Risk Management & First Aid

The Risk Management and First Aid Group focuses on managing safety in outdoor programming.
  • Risk Management

    Does your Program Have a Road Crossing Protocol? Should it?

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    Vehicles and driving are statistically the most dangerous thing that you can do in an outdoor program. As a result programs have extensive risk management protocols around vehicles and driving. But vehicles hazards aren't just associated with driving, what about when your groups come in contact with cars and roads in situations like where trails cross busy roads? Isn't this also a potentially serious risk management issue? And shouldn't you have some protocols in place to reduce these risks? I say the answer to both questions to yes and I propose a Road Crossing Protocol as a tool for leaders to help reduce the hazards associated with high-risk road crossings. If your program hikes across busy roads then you really need to read this article and consider how you would deal with this serious issue.

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  • Risk Management

    'Brain Buckets' - A Climber's Best Friend?

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    I am dating myself, but when I started rock climbing, almost everyone wore helmets. It was as essential a piece of gear as your harness and shoes. But in the decades that followed, helmets became passe. Part of that change had to do with climbing styles...
  • Risk Management

    Skier Intentionally Triggers Huge Avalanche in Teton Backcountry

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    I just got back from skiing at Jackson Hole last week. Like much of the west the snow pack has been really low all winter. Jackson Hole only had a 44 inch (old) base when I arrived. Starting with the day I arrived (Wednesday, January 18) the snow started...
  • Risk Management

    Does Wyoming state law give too much protection to outdoor recreation providers?

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    This is a fascinating article by Ben Goose from WyoFile.com that explores some of the issues about the Wyoming Recreation Safety Act. While different states have different laws on the books, understanding how the Wyoming Laws are interpreted may shed...
  • Risk Management

    A Perfect Storm - Lessons Learned from Hurricane Irene & Tropical Storm Lee

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    This year took me by surprise, as I know it did for many of my colleagues and it was all about water. First came Hurricane Irene and then Tropical Storm Lee. Each September the Outdoor Action Program at Princeton University sends out over 1,000 students...
  • Risk Management

    Tragedy in the Tetons

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    On July 18, 2011 tragedy struck in the Tetons. A 16-year old participant on an outdoor education program sponsored backpacking trip was killed by a falling tree. According to the Chicago Sun-Times: "The Teton County Sheriff’s Office received...
  • Risk Management

    WA Court Rules that Seller not Manufacturer Liable for Defective Bike Part

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    The Washington State Court of Appeals issued a ruling on a product liability case, Monika Johnson vs Recreational Equipment Incorporated. This case is an interesting one to follow because it opens up the question of product liability to who sells the...
  • Risk Management

    Petzl issues warning regarding dangerous counterfeit versions of some products

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    Petzl has just released a public announcement about the discovery of counterfeit versions of a number of their climbing and personal protective equipment products. These counterfeit products are originating in China where the counterfeiting of products...
  • Risk Management

    What the Maine Ski Lift Accident can tell us about Risk Management

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    The recent ski lift accident at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine raises some important questions in risk management for outdoor programs. The purpose of this post is not to armchair quarterback the staff at Sugarloaf, but rather to use it to build out some...
  • Risk Management

    Understanding the Risk Gap in outdoor adventure programming

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    The Risk Gap is a concept that I've employed for many years as one of my strategies for managing risk while running a college outdoor program. I've just posted a video explaining the Risk Gap concept along with a PowerPoint file that you can download...
  • Risk Management

    Climber 9-1-1

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    The question of whether mountain climbers should be required to carry mobile communications devices has been a point of debate (and even legislation) since the high profile incident on Mt. Hood in Oregon that resulted in the deaths of three climbers and...
  • Risk Management

    New Safety Protocols Developed by Outdoor Pursuits Centre

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    OPC Issues Report on Managatepopo Tragedy As a follow-up on my previous posting about the New Zealand Canyoning incident in April 2008, the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC) has released a report that contains all the recommendations from...
  • Risk Management

    New Zealand Coroner's Report has Lessons for all of us

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    The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council (MSC) has issued a press release regarding the New Zealand Coroner's Report on the deaths of six high school students and a teacher on April 15, 2008 in a canyoning accident on a program run by the Sir Edmund...
  • Risk Management

    The Real Risk of Meds in the Woods

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    Many of us have weighed in on the “Meds in the Woods” issue with the competing moral and legal issues keeping the industry from making a uniform statement as to the best practice. With Good Samaritan and epinephrine laws varying from state...
  • Risk Management

    David Breashears' Storm Over Everest - a Risk Management Case Study

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    If you missed the spectacular Frontline documentary on PBS by David Breashears on the 1996 Everest tragedy you can watch the full two hour episode online at Frontline . There are also interviews with expedition members and interactive maps of the mountain...
  • Risk Management

    Responding to the Tragedy in New Zealand

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    On Tuesday, April 15, 2008 a five-day backcountry adventure trip in Tongariro National Park on the North Island in New Zealand ended tragically when 6 students and a teacher died. In a small country like New Zealand, where adventure activities are a part...
  • Risk Management

    All Risks Are Perceived

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    I agree that we cannot have an adventurous experience without experiencing risk. It is my opinion, however, that we do a diservice to ourselves, our staff and our clients in maintaining the deceptive concept of actual vs percieved risks. A few years ago...
  • Risk Management

    The Intersection of Adventure Education and Risk Management Theory

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    Hello, My name is Preston B. Cline, I am the founder and President of Adventure Management (www.adventuremanagement.com). We provide Operational Risk Management Training and Consulting to educational programs throughout the world. I have been asked by...
  • Risk Management

    Risk Management Blog

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    The Risk Management Blog is a place where Risk Managers from around the world present their musings on the state of the industry. Rick Curtis
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