyk, LMHC | Sep 14, 2024 | Division News, Spotlight Articles
Eric KrawczykI read the Power of Connection article in the March issue of Trail Sweep and appreciated the perspective about the resilience of social connections. I’m a volunteer patroller at Bousquet Mountain as well as an Ecotherapist in private practice.
I’d like to share my perspective and experience working with clients, of which some are first responders, in my practice and the other “forms” and “conditions” of connection that supports “getting back to normal”.
Our nervous system naturally wants to heal and release the stress and burdens from stressful or traumatic incidents, but all too often our culture fails to offer very favorable conditions for this process to occur naturally or even prescriptively.
Connecting to nature is an integral way our nervous system regulates and is likely one of the big reasons why we ski. Nature provides a safe container and even the witness for us to safely access and release the physical and mental stress memories. Similarly to the way we clean and dress physical wounds in order to promote biological healing, creating a safe space for someone to psychologically heal is essential.
Another powerful element of nature that I’ve seen support stressed groups and individuals are animals. Animals naturally know how to down regulate stress through physical releases: shake, stretch, groom, move and play after stressful events in order to return to “reset” their nervous systems. I work with a therapy dog named Shadow in my practice and he also joins me when I patrol. Even though his primary role isn’t search and rescue, I’ve seen how well Shadow calms both patrollers and patients in the patrol room, in the top shack and on the slopes helping everyone remain calmer thus improving the delivery and reception of emergency care.
Similar to the camaraderie that’s shared through skiing and the mountains, a four-legged friend can become another hub for a diverse group of patrollers to bond around. A service animal’s presence, whose openness and affinity rarely discriminates, can reduce isolation and model how to accept the good with the bad. Patrol dogs are also an effective ambassador between the patrol, resort staff and the public. They help us connect with the skiers and riders who tend to challenge our safety mindedness.
So consider integrating the power of connection with nature and animals in your patrol settings. Work with your local humane societies, professional animal trainers or Ecotherapists to discover how some of these alternative approaches could reduce your workplace stress.
Editor’s Note: Eric is a MA & NY Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Nationally Certified Forest Therapy Guide specializing in individual, couples and family therapy, and maintains a private practice in Berkshire and Columbia Counties. Eric is also the owner and president of Wild Wellness Inc. who’s mission is to explore natural alternatives to medicine by reconnecting play, people and places. If you would like to find out more about Eric Krawczyk and his program click here: Berkshire Health Ranger.
by Ollie Neith, MSW | Mar 24, 2024 | Spotlight Articles
“The number one predictor of how someone will recover after a traumatic event is how safe they feel in their relationships.” – H. Hansman, Powder Days
In an earlier article for Trail Sweep (Don’t be Blindsided, Be Ready), I noted how my recovery from a significant stress injury was facilitated by a CIS debriefing and learning more about stress injury. But what I failed to note was that my “return to normal” was due in large part to the support of those around me, especially my ski patrol “family” at Camelback.
Years later, I can recall the scene in the aid room after returning from the helicopter landing zone. Patrollers all around offering hugs and high fives on my having spotted John in the woods on sweep. This was not my usual patrol night and these were not my usual night duty colleagues. I hardly knew some of them. Yet there they were, asking how I was doing, making sure I was OK. Of course, I wasn’t OK. But their kind words and actions certainly registered.
As word got out, my phone rang regularly with others wanting to know how I was faring. And when I signed in for my regular Saturday shift, I got more hugs and high 5s even from the most reserved (seemingly jaded), grizzled old veterans.
A year or so ago, I had the pleasure, as a member of the VT Peer Support Network, of leading a CIS defusing with a group of patrollers. All of them recounted similar experiences with their patrol family. One participant summed it up well: “I could feel the love.” Another echoed the sentiment.
We’re all connected!Such strong bonds of connection to others are incredibly important for first responders, patrollers included. The literature is quite clear. The most important factor in determining the extent of stress injury—be it traumatic, depletion, or mission-related—is your level of social connectedness. Knowing that someone has your back, that you have people you can count on in time of need, and people who care about you, goes a very long way towards getting back to normal after traumatic event exposure. Indeed, perceiving and believing that people know you, care about you, and have a sense of how you doing is more important than the actual social support provided.
So, do whatever you can to reduce isolation. Make and maintain social connections. Building strong, positive relationships with loved ones, friends, and colleagues can provide you with needed support, guidance, and acceptance in good and bad times. Support systems can play a vital role in resilience
by Trail Sweep Staff | Feb 16, 2024 | Division News, Spotlight Articles
The Eastern Division and the NSP offer a variety of events, programs, and opportunities for all patrollers. The following are calendar reminders of some of the opportunities available in the next few months. Click on the links for more details.
WOMEN’S PROGRAM EVENT
Gore, ENY – February 24-25
PATROLLER STRESS AWARENESS FORUMS
Begin March 13, 2024, at 7 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 872 9811 1272
If you have any questions, please contact Melinda Mingus, MD, Eastern Division Patroller Stress Awareness Advisor by email or phone 646-522-1451
WOMEN’S PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP
The application and additional information can be found on the Women’s Program Scholarship page accepted through March 15, 2024
YAP SUMMIT 2024
Smugglers’ Notch, VT – March 8-11, 2024
CERTIFIED EXAM
Sugarbush, VT – March 14-17, 2024
POWDERFALL
Vail. CO
APRIL 10 – 14, 2024
Register Now
by Melinda Mingus, Patroller Stress Awareness Advisor | Feb 14, 2024 | Division News
Melinda Mingus, MD, Eastern Division Patroller Stress Awareness AdvisorWant to learn more about stress awareness and patroller wellness? The Patroller Stress Awareness Team (PSAT) will begin hosting monthly zoom forums to promote stress injury education offered to all Eastern Division patrollers. Starting March 13, 2024 at 7 pm, a recurring zoom forum will be held the second Wednesday of each month. If you’re interested in patroller stress, recovery & wellness, please attend. The forums are free and open to everyone in emergency.
• Learn about patroller stress & wellness.
• Network & share ideas with colleagues.
• Discuss topics with PSAT, Region & Division Leadership.
Please be aware that:
• The Zoom forums are for patroller enrichment and education only.
• Attending these forums may trigger a prior traumatic stress event.
• They are not intended for treatment of any condition or professional medical care.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 872 9811 1272
If you have any questions, please contact Melinda Mingus, MD, Eastern Division Safety Team Advisor and Eastern Division Patroller Stress Awareness Advisor by email or phone 646-522-1451.
by Ollie Neith, MSW | Jan 12, 2024 | Division News
The Patroller School online course, Stress Injury Preparation for Patrollers or SIPP, launched in September and profiled in the December issue of Trail Sweep, has had a greater than anticipated impact both in terms of response and reaction.
Response
Since the course was launched in September, more than 150 patrollers and mountain hosts have requested access to it. Granted this isn’t a viral number but, for Patroller School, it’s quite significant.
According to Orest Ohar, Eastern Division’s Online School Administrator, “the SIPP course has become the division’s fastest growing online course. It has the highest student count, more than double any other courses taught by the MTR, Avalanche, or OET programs.”
More than half of these students have started the course and more than a third have completed it, while many others are still working their way through it.
Many patrols and every region are represented. Some more than others:• Ski Sundown (CT) 6 students
• Okemo (SVT) 5
• Mad River Glen (NVT) 5
• Camelback and Spring Mountain (EPA) 5 each, and
• Gore (ENY) 4
There’s even been interest from the Central, Far West, Rocky Mountain, and Intermountain Divisions.
Reaction
The ED Course Improvement Questionnaire, used for all Patroller School courses, is built into SIPP. And students are strongly encouraged to use it to provide feedback.
40% of the students who have completed the course, also provided feedback via the Improvement Questionnaire. This too is quite significant: a good survey response rate ranges between 5% and 30%. An excellent response rate is 50% or higher.
As noted below, student reactions are very positive. All responses average in the “Agree” (good) to “Strongly Agree” (very good) levels. Indeed, there have been no negative survey responses whatsoever. (Scoring Levels: 3=Neither Agree or Disagree 4=Agree 5=Strongly Agree)
4.3 – I enjoyed the program
4.6 – Recommend to others
4.3 – Feel I benefitted
4.1 – Felt involved in the event
4.3 – Well organized
4.5 – Well-prepared teacher
When respondents made the effort to provide narrative feedback, what they had to say was also overwhelmingly positive.
For example:
• Well organized, full of factual info at just the right level.
• Was extremely helpful in understanding this issue that so often goes undetected until it is too late. The use of the videos was very good.
• Self-paced. Appreciated learning about various stress responses and reflecting on my own. How to stay or return to “green.”
• Overall the course was well presented and covered the material well. The course made the important points and repeated them enough to have the student understand the goal of the program and when it is important. This is a difficult topic, and each person will react differently to what is presented.
The course is important and should be appropriately worked into the basic training of all patrollers so that it gets to every new patroller in some way.
What It Means
The better-than-expected response to SIPP and the very positive feedback is more than just numerical values and percentages. They represent the voices and opinions of those who matter most to our organization – our members.
Each student registration documents the importance of the topic of stress injury. Each respondent to the feedback survey represents an individual perspective. Collectively, they paint a mosaic of opinions and experiences. Together the metrics demonstrate the success of Stress Injury Preparation for Patrollers and advocate for wider use of the course throughout the Eastern Division.
To sign up for SIPP click: Stress Injury Preparation for Patrollers.
