Member Categories & Requirements
Our patrol welcomes new members. We have categories to cover a wide range of skill levels and back country activities. Some of our members might ski or board and some might not. We practice rope rescue, safe backcountry travel, avalanche and winter safety along with continually working on our first responder skills. We don't expect everyone to be an expert in all these areas but we try to offer practice and training to those who want to learn. We really like kids and highly encourage our junior members to work alongside the adults. The NSP encourages a healthy lifestyle and we as members of the NSP do our best to present a clean and healthy image. The NSP sets the standards for transitioning from a candidate, auxiliary or associate member to patroller status. A summary of the different member requirements are listed here.
Patrollers
A patroller with primary membership in our patrol should count on participating 1-2 weekend days per month during the winter season. We will also patrol during the off-season but these meetings are not obligatory. To transition from a candidate to a patroller our candidate trainer will teach you the necessary skills. This training usually takes a full season depending on the snow conditions. In addition patrollers need to be certified in Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) and CPR for the Professional Rescuer. OEC classes are offered by volunteer NSP instructors. They are not costly and usually begin in August or September. You can find the classes at the SoCal NSP website and the NSP website under education. CPR classes are offered by the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association. Be sure to take the class for the professional rescuer/health care provider. The CPR class is usually accomplished in one day. The OEC class usually meets a couple of nights a week for 3 months or on Saturdays depending on the class. Once you are certified our patrol or the region offers annual refreshers.
Secondary Patrollers
A secondary is a patroller who's primary certification is with a different patrol organization. To secondary at our patrol we require that you participate at least one weekend day per month. The secondary patroller has the same certification requirements as the patroller.
Candidates
A candidate patroller is someone who is training to become a patroller. A candidate patroller also includes members who do not plan to transition to patroller, such as the foot patrol and auxiliary patrollers. A candidate patroller who is training for patroller status will be instructed by our patrol in the backcountry skills necessary. We also provide training on skiing skills. A candidate patroller is required to be certified in CPR for the Professional Rescuer and either Outdoor Emergency Care or Outdoor First Care. We offer the First Care class as part of your training. The First Care class can generally be completed in two weekend meetings.
Auxiliary Patrollers
An auxiliary is someone who does not plan on transitioning to patroller. An auxiliary is fully OEC certified but does not ski or board and instead is on foot. An example is someone who hikes or snowshoes. An auxiliary would not be expected to ski with a toboggan but might be trained in rope rescue. An auxiliary might also be someone who is interested in offering coverage at the Manker Flats campground to snow players. A auxiliary patroller is required to be certified in CPR for the Professional Rescuer and Outdoor Emergency Care.
Junior Patrollers & Kids
A junior patroller is under the age of 15 or 18 years depending if you are ready to transition to patroller status. The NSP requires that a patroller be at least 15 years of age and hold all the required certifications. A junior patroller transitions to a candidate at the age of 15 years. Prior to the age of 15 the junior patroller joins the NSP as an Associate member. At 15 years of age we transition you to candidate patroller. A junior patroller is required to be certified in CPR for the Professional Rescuer and either Outdoor Emergency Care or Outdoor First Care. We offer the First Care class as part of your training. The First Care class can generally be completed in two weekend meetings.
The ski patrol is also a great activity for younger kids. The National Ski Patrol is a non-profit organization and you can have fun while volunteering. You will learn first aid and rescue skills right along with our adult members. We assign each student to an adult member or group activity leader. Kids younger than 15 must be accompanied by an adult member or sponsor. All minors are required to join the National Ski Patrol as an associate member and must sign a liability waiver in order to participate. Our junior members are also required to be CPR and First Care certified but we are instructors and will teach you these skills as part of your junior patroller training.
Kids & Juniors can join by filling out the information on the JOIN UP page and have your parents sign the documents. You will need to join the NSP as an associate member instead of having us sign you up. To join the NSP as an associate member click the link below:
http://www.nsp.org/about/associate.aspx
New Member Probationary Period
All new members transition through a short probationary period.
Non-discrimination Policy
Our patrol does not discriminate because of the person's sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability.
Privacy Statement
Our patrol respects your privacy. Our intent is to not publish our members names into the public domain other than is necessary for contact information. We do publish pictures of our activities but leave out any names.
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