September 2, 2008

From: Donna McGraw - Easter Division Administrator

RE: Members Requested to Update Their Records
To try to ease the National office through the registration period, a couple of items would help if they were done as soon as possible:
- Having patrollers go into the National website, to their personal page, and make any necessary changes, i.e.: addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. Last name changes (marriage) need to be sent directly to the National Office.
- Having the Patrol Representative/Director go into the National website (log into Member Services, then to My Bookshelf, then into Downloads). Download the Reclassification Change form, make necessary patroller status changes then fax (1-800-222-4754) or email Cheri Overton (coverton@nsp.org) at the National office.
 

August 22, 2008

From:  Rick Hamlin - Eastern Division Director

RE:  2008 OEC Refresher Guide Mailing & Instructor Guide Corrections

July 7, 2008

From: NSP Board

RE: Dues Increase

The NSP Board has approved a member dues increase for only the second time in 19 years. The increase will benefit NSP educational programming, support the reorganization of the association after its split with PSIA/AASI, and address inflation and the rising cost of doing business. A FAQ sheet on the dues restructuring is available under “member services” at www.nsp.org. As a result of questions we've received, additional information regarding the dues increase in relation to the national office software upgrade can be found under “member services” at www.nsp.org.

June 20, 2008

From: NSP Fundraising Committee

RE: The Anniversary Fundraising Campaign: Securing our Future - Click here to view announcement.

January 31, 2008

From: Gerit J Lewisch,  glewisch@geritlewisch.com

RE: Request for data on Injured Patrollers

(Eastern) Division will assemble a list of all injured patrollers from the years 2002 to 2007. In order to do this I would need your assistance to ask your PD's in your region to collect the data. I would need the region, the patrol and the numbers and type of injury to our patrollers. If I can collect the statistics maybe we do find a trend and could think about it, on how to prevent the injuries. I will rely on the answers from your PD's. So please try to get back to me in reasonable time.

Thank you, Gerit

January 16, 2008

Rick Hamlin, Eastern Division Director

RE: NSP BOD Meeting Summary

January 16, 2008

From Tim White NSP Executive Director 

Re: Registration Cards

December 21, 2007

From: NSP

RE: Member Survey

The national office has been working hard to construct an important survey of the NSP membership. The survey is comprised of targeted questions about member demographics and about your relationship with the NSP. We now need your participation in order to capture valuable data about you-our members--so that we can better serve and understand you.

The most recent survey information about NSP members was collected a decade ago, so it's very important that we get as much participation as possible to gain a clear picture of NSP today. The survey can be found at the link below. It's easy and takes only 5-10 minutes. Again, each question will provide targeted information about our membership, and completing the survey will provide an invaluable service.

To access the survey, click on the link below or copy and paste it into your browser.

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB227AAX4GPJ4

December 5, 2007

From: NSP

RE: Board of Directors Election Results

NSP members have elected four new members to the NSP Board of Directors. Congratulations to Lisa Adams, Jim Decker, Larry Stone, and Bill Kirksey! Each has been elected to a three-year term on the board. 26,976 NSP members were eligible to vote.  2,788 members, or 10.34% cast a valid ballot. Below is a table of the votes cast per candidate

October 4, 2007

From: NSP

RE: Frostbite Treatment

This bulletin is in follow-up to the "OEC ALERT!" that was released on September 20, 2007 regarding the administration of ibuprofen to frostbite patients.

The treatment in question appears on page 425 in the OEC 4th edition as follows, "Offer ibuprofen 400 mg (two of the nonprescription tablets) twice daily if it is available." The treatment also appears on the 2007 OEC Refresher Course Cycle-C poster for treating deep frostbite.

The current recommendation from the National Ski Patrol is that patrollers should not administer any medications, including ibuprofen, unless the practice falls within a patrol's mountain's medical protocols and is in compliance with the state laws and regulations governing prehospital providers administering medication.

The National office is currently working with the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials (NASEMSO) to determine how many states allow first responders / ski patrollers to administer medications, including over-the-counter medications, to patients.

September 26, 2007

From: Stephen Simi, Far West Div Director

RE: NSP Educational Program Offering Announcement

The Far West Division, a sub-division of the NSP, sponsors the Tri-Advisory Event annually. This event, rich in history, is growing in popularity and attendance. The event centers around Avalanche, Mountain Travel/Rescue, and Nordic program disciplines; with a touch of back-country medical OEC tossed in. This note is an offer for all NSP members (across the country) to attend. Last year we had two program supervisors from the Eastern Division attend the events.  Our web page http://www.farwest.org/?page=Tri-Advisory/index  has all the registration information. Karl P. Chulski, MTR Supervisor, lists an awesome line-up of speakers. For  information on these speakers, visit visit the Far West web-page above. This event is held in a beautiful part of the country - Yosemite!! So look at your schedule and join us for a fun and enriching educational event!!

September 20, 2007

FROM: Ed McNamara, OEC Program Director

Denis Meade, Education Director

RE: OEC Refresher Course Cycle-C Content Deletion

It has come to our attention that the current OEC Refresher Study Guide (Cycle C 2007) contains two treatments that are not part of the OEC course. As a result, please delete these treatments from your lesson plans / posters and inform students not to attempt either treatment.

• The first error pertains to the treatment of asthma. On page 18 of the OEC Refresher Course Study Guide, under "What Can You As An OEC Provider Do?", #4 states, "Early on in an attack and with a fully conscious patient, having the patient drink a large glass of warm water can often help minimize - or even stop - the severity of an attack."

• The second error is located in the 2007 Cycle-C poster for treating deep frostbite. The treatment recommends, ."offer two 400mg ibuprofen every 12 hours". .

Neither treatment is found in the OEC 4th ed. text, nor included in the current OEC training curriculum or considered an accepted practice / standard of care within the emergency medicine community. As such, their use is not advocated by NSP or OEC instructors.

Please inform your students of this deletion during your OEC Refresher Courses and tell them NOT to attempt this treatment.

We apologize for this editorial oversight and for any confusion it may have caused.

September 17, 2007

NSP Board Elections will run from October 15-December 1, 2007.

With this election our Board of Directors will reach its full size and, for the first time in NSP history, will be comprised solely of members who have been elected directly by the NSP membership.

For the first time, elections will be conducted 100 percent electronically using Votenet, an e-ballot voting system that will improve efficiency and security. Members MUST have a valid email address registered with the National Office in order to vote. If you are aware of any fellow NSP member who doesn't have an email address, please encourage them to set up an email account. Information on various options for establishing a free email account that's accessible from any computer with Internet access can be found here.

We urge you to read the candidate information posted at nsp.org and make history by casting your vote beginning Oct. 15.

Sincerely,

The NSP Staff