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#Post#: 362--------------------------------------------------
Managing Risk... Moving Towards a More Focused Approach
By: rhandom Date: May 2, 2021, 4:49 am
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Our Safety Officer, Marcel Bourque, has been working since last
autumn on a study of risk within the categories of COC events.
He has drafted a report about how the COC could look to mitigate
risk. The executive committee will soon begin discussions on
what we will do moving forward for mitigating risk. Your
input/feedback, as a COC Member, would be appreciated.
Marcel's report is attached. It focuses heavily on scrambles
for two reasons: (1) that’s the sphere he’s most experienced
with, and (2) scrambling has, historically, been the main source
of COC’s riskier events. That being said, though, scrambling is
not the only type of events carrying higher risk that the COC
has engaged in. We would also be looking at events that go into
avalanche terrain, and water events.
Marcel's preliminary recommendations for mitigating risk
include:
[list type=decimal]
[li]Determining event scope - Limiting riskier events[/li]
[li]Coordinator training for riskier events[/li]
[li]Other safety mitigation practices for riskier events[/li]
[/list]
Thank you for your time and attention on this important
discussion.
#Post#: 363--------------------------------------------------
Re: Managing Risk... Moving Towards a More Focused Approach
By: Kim Parkin Date: May 3, 2021, 12:47 pm
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I agree with Marcel, we should limit riskier activities within
the club. Coming from my standpoint, things such as kayak trips
can be arranged amongst friends. That way everyone is
responsible for their own safety and we don't need to worry
about being sued.
#Post#: 364--------------------------------------------------
Re: Managing Risk... Moving Towards a More Focused Approach
By: rhandom Date: May 4, 2021, 5:39 am
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My main perspective on these activities is that, there are
organizations that focus entirely on those activities, with a
greater knowledge base among members and volunteers. There's a
Calgary Scrambling Club. There's the Calgary Canoe Club.
There's the Norsemen Ski Club. The COC was not created or
intended to provide a high-level focus on activities that
require a greater level of knowledge and skill, so I think we
should stop playing in their spaces.
#Post#: 365--------------------------------------------------
Re: Managing Risk... Moving Towards a More Focused Approach
By: jfischer Date: May 7, 2021, 6:14 pm
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Thanks for opening this discussion, one that must be had by
organizations such as ours. I can say a lot about risk
management in the outdoors. In short, if you don't want to read
further, I agree with Marcel's take on risky events. Someone
organizing them should have a suitable background in leading
them, and some activiites may not be suitable for a club of our
type.
As a coordinator I have always taken the rider in our event
descriptions that "coordinators are not leaders" with a strong
dose of humour. Personally, I would never offer an event that I
did not have a clear idea of the risks involved, convey those to
others, then monitor the participants throughout the activity
for behaviour conducive to safe conduct, as well as their own
comfort level with what we were doing. I always carry a guide's
level first aid kit. I always have an emergency communication
device. In essence, I always have a plan, and assume I am
leading the group, not just organizing a time and place for
people to meet. Because I worked for many years as an outdoor
professional, I am fully prepared to address participants who
breach what I would consider to be the boundaries of safe
practice for a given outing. If they don't like those
boundaries, they don't need to come on my trips. My experience
has been that people generally like to be on trips where they
feel it is well organized, and that somebody is thinking of
their welfare.
In terms of risk mitigation, serious incidents often do not
"happen" as much as they "develop". On a loosely organized hike,
one member hikes much further ahead of the group. They get to a
junction, make a decision on their own, and carry on down the
left-hand trail. The rest of the group gets to the junction, and
takes the correct right-hand trail. A half-hour later the
"leader" realizes they haven't caught up with their fast hiker.
They leave some people where they are and go back to check the
other trail. While they are doing that it starts to rain. One of
the people who went back to check for the missing hiker is
carrying the raingear for their hiking partner who waited
behind. That person gets wet as the temperature drops and the
wind picks up. The people who went to find the missing hiker
give up and return. The wet hiker is now hypothermic. It is
decided to go get help for two problems: someone who is
shivering too badly and just wants to sleep, and the missing
hiker. The time taken to do all this means that dusk has
descended. Some volunteer to go for help. On the way out, they
have to traverse a hundred-yard stretch that was easy in
daylight but treacherous in the dark. It was supposed to be a
day hike, so nobody has any headlamps. You can see where this is
going. Many serious incidents develop from a series of smaller
decisions that were made along the way. Taking care of people in
the outdoors does require a level of leadership and experience
that recognizes each potential disaster for what it is, and
avoids it.
I think it would be a good idea for any coordinator to have some
current first aid and to seek out for themselves a suitable
training course that develops leadership and management skills
for conducting simple outings. ACMG and ACC courses are
expensive, extensive and the ACMG in particular is designed for
professionals. As an alterantive, the Outdoor Council of Canada
(OCC) has developed a number of one-day and weekend courses for
hike leaders leading to certiifcation, and have divided these
among hiking vs canoeing groups. Our own experience is not
always enough when it comes to coordinating and leading others.
We might be the most competent hiker or skier around, but that
doesn't mean we can manage situatons and people on the trail.
I've been on COC ski trips where the coordinator met us all in
the parking lot, then took off at a race pace. I was able to
keep up, but many were not. I eventually waited for others and
skied with the slowest person, who up until then was having a
terrible time. We never saw the "leader" until we arrived back
at the parking lot in a couple of hours. They had skied solo all
day. What was the point of this "group" outing? Taking a course
such as the OCC offerings makes you think about things from a
different perspective.
#Post#: 366--------------------------------------------------
Re: Managing Risk... Moving Towards a More Focused Approach
By: rhandom Date: May 8, 2021, 5:02 am
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Thank you Jim. You're absolutely right about incidents
"developing" rather than "happening". The book, "Into Thin Air"
really demonstrates that. I would encourage you to attend the
upcoming committee meeting if you'd like to share more:
HTML https://www.calgaryoutdoorclub.com/events/details.asp?eventid=27706
The "event scope" portion of that meeting will be a focus on
discussion and fact-finding more than decision-making.
Decision-making will be a next step.
#Post#: 374--------------------------------------------------
Re: Managing Risk... Moving Towards a More Focused Approach
By: Duane Date: May 17, 2021, 8:30 pm
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I thought Marcel's report was very well written and I agree with
looking at placing some limitations on events that pose a high
level of risk. I have always felt the real success of the COC
lies in its sense of community and relationships and not on how
challenging our events are. When I used to organize things like
dodge ball, it was not uncommon to attract 40+ people per event
for a simple childhood game. Friendships blossomed as people
looked forward to simply getting together on a regular basis to
have some fun and the club steadily grew as a result. From what
I've observed over the years, the riskiest most dangerous events
generally attracted the same small group of people but weren't
really appealing to the general membership. Bottom line is I
believe the main reason people join the COC is to meet new
people and develop meaningful relationships in a safe welcoming
environment which I believe we already excel at. We should
continue to focus on providing just that versus trying to be
everything to everyone event wise.
In addition I'd like to echo Rhonda's earlier comment "The COC
was not created or intended to provide a high-level focus on
activities that require a greater level of knowledge and skill.
There are organizations that focus entirely on those activities,
with a greater knowledge base among members and volunteers."
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