Eastern Division’s OET Program Organization

OET Program Mission Statement

OET’s mission is to create an environment of learning that elevates the skills, ability, and techniques needed to safely transport guests to a higher level of care.

Introduction 

This manual is designed to provide an overview of the Eastern Division Outdoor Emergency Transportation (OET) program.  The OET education and credentialing process follows this basic track:

Alpine Patroller  → Senior → Toboggan Instructor  → Regional Staff → Trainer-Evaluator  → Division Staff → Steering Committee → Supervisor

This manual describes the process details and all prerequisites for each level, guidelines for training, administering OET Clinics which lead to Evaluations.

Who’s Who in OET?

National OET Program Director – James O’Connor oversees and coordinates Division Supervisors and the entire national OET Program.

Division Supervisor – Matt Nebzydoski oversees Division OET programs, chairs the OET Steering Committee, and approves new Toboggan Instructors. Follow the links for each level of management to the Eastern Division OET web page for the most up-to-date documents.

Steering Committee is composed of a 13-member group distributed throughout the division and led by the OET Supervisor.  Steering members administer Division OET programs, Patroller Schools, Toboggan Instructor Training, TE Training, as well as program quality assurance.  Current Steering Committee members:

    Matt Nebzydoski    Eastern PA & OET Supervisor
    James O'Connor     EMARI (National OET Director)
    Denice Kaus        Western NY
    Bill Zink          Eastern PA
    Eric Kreckel       Eastern NY
    Bart Gabler        Western APP
    Jessie Miller      Eastern NY
    Kristen Russo      Western NY & Women’s Program Supervisor
    Don Mills          Southern VT
    Teigh Southworth   Northern VT
    0rest 0har         New Hampshire
    Jon Wilson         Southern VT
    Wayne Arsenault    Maine & Eastern Division Board Liaison

Division OET Staff – Typically made up of 25 individuals spread out among the 15 regions that make up the division.  OET Staff ensures that all OET programs involving instruction and evaluation are conducted safely and fairly, consistent with the criteria established by NSP and Eastern Division. The OET Steering Committee appoints OET Staff members.

Regional Advisors – known as RAs for short, oversee OET programs in their respective regions, assist in bringing division initiatives to the Regional level, plan and administrate Senior program events and evaluations, and ensure regional toboggan instructors and trainer evaluators maintain certification requirements.  Click to download a Comprehensive Job Description.  Current Regional OET Advisors:

     Connecticut Region             Justin Regan
     Maine Region                   James Thibodeau
     Western Massachusetts Region   Christopher Morrel
     EMARI Region                   Nick Rasher
     New Jersey Region              open
     New Hampshire Region           Peter Frykman
     Western New York Region        Thad Brown
     Southern New York Region       Kim Terwilliger
     Central New York Region        Jon Doll
     Eastern New York Region        Don Duthaler
     Eastern Pennsylvania Region    Chrisine Ludka
     Western Appalachian Region     Tom Wallace
     Northern Vermont Region        Riley Glanz
     Southern Vermont Region        Mike Stamp
     Genesee Valley Region          Timothy Eygabroad

Instructor Trainers  (ITs) are in charge of educational Quality Assurance.  The group numbers over 100 division-wide to maintain an approximate 1:8 ratio for managing OET Instructors.  In addition to QA, these individuals are responsible for Training toboggan Instructors and providing Trainer-Evaluator Professional Development.  They are appointed by the Division Supervisor and must be a TE in good standing as a prerequisite.

Trainer Evaluators (TEs) are Regional Staff members selected by OET Regional Advisors.  The group numbers approximately 250 individuals and is responsible for training and evaluating Senior Candidates. To become a TE, individuals must be Alpine Seniors, an OET Instructor, and must be trained and recommended by their RA or the Division OET Staff.

Toboggan Instructors – This group numbers approximately 850. They provide OET Toboggan Handling instruction at local mountains.  The prerequisite for becoming an OET Toboggan Instructor is attending an Instructor Development Course and entering the OET mentoring program.

Senior Alpine Patroller – This is NSP’s all-around leadership credential attained by testing and participating in educational courses, which shows a broad understanding of the profession of Ski Patrolling.  To attain the Senior level, Alpine Patrollers participate in training programs with their Regional OEC and OET Staff.  Most Patrollers focus on one evaluation discipline at a time as well as taking educational electives.  Alpine Senior Patroller is awarded after successfully testing at the performance level of mastery in Skiing/Riding, Patroller Skills, Toboggan Transportation, and an OEC proficiency as an emergency medical manager.  To learn details about the NSP Senior Program, visit the NSP.ORG webpage titled: Senior Program.  Alternatively, the Eastern Division also maintains a web page known as Senior Program.

Alpine Patroller – This is the NSP membership classification, which designates that a patroller has achieved the skill necessary to safely transport injured patients on all the slopes of their local mountain.  Local Patrol Directors and their designees determine the skill level required to achieve the Alpine Patroller classification. Patrollers with one full season as an Alpine Patroller may apply to the Senior training program.  Alpine Patrollers can download a Senior Candidate Application form from the Eastern Division website (two forms will be required, one for OET Senior and another for OEC Senior).