Student Ski Patrol

While most high school kids spend their evenings doing homework and posting on facebook, Chris Harrington is practicing first aid and emergency care as a Shawnee Peak ski patrol.

“It feels really good to arrive at a ski accident scene and be able to immediately put people at ease, they calm down when they see me and my red ski patrol jacket and it’s great to be able to aid people when they are upset and injured” said Chris Harrington of Sebago, a Lake Region High School senior and Shawnee Peak Student Ski Patroller.

Harrington joined the Shawnee Peak Ski Patrol at age 15, a sophomore in high school, now he is a Red Jacketed Patrol working side by side with Shawnee Peak’s 70 patrollers.

Doug Wall, Shawnee Peak Student Patrol Director, said “The student patrol are always accompanied on the scene by senior patrol, people might be concerned if a 16 or 17 year old arrived solo, but these students participate in aiding, they don’t just shadow, they are trained and competent to provide first aid.”

It was Doug Wall’s idea to start a student patrol three years ago at Shawnee Peak. Wall, a 20-year Shawnee Patrol, said, “I am a former teacher, so I had the contacts at schools to reach out to the kids, and I had a lesson plan to make this into a reality. I was even able to get the students high school credit because this is a real curriculum.”

Wall explained that the retention rate for young people at traditional ski patrol training was historically poor because the kids didn’t have peers to relate to. “Here the kids have each other and we work with their school schedule. They work very hard between the homework and their time training on the mountain. The majority come back after their first year and the program has really taken off, we now have 21 students,” said Wall.

Shawnee’s patrol students undergo 140 hours of training, including first aid courses in the fall followed by on snow training every Tuesday night and all day Saturday throughout the ski season. They learn Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) along with CPR, then prepare for an OEC certification exam where they perform emergency and toboggan skills with other patrol from Virginia to Maine. Last year’s clinic was held at Killington, Vermont, and Chris Harrington placed 7th out of over 70 other students.

Denise Pascucci of Old Orchard Beach, a Shawnee Patrol and student trainer said, “These kids do know their stuff, they take this commitment very seriously. Our students become very skilled, and they are confident which provides assurance to whomever they are caring for on the hill. The kids are great with patients. I have worked with other student ski patrol programs in Mass., and this is the best.”

About 20 of Shawnee’s senior patrol assist Wall with student training. “Sonny Davis, Shawnee’s patrol director, allowed me to develop the student ski patrol program. That is a lot to ask a patrol director to take on with all the mountain operations and emergency care that has to be done. Ed Rock, Shawnee's GM, has also been wonderful to allow this program to grow. Without their support, donations from the Down East Ski Club, and my fellow patrol, it would not exist,” said Wall.

John Yeates, a Shawnee patrol from Harrison said, “I have taught life guarding and first aid elsewhere, and these kids in the Shawnee Student Patrol program are fantastic, they are so committed to the job. They’re focused on learning skills that they will have for a lifetime, EMT and First Aid are skills that serve in all aspects of your life.”

Alissa Leonard, a senior at Oxford Hills High School joined the student program in its first year as a female snowboarder patrol. “Becoming a patrol has taught me so much about real life work, this is adult responsibility caring for people in critical situations,” said Leonard. “I have always enjoyed helping people, and this is a great way to do that. I am getting tips and clinics from the best, really experienced patrol.”

This March, Alissa Leonard is one of eight Shawnee student patrol going to Bolton Valley in Vermont for her OEC certification. She said she’s not worried about competing with as many as 100 other students. “I know my stuff,” Leonard said.

Jeff Huston, a five year patroller at Shawnee Peak, said, “This student program is fantastic, it brings kids from all over the region and teaches them people skills, leadership, and first aid at such an early age. They will make excellent patrol because they will have so much experience. This is not Band-Aid application stuff, these kids go through the same medical program as senior patrol and learn serious assessment of critical injuries and first aid skills.”

Chris Harrington said, “It’s really hard to balance both high school and my responsibilities at the mountain with the Ski Patrol. But I wanted to learn to be a patrol, it has been so rewarding, and now I know I will definitely continue ski patrolling for the rest of my life.”

Wall said, “These students are great, they work hard, they are committed, and they actually get excited about carrying bamboo or riding in a sled in a rescue scenario.”

“These student ski patrol will be able to go to any ski area and work as qualified patrol, they won’t have to wash dishes to be able to ski,” said Huston.