Whereas Lessons Learned I provided a theoretical look at risk management in the outdoor industry, Lessons Learned II applies the theories to real life.
Through careful examination of accident accounts, followed by analysis of what went wrong and what went right, author/editor Deb Ajango helps readers better understand how and why even seemingly best-laid plans sometimes fail. Starting with two in-depth case studies, the book explores how accidents happen, how the resulting devastation affects participants and their families, and how the ramifications of such incidents affect programs and employees
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One
Adam’s Story
By Kay Landis, with assistance from Phil Dzialo
Chapter One is a case study of a 1998 near-drowning incident involving 12-year-old Adam Dzialo, a participant in an adventure program run by Greenfield Community College. The account includes pre- and post-incident actions along with the perspective of the boy’s parents on the years that stretched between the original accident and a final settlement with the state of Massachusetts. The information is intended to help readers understand the effects that a serious incident and post-incident response can have on family members and loved ones. It also offers a good example of how different audiences can have different understandings of such concepts as negligence and inherent risk.
Chapter Two
Chuck’s Story
By Deb Ajango, with assistance from Chuck Bonning
Chapter Two follows Chuck Bonning, a full-time college professor and part-time adventurer, from the summit of Mount McKinley through a harrowing descent, high-altitude bivouac, and helicopter rescue to the hospital where he was treated for extensive frostbite. Chuck and his wife provide survivors’ insights into what it took to endure and ultimately find meaning in this experience. Throughout the narrative, they also reflect on what went wrong and what went right before, during, and after the storm that changed their lives.
Chapter Three
Risk Management Planning: A Closer Look
By Deb Ajango
Chapter Three provides an assessment of the risk management strategies used by the programs involved in the Chapter One and Chapter Two incidents. By comparing Greenfield Community College’s and Alaska Denali Guiding’s operating procedures to the 10 components of a risk management system, the author is able to identify some of the less obvious aspects associated with risk management, including mistakes that service providers sometime make.
Chapter Four
Creating a Workable Emergency Action Plan
By Deb Ajango
Chapter Four examines the key components of an emergency action plan (EAP), from the philosophical concepts that will be used to drive the plan to the detailed steps included in its implementation. By using a variety of case studies—starting with the University of Alaska Anchorage’s response following a 1997 mountaineering accident—the author not only identifies measures unique to a quality EAP, but she also offers ideas on why seemingly well-crafted EAPs sometimes fail.
Chapter Five
In the Path of the Ripple: The Effects of a Tragedy on a Program’s Employees
By Deb Ajango
Chapter Five includes accounts and insights from more than a dozen trip leaders and program managers who have lived through serious program-related incidents involving a participant. Starting with Kate Douglas’s experience at Greenfield Community College, the chapter outlines some of the many challenging, frustrating, surprising, and healing parts of their experiences. The author, also shares learning points from her own experience (described in Chapter Four) and provides information on what it takes to survive a tragedy of this type.
Chapter Six
Managing the Risks of a Lawsuit
By Charles “Reb” Gregg
Chapter Six examines risk management from a legal perspective, with an emphasis on the relationship between an outfitter and its clients. The author describes a variety of pre-trip preparations, in-the-field actions, and post-incident responses that affect the relationship and can either increase or decrease a service provider’s exposure to the risk of a lawsuit. Using examples from the case studies at the beginning of this text, the author shows how well-thought-out actions can guide an organization and survivors through even the worst kind of incident to a reasonable, if not uniformly positive, outcome.
Chapter Seven
Understanding “How Accidents Happen” in Outdoor Pursuits
By Drew Leemon
Chapter Seven explores the current state of thinking on how accidents happen in outdoor adventure activities. The authors explain several methods for analyzing outdoor accidents and use real case studies to demonstrate the practical application of these methods.
Chapter Eight
The Loss of Leadership in the Outdoor Industry
By Blaine Smith
Chapter Eight is authored by a guide/educator who has more than 20 years experience leading trips. Blaine Smith, the lead guide in Chapter Two, Chuck’s Story, identifies how the outdoor industry has changed over the past two decades. He also offers insight into how this transformation has created significant challenges for field staff and program managers. While he acknowledges that some of the current trends appear to be working against the industry, he ends the chapter by offering a number of ideas for enhancing the quality and professionalism of today’s aspiring leaders.
Chapter Nine
The Role of Risk Perception, Risk Tolerance, and Culture on Risky Behaviors
By Jerry Dzugan
Chapter Nine takes a look at the roots of risky behavior and tries to answer the question: Are potentially unsafe actions the result of ignorance, experience, or genetics? The author, a marine safety expert and educator, explores the concepts of risk perception and risk tolerance, and he speculates as to how each can affect not only individual’s behaviors, but also an organization’s or industry’s safety culture. At the end of the chapter, he offers ideas on how program managers and industry leaders can modify an organization’s view of risk.
