Risk Assessment & Mitigation Flashcards

A patroller observes that a beginner skier is repeatedly falling on an intermediate run beyond their skill level. The most appropriate risk mitigation is:

Answer: Recommend the skier return to easier terrain and offer directions

Directing a skier to appropriate terrain matches their skills to the environment, directly reducing the probability of a serious fall.

In a wilderness rescue scenario, the term 'scene safety' extends beyond the immediate area to include:

Answer: Ongoing and potential hazards that could affect rescuers during the entire operation

Scene safety in OEC encompasses dynamic and evolving hazards throughout the rescue, not just at the moment of arrival.

Which principle guides the decision to 'load and go' versus 'stay and play' during patient care in the backcountry?

Answer: Whether the injury is time-sensitive and requires definitive care unavailable on scene

The load-and-go decision is driven by whether definitive treatment (e.g., surgery) is needed and cannot be replicated in the field.

A risk assessment identifies that a terrain park feature has been damaged by warm temperatures. Which hierarchy of controls action is MOST effective?

Answer: Close and tag the feature out of service until repaired

Elimination or substitution — removing access to the hazard — is the most effective control in the hierarchy, above engineering and administrative controls.

What is the primary risk associated with moving a trauma patient with a suspected spinal injury in the backcountry?

Answer: Potential conversion of an incomplete to a complete spinal cord injury

Improper movement of a patient with an unstable spine can displace bone fragments into the spinal cord, worsening or completing the neurological injury.

Which of the following best represents a 'systemic' rather than 'individual' approach to risk reduction at a ski area?

Answer: Requiring all patrollers to complete annual avalanche refresher training

Systemic risk reduction applies to all personnel through policy and training, addressing root causes rather than individual incidents.

A backcountry traveler reports they did not file a trip plan before departing. In terms of risk mitigation, what is the PRIMARY consequence of this omission?

Answer: Search and rescue teams have no baseline for where to begin searching

A trip plan gives SAR a starting point for search areas; without it, response time increases significantly, worsening patient outcomes.