Fall 2015 Outdoor Emergency Care Course

This site covers the National Ski Patrol's Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) training course that's held in the San Francisco South Bay area each Fall. Details on registration, materials, preparation and location are located on the tabs above. Course updates are posted below as they are published.

Outdoor Emergency Care® is the National Ski Patrol’s award-winning training program for patrollers and others in the recreation community who deal with emergency situations. This nationally recognized program is designed to help you manage the toughest emergencies, in all seasons. Developed in the late 1980s for the 26,000 members of the National Ski Patrol, Outdoor Emergency Care is a training program that is tailored to the nonurban rescuer. Today, OEC is considered the standard of training for emergency care in the outdoor environment and is recognized by resorts and recreational facilities in all 50 states.

Sunday, August 23, 2020

SouthBay OEC 2020 Cancelled

Candidates & Patrollers - 

Unfortunately, we're going to cancel this year's SouthBay OEC class.  It was a tough decision, but after looking at the guidance, the data, and speaking with many of you, we feel it's the prudent thing to do.  Very unfortunate, and we'll all miss the training/refreshing/reconnecting opportunity this year.

For candidates, there are a few options you have, see below.  For patrollers, as we discussed, we'll look into ways we can stay connected.  Stay tuned.

Details on our thinking/reasoning below.  Happy to answer any questions, just shoot me a note.

Best, Bill

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class Cancellation Rationale:

1. California State Guidance.  Today guidance - at https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/ - prohibits "Gatherings".  Specifically, the language states that:

Gatherings are defined as meetings or other events that bring together persons from multiple households at the same time for a shared or group experience in a single room, space, or place such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference room, meeting hall, or other indoor or outdoor space.

And that, with the exception of faith-base services, essential services, a selection of other services:

All other gatherings are prohibited until further notice  

There is some further county guidance, varying by county, but along the same lines.  Today's guidance for Santa Clara County is quite strong on these points.  Other counties may be different..  These guidelines evolve & change over time, but today, this is where we are.

2A.  NSP OEC Training Guidance.  National, Division, and Region have provided guidance here: https://nspserves.org/covid-19-updates/ as well as some additional guidance to instructors if they conduct classes.  This guidance & protocols for OEC classes call for compliance w/State & Local guidance; social distancing & sanitation; on-line/outdoor only classes; Releases, Self-certification & Temp checks @ each class; Candidates are required to bring person from their household as patient to all hands-on classes; and more.   This guidance makes classes more difficult, but do-able.  However, National's first instruction re: compliance with local regulations brings us back to point 1, above.

2B. NSP Refresher Guidance.  As you all know, National has issued guidance that there will be no live/hands-on refreshers this Fall.   While refreshers represent 50-80 person-days of contact, OEC classes can represent many times that level.  Consistency would indicate a no-go on classes of our size as well.

3. Disease Progression.   Forecasts for the Fall - e.g. https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america/california - call for increased infection and death rates.   As such, there is increased risk to all participants and their families, as well as providing further opportunity to exacerbate this unfortunate trend. 

With these factors in mind, and after consulting with many of you over the last months, we're going to make the decision to not hold our OEC class this Fall.   This is unfortunate, but with the above in mind, and with the uncertainties inherent here, it's the prudent thing to do.


Options Forward:

- For candidates, there may be other opportunities for OEC training this year.  EastBay OEC is currently on, and Emmett is preparing for a class via Zoom and weekend hands-on sessions.  More info at: http://eastbay-oec.org/   Sacramento OEC is also on via Zoom with hands-on sessions in El Dorado Hills.  See: http://sacramentooec.blogspot.com/p/outdoor-emergency-care-oec-is-national.html.  (The site says the class is postponed, but I spoke with Brian yesterday and he's proceeding with preparations).  And finally, the Tahoe Intensive class will be open to Northstar paid patrollers this year, but not Nationals.  See: http://nsoecintensive.blogspot.com/

- For Patrollers, you all have refresher materials & plans for your mountain.  In parallel, a group of us, led by David Stepner, is creating a document that clearly outlines the differences in OEC5 to OEC6. There are some substantial differences which will be important to incorporate in our protocols, teachings, and patrolling.  Stay tuned.  

Thanks once again for all your great support over the years.  Let's all do our best to stay healthy in these times.  As for OEC training, we'll all look forward to coming back strong in the Fall of 2021.

- Bill
Posted by at