Safety Committee
Welcome to the Safety Committee page. Please use the following Table of Contents to navigate and learn more about the committee’s role, and to find valuable information for leaders.
If you are visiting this page to report an active emergency, please call the Mountaineers Emergency Line.
If you are visiting this page to report an incident or near miss on one of your recent trips, please file an incident report.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COMMITTEE OVERVIEW And Values
The Pacific Northwest environment can be unforgiving, yet Mountaineers safely climb remote peaks, ski glaciers and steep couloirs, hike and backpack in wilderness areas, and navigate the waters of Puget Sound. Our enviable safety record is not by luck. The Mountaineers make safety the top priority on all trips, without sacrificing adventure.
Our committee acknowledges that safety in outdoor programs is more than preventing physical harm. It’s about creating an environment where participants feel secure, supported, and free to take healthy risks, connect with others, and explore the natural world without fear of judgment or exclusion. We encourage a culture of reporting all types of safety incidents and concerns by all types of participants. Injurious incidents may be seen in many forms, such as physical, emotional, and or perceived unintended actions. We want safety reporters to feel empowered to report their own and others’ errors without fear of judgement or retaliation, with the goal of learning and improving as an organization.
The Mountaineer Safety Committee and the Branch Safety Officers work to improve the safety awareness of all leaders and participants, and to ensure all Mountaineer activities follow established procedures and standards.
Branch Safety Officers:
- Bellingham: James Pierson
- Everett: Barry Hershly
- Foothills: Scott Sorci
- Global Adventures: Mike Kretzler
- Kitsap: Rudy Baum
- Olympia: Mike Riley
- Seattle: Annie Tipple and Gary Salmi
- Tacoma: AJ Colosimo
The safety chair also serves on the Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Prevention committee and org-wide Risk Management Committee.
TO ACCOMPLISH THESE RESPONSIBILITIES, THE SAFETY COMMITTEE:
- Collects and analyzes Incident Reports and Safety Concern from trip participants, and takes key learnings to share in our annual reports and future recommendations. Meets with activity committees to disseminate the lessons learned from the past year’s incidents.
- Works with activity committees to develop and maintain safety and skill standards within The Mountaineers that also reflect national/international norms and standards.
- Assists The Mountaineers Chief Executive Officer in investigations of extremely serious incidents. Outside (non-Mountaineer) experts also frequently take part in these investigations. The results of these investigations may lead to changes in the way trips are run, or updates to an activity’s safety or skills standards.
PREVENTING AN INCIDENT
INCIDENT RESPONSE
Learn about the suggested steps to take before, during, and after any incident on your trip. Course leaders should consider incorporating "the 5W's on Incident Reporting" in their course materials.
The Mountaineers provides around-the-clock support to members and volunteers out on Mountaineers trips. It is imperative that our leaders understand the organization's Emergency Contact procedures, and know when and how to use the Mountaineers Emergency Line.
Behavior Complaints
We hold members accountable for the behavior expectations in our Member Code of Ethics via our Behavior Standards Policy. Specifically, we are committed to maintaining an environment within our organization and during our sponsored activities that is free of verbal, physical, and visual forms of harassment.
If you have encountered a safety issue with a member that doesn't seem to fit in to our activity-focused incident report process, please review our process for filing a behavior complaint and consider filing a report. How To: Behavior Complaint Form — The Mountaineers
SAFETY FORMS & DOCUMENTS
You can view and download all safety forms and documents in this folder!
- The 5W's on Incident Reporting - Course leaders should consider adding this PowerPoint presentation to their course training materials.
- File an Incident Report - Read about how to file an incident report or near-miss after a trip.
- Behavioral Complaint Form - Safety isn't just wearing a helmet. The Mountaineers prides itself on being an inclusive and welcoming organization. More specifically we have board policies related to harassment, anti-discrimination and member problem behavior to help ensure that everyone is treated equally and respectfully. Please use this online form to report harassment or problem behavior.
- First Aid Report Form - Pack this form in your first aid kit, to use in the event of an injury.
- Mountaineers Critical Incident Response Plan - A detailed plan that The Mountaineers staff and volunteers will follow in the event of a critical incident.