Chapter 03: Patrol Administration

Patrol Administration

The Patrol Director, Assistant Patrol Director and members of the Board of Directors are elected pursuant to the patrol bylaws. Rotating positions are Mountain Manager and Team Leader. Mountain Managers serve on a particular weekend and are appointed by the APD - Operations. The Mountain Manager appoints team Leaders for a particular patrol day. All patrollers should have the opportunity to serve as both Mountain Manager and Team Leader each season.

Current Patrol Officer assignments and contact information can be found on [http://beacon.tbsp.org].

Logistical Positions

Mountain Manager

This patroller oversees all patrol field operations on a particular weekend. The Mountain Manager appoints Team Leaders and makes decisions regarding team assignments, equipment distribution among teams and weather-related patrolling decisions in consultation with team leaders, and is responsible for completing Mountain Manager's weekly report. Assignments should always give first priority to Castle Peak, and add other areas if the number of patrollers if sufficient. Detailed description of the roles of the mountain manager can be found in the section on Patroller Roles.

Team Leader

A patroller designated by the Mountain Manager to be in charge of patrol activities at a particular location on a particular day. Team leaders make decisions regarding patient transportation, patrol routes, etc., and are responsible for completing Patrol Report.

Elected Positions

The elected positions are defined in the patrol bylaws.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors has six members plus the Patrol Director. Board positions include the patrol treasurer/registrar and patrol secretary. Officers are appointed by the Patrol Director and approved by the Board of Directors. Elections for three of the six Board of Director positions are held in the spring of each year, and board members serve two-year terms.

Patrol Director

The Patrol Director has overall responsibility for patrol organization and activities; appoints other patrol officers; decides operational policy in consultation with Board of Directors, other patrol officers and membership. The Patrol Director serves a two-year term, and is elected at the end of the season.

Appointed Officers

These positions are appointed by Patrol Director for one-year term-of-office.

Assistant Patrol Director

Executive officer of TBSP. Shares duties and responsibilities for patrol leadership and operations with Patrol Director. The Assistant Patrol Director is expected to succeed the current patrol director on completion of his term of office.

Operations Officer

Responsible for daily Patrol field operations. Coordinates equipment maintenance and procurement with Mountaineering, Avalanche, and OEC Advisors. Establishes patrol schedule and maintains records of daily patrol activities, including operations log reports, incident reports and SAR reports.

Training Officer

Coordinates Candidate Training with assistance from Mountaineering, Avalanche, and OEC Advisors and Candidate Liaison. Maintains patrol training records, and certifies completion of required training for candidates. The training officer also tracks the recency of instructor certifications and organizes the instructors-of-record for official patrol sponsored instruction activities.

Outreach Officer

Responsible for TBSP public outreach programs. Coordinates Tahoe Meadows outreach program. This officer may also assist the patrol director with TBSP public relations.

Recruiter

Supervises TBSP recruiting program. Plans and schedules TBSP recruiting activities. Coordinates the Ski Along program to bring in interested members of the public and potential recruits.

Candidate Liaison

Guides candidates through candidate training program. Coordinates candidate mentor program, and introduces new candidates to the patrol.

Mountaineering Advisor

Responsible for TBSP MTR policies and procedures, including navigation, GPS, and rope rescue. Maintains and upgrades TBSP MTR equipment as necessary. Works with Training Officer to schedule and organize MTR training program. Coordinates with Region MTR Advisor. Although not required, the Mountaineering Advisor is encouraged to become an NSP-certified MTR instructor.

Avalanche Advisor

Responsible for TBSP Avalanche and Snow Safety policies and procedures. Maintains and upgrades TBSP AVY equipment, including beacons, probes, shovels. Works with Training Officer to schedule and organize Avalanche training program. Coordinates with Region AVY Advisor. Although not required, the Avalanche Advisor is encouraged to become an NSP-certified Avalanche instructor.

OEC Advisor

Responsible for TBSP OEC policies and procedures. Maintains and upgrades TBSP OEC equipment. Works with Training Officer to schedule and organize OEC training program. Coordinates with Region OEC Advisor. Although not required, the OEC Advisor is encouraged to become an NSP- certified OEC instructor.

Inter-Patrol Liaison

Coordinates inter-patrol activities. Develops and supervises Boreal/TBSP patrol exchange program.

Search & Rescue Team Leader

Organizes and directs the TBSP-SAR Search and Rescue Team.

Special Projects

From time to time the Patrol Director appoints special officers to work on specific tasks. These are some examples of special projects conducted by the patrol in the past.

Banquet

Plans the annual TBSP banquet. The banquet occurs at the end of March/beginning of April, so Banquet coordinator functions primarily in the spring.

Awards

Coordinates annual TBSP awards program, including service awards, Pin-Head Award, Shredder Award, and Outstanding Patroller, Candidate, and Instructor Awards. Identifies National award candidates and prepares and submits application for NSP awards.

Pro-Deal

Coordinates and supervises Pro-Deal program participation with outdoor equipment vendors and active patrol members. The Pro-Deal coordinator arranges and maintains relationships with vendors and keeps records of TBSP participation. The Pro-Deal program is most active in the Fall at the beginning of the season, but there is some program activity year-round.

Fundraising

Works with Patrol Director and Board of Directors to identify strategic funding requirements and identifies opportunities such as grants, community college program, donations, etc. This position may involve writing grant requests and/or solicitation of donations for patrol activities.

National Ski Patrol History and Administration

1. The NSP was founded by Charles Minot "Minnie" Dole in 1938;
2. NSP is specially chartered by the United States Congress, on a par with the American Red Cross, American Legion, etc.;
3. NSP is a tax-exempt organization, and donations to our patrol are tax deductible;
4. As of 1992, NSP had approximately 26,000 active patrollers in 650 patrols representing 92% of the ski areas in the United States, plus patrols in Europe and Asia;
5. Patrollers are classified by:
   • Age: Young Patroller / Adult
   • Category: Nordic / Alpine
   • Type of Service: Volunteer / Professional
   • Skill: Auxiliary (no loaded sled handling) / Basic / Senior / Certified
6. NSP is divided into 10 divisions. Each division is divided into regions, each region into sections, and each section into patrols;
7. Tahoe Backcountry is in the Far West Division, Eastern Sierra Region, North Tahoe Section. Officers and advisors can be found on the Far West Division web page, http://www.farwest.org
   • Far West Division (FWD) Director: Stephen Simi
8. Northern California has three regions: Eastern Sierra (everything east of the summit and the former Bay Area Region), Mother Lode (everything west of the summit), and Northern. Most of the patrols in Eastern Sierra, Mother Lode and Northern are directly associated with a specific ski area.
9. There are several other active NSP Nordic patrols in California:
   • Pinecrest Nordic (at Dodge Ridge);
   • Lake Alpine Nordic (near Bear Valley);
   • Southern California Nordic (at Mt. Pinos);
   • Pine Ridge Nordic (at Sierra Summit);
   • Mt. Lassen Nordic (at Mt. Lassen National Park);
   • Mammoth Basin Nordic Patrol;
   • Mt Pinos Nordic Patrol

Tahoe Backcountry Ski Patrol Manual