The slogan for the Canadian Ski Patrol Muskoka Zone, ‘Volunteer for All Seasons,’ has a lovely double entendre thanks to its president, Jodie Marc Lalonde: not only does it advertise the involvement the patrol has in every season Muskoka offers, but it also speaks to the different seasons in the lives of its patrollers, the reasons they join, and often times why they return to patrolling.
Their slogan is currently on display at Sport Chek with another unique recruiting idea of Lalonde’s—a patrol mannequin. “I don’t think it’s been done before,” says Lalonde. “People will see the contact info on the mannequin, directing them to text ‘I want to patrol’ to my cell phone number, and then the conversation starts there.” Lalonde responds almost immediately with some basic information about the program and expectations.
When asked how recruitment is progressing as a result, Lalonde offered, “So far we’ve had seven inquiries, which is modest, but we’ve also signed up seven recruits for this year—the most people in one year in the ten years I’ve been involved.”
The Muskoka Zone patrollers are put through rigorous training sessions, a large portion of which is intensive first aid training. A person’s background helps determine the degree of training involved in order to get them patrol-ready.
“There can be a lot of pressure and things can be stressful when dealing with an injured person, and bystanders,” says Lalonde. “Our training takes care of much of that but there is something to be said for a person who ‘has what it takes,’ who can commit and contribute to the team.”
Important traits include empathy and a willingness to learn. Potential recruits also need to be 18 years of age or older and be the type of person who is ready to ‘jump in’ to situations to help however they can.
A new addition to their training program is the use of a vacuum splint, a piece of equipment owned by Arrowhead Provincial Park and used by the patrol. “The addition of the new equipment came about after a difficult rescue a few years ago where there was huge difficulty extricating an injured person from a very steep area. This piece of equipment greatly facilitates that,” says Lalonde.
As the patrol provides more and more coverage of non-skiing events, the addition of patrollers who may not be able to ski or board is essential. “There is lots of diversity of activity and a bunch of it is actually just done in boots (not on skis) so while we would like people to have a proficiency skiing or riding, it’s not mandatory,” says Lalonde.
Training has already begun for this year, but anyone interested in being a patroller can call or text ‘I want to patrol’ to Lalonde any time at 705-644-3810. Current healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, EMTs and Canadian Red Cross instructors) can still sign up for this year if interested.
As a registered not-for-profit charity, each Canadian Ski Patrol zone is expected to generate their own operating revenues through fundraisers. Locally, this is accomplished through events like the Winter Extreme Ski & Board Swap happening Thanksgiving weekend at Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area, providing first aid services at events throughout the year like the Ironman, the Kids’ Tri, Dockfest, and Run for the Cure (to name a few), and their modest registration fees.
“We are open to donations,” says Lalonde. “The money is used to purchase training aids and equipment we need to provide the services we do to our community. It’d be great if we could even get local businesses to sponsor our patrol.”
Looking to get geared-up for the 2018/19 ski season? The Winter Extreme Ski & Board Swap is happening at Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area on Saturday, October 6 from 9am-4pm and Sunday, October 7 from 12-4pm. If you have gear to sell, drop it off on Friday, October 5 from 6-8pm or Saturday, October 6 from 9am to 12pm.
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Thank you Jodie for your commitment to safety on our hills and in our community. We appreciate you and your team!