Climb Assistant and First Aid Officer

In addition to the climb leader, Mazama climbs require two additional roles: the assistant leader and the first aid officer.  They may be the same person, but neither is the climb leader.  For larger parties, identifying two separate individuals is wise.  The leader's primary role in an incident is always party management: scene and party safety, planning and orchestrating rescues, and other logistics.

Assistant Leaders

• Secure an assistant leader who is capable of leading the team down should the leader become incapacitated. Assistant leaders may be subject to review and approval of the Climbing Committee, at the committee’s option.

• Assistant climb leaders shall be a Mazama member in good standing and shall be at least 18 years of age.

• Assistant Leader shall have a signed Mazama Volunteer Agreement on record.

• Assistant leaders shall be designated by climb leaders prior to the climbing team leaving town for the climb. If the designated assistant becomes unable to proceed the leader shall either appoint a suitable substitute assistant leader or cancel the climb.

Assistant Leader Responsibilities

TODO: I am working on an entire article on assistant duties, and more details on First aid officer.  Contributions appreciated! - GW

If the leader is incapacitated during the 2 day reporting period after the climb, or is unable to accurately report on the incident, the assistant leader is responsible for submitting the incident report.

First Aid Coverage on Climbs

Leaders are required to have WFA+MFA or equivalent to lead climbs.  There needs to be someone on the climb other than the leader with current WFA certification or higher, to take on first aid responsibilities should something happen to the leader. This can be your assistant, but ideally responsibilities should be distributed over the team.  This is best arranged prior to the pre-climb meeting, so they aren't pressed into service at the last minute!  

For provisional climbs, or if you are leading under a temporary CPR or CL:FA badge waiver, a second climb member must have current CPR or leader first aid certification, respectively.

A tip: A doctor without the required wilderness first aid certification is not a good choice for first aid officer. Operating outside your scope of practice is a big no-no in the medical profession!  Having a doctor in this role can lead to an extreme "halo effect", discouraging the engagement of others who might contribute in an emergency.  So doctors are often uncomfortable in the role, and best reserved for specific consultation and advanced assessments that are within their scope of practice.  

In-Town Central Emergency Contact

This is one role that is often underappreciated. . . until there is an incident!  The central contact needs to be available by phone, text and email throughout the climb.

If you are the central emergency contact for a Mazama climb, here's what you need to know:

• All the current details of the trip.  Have a copy of the prospectus, including phone numbers and email for all climber emergency contacts.  The leader will contact you if the plan changes while communication is possible.

• Estimated time of reporting in by phone after the climb.

• What time to assume that there is a problem, and initiate communication with emergency response.  Note that often this initially means that an officer goes to the trailhead to verify if vehicles and/or climbers are present.  

• So having a list of vehicles with license numbers is important!  The leader may provide a spreadsheet to gather this info.

• Understand how the Mazamas handle any incident, particularly media communications, and be able to advise friends and family how to deal with professional and social media.