About the CSP South Okanagan-Boundary Zone

When you join the CSP there are a number of activities to attend and responsibilities to fulfill. Please review these before joining and, if they are not compatible with your lifestyle at this time, consider postponing your application until they are.

A common FAQ is: What am I committing to? Your first year is the heaviest because you need extra on-hill training that is not repeated every year.

• 60 hours AFA-BLS. This is accomplished by attending classes Tuesdays & Thursdays 7-10 PM, roughly from the end of September to the end of October. These classes may be offered on-line. However, there are practical components covered in the classes (applying bandages, splints, spine boards, etc) that you will not receive credit for unless you attend the class. Skills missed need to be completed during the final training weekend.

• CPR-AR evening class (unless you hold a valid certificate).

• Everyone, rookies and returning patrollers, are required to pass a multiple choice, closed-book exam. Pass for rookies is 80%; returning patrollers are required to achieve 85% to pass. You are allowed one re-write if not successful.

• A weekend at the end of the training period where you will need to complete a scenario. Here you will evaluate a scene, assess a patient, make a diagnosis for their condition, and decide the best course of action. Also during this weekend you will complete any of the practical skills you didn't complete during the training evenings.

• Ski Swap. Everyone is asked to commit to at least 2 shifts for the Ski Swap. The Swap is how we raise the funds needed to run the patrol.

• If it is your first year, there will typically be two weekends where you receive on-hill training to manage a scene, handle toboggans, and learn how to work as a member of the patrol.

• Attend a pre-opening weekend at Apex to be trained in lift evacuation techniques and overall hill operations related to CSP.

• Once qualified you will be rostered to a shift and required to patrol 12-13 days, depending on the dates that the hill opens and closes. There are four: A, B, C and mid-week. If you are typically unavailable on weekends, you can request being assigned to mid-week. The weekend shifts work Saturday one week, Sunday the next week, off the third week, and then start again the next Saturday.