Deep breath.....
Lets use this thread to make recommendations or create a wish list of changes we would like see made to the sanctioning / insurance process. I think there are a bunch of good ideas buried in the "stupid people" thread... so I expect a little bit of cut and paste will be in order. Please educate yourselves by reading the relevant documents.
Peace, love, and positive buoyancy.....
As a race director I like the template idea. Until recently there has been very little direction from USMS with regard to these events.
When I first got started with my event we had a plan and we always had very adequate safety coverage. I didn't write out a safety plan until a couple of years ago and find it extremely usefull now that it is written out. I did have to go online and take someone elses plan and modify it to fit my swim. The example that Rob posted is very close to what I have in my own plan and I thought it was required to have something that comprehensive in order to get a sanction, since that was what my LMSC required. I would disagree with asking for more information than what is already on that template, but would suggest that adding a brief written description of the event along with a map, safety craft positions etc... so that sanctioning personel will get a feel for how the plan will operate and hopefully cut down on the question and answer.
As an example my event is an 8 mile circumnavigation of an island, we use four mobile powered boats as dedicated safety, one or two start boats that take swimmers out to the starting buoy, relay escort boats and kayaks. Each solo swimmer and each relay must have a kayaker for safety, navigation and to keep your food. The relay boats are responsible for carrying subsequent legs of the relay and are not allowed to approach swimmers unless there is an emergency. The safety boats are assigned areas of operation and as the area clears they are to move into the next area and ask the safety boat on station there to assign them activities in that area. We try and run the event according to NIMS and ICS. We do all this every year if there are 18 swimmers or 53 swimmers it is the only way to cover the course properly. We have never used prop guards, I don't think anybody here uses them and since it is entirely volonteer group which changes yearly, requiring guards would cut down our ability to recruit skippers. As for documenting experience other than licensing skippers with the USCG its not going to happen and those that are licensed are lisensed to be paid as charter boats not volonteers. In Ketchikan its easy to find good boat handlers but not easy to find someone with a license to work for free (boat could cost 400 -800) for the day. I look for people that are calm and confident, I never want to see a boat speeding into anything, all your going to get is a larger accident or one you didn't intend. As far as medical personel go, I would go with EMT-P or EMTs, their treatment will not change and the patient will be transported properly. A doctor or nurse evaluating people only slows the process down and transport to diffinitive care. Anyway those are some of my random thoughts, sorry about the misspellings.
I guess what I'm getting at is I'd like to see catagories of swims and most of all templates from USMS that will standarize the information required for a safety plan. I don't think this will fix the problem of added cost that will make an event such as mine affordable. I do beleive that it will help more directors/planners etc... understand what is required and not hide any potential extra costs.
Willie
As a race director I like the template idea. Until recently there has been very little direction from USMS with regard to these events.
When I first got started with my event we had a plan and we always had very adequate safety coverage. I didn't write out a safety plan until a couple of years ago and find it extremely usefull now that it is written out. I did have to go online and take someone elses plan and modify it to fit my swim. The example that Rob posted is very close to what I have in my own plan and I thought it was required to have something that comprehensive in order to get a sanction, since that was what my LMSC required. I would disagree with asking for more information than what is already on that template, but would suggest that adding a brief written description of the event along with a map, safety craft positions etc... so that sanctioning personel will get a feel for how the plan will operate and hopefully cut down on the question and answer.
As an example my event is an 8 mile circumnavigation of an island, we use four mobile powered boats as dedicated safety, one or two start boats that take swimmers out to the starting buoy, relay escort boats and kayaks. Each solo swimmer and each relay must have a kayaker for safety, navigation and to keep your food. The relay boats are responsible for carrying subsequent legs of the relay and are not allowed to approach swimmers unless there is an emergency. The safety boats are assigned areas of operation and as the area clears they are to move into the next area and ask the safety boat on station there to assign them activities in that area. We try and run the event according to NIMS and ICS. We do all this every year if there are 18 swimmers or 53 swimmers it is the only way to cover the course properly. We have never used prop guards, I don't think anybody here uses them and since it is entirely volonteer group which changes yearly, requiring guards would cut down our ability to recruit skippers. As for documenting experience other than licensing skippers with the USCG its not going to happen and those that are licensed are lisensed to be paid as charter boats not volonteers. In Ketchikan its easy to find good boat handlers but not easy to find someone with a license to work for free (boat could cost 400 -800) for the day. I look for people that are calm and confident, I never want to see a boat speeding into anything, all your going to get is a larger accident or one you didn't intend. As far as medical personel go, I would go with EMT-P or EMTs, their treatment will not change and the patient will be transported properly. A doctor or nurse evaluating people only slows the process down and transport to diffinitive care. Anyway those are some of my random thoughts, sorry about the misspellings.
I guess what I'm getting at is I'd like to see catagories of swims and most of all templates from USMS that will standarize the information required for a safety plan. I don't think this will fix the problem of added cost that will make an event such as mine affordable. I do beleive that it will help more directors/planners etc... understand what is required and not hide any potential extra costs.
Willie
