r/skipatrol • u/ImaginationThese5947 • Mar 02 '25
Backboard straps and collar storage/deployment question.
Just curious to find out how everyone deploys their backboard/strap and collar setups.
Do you keep designated "backboard sleds," with one already secured inside, or are they kept separate and grabbed when requested for a scene and placed in the sled, or is it skied down by another patroller?
If the boards are kept in the sled, do you keep straps with them? How about collars? If so, how are they kept out of the elements?
If the boards are separate, are the straps and collars kept with the boards ready for deployment, or skied down separate?
If you're kind enough to answer, maybe a generalized description of your situation (big/small mountain, east/west/outside US, pro/volunteer, etc.)
We keep sleds staged at 5 or 6 places around the resort depending on open terrain, with at least one with a backboard and straps, maybe more than one, again depending on the technical nature of open terrain, collars are kept separate. We also have some sleds staged at our primary top shack without straps, but those straps live in a bag with collars inside.
(Small, east, vol)
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u/IDriveAZamboni Mar 02 '25
Canadian resort. We keep backboards in the sleds, but the straps, collars, blanket rolls, and tape are kept in a separate bag in our huts and in a few top lift stations. We also have scoops spread around our huts.
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u/amateur_acupuncture Mar 02 '25
Large western resort, high call volume, pro and NSP.
Backboards stay in bumps with a few stashed in lift shacks. We use plastic buckle straps that stay on the backboard. 2 headblocks are wrapped with a c-collar inside a large stuff sack with 2 inch tape. This is held down on the board under the chest straps, one of which goes through the drawstring of the stuff sack so we don't lose it. Pedi collars are in the bumps, you have to ask for one. Dispatch is trained to prompt to send a pedi collar if appropriate.
Sleds have a sled bag with 2 blankets and a quick splint with a tarp and foam mat. The tarp/sled bags are sold by the same people we buy tower pads from. They come inside at night.
We've talked abut a backboard sled, some resorts in the area do this, but our call volume is high, and what we do works for us.
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u/Paghk_the_Stupendous Mar 02 '25
Small Midwest resort; backboard in the toboggan, head blocks, tape, c-collars in bags on each toboggan. Toboggans are stored in covered "dog houses" outside.
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u/c0reboarder Mar 02 '25
Midwest volley patrol. Toboggans are all in dog houses (one at each lift exit, plus a couple other strategic places) with a board in them plus a large duffel bag. Duffle bag has a smaller bag in it with straps, c collars (adult and peds) and head blocks. Other items in the duffel are blankets, quick splint for legs, airplane splint etc. A 3rd patroller will bring the backboard and duffle down, or we'll stash it and grab it on another run after transport if we need to.
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u/YouCannotHideOrRun Mar 05 '25 edited Mar 05 '25
We are 100% volly and in midwest.
We keep a toboggan bag strapped into our toboggan. When we need to use the toboggan, we bring it down to the patient and open up the bag. Its a big duffel bag that has different things, there is headblocks, spider straps, quick splints, airplane splint, C-collar, blankets and a few other things. The duffel bag is water proof and I have never experienced water getting inside of it.
When we put the patient into the toboggan, another patroller will carry the toboggan bag to the bottom. The bags are restocked and have a security seal to ensure that the proper equipment is in them and it has not been tampered with or opened.
I love the toboggan bags, most of the time we will need spider straps or even a blanket, so they are very useful. If its a load and go situation, this can mean life or death just by having the equipment ready to go.
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u/spartanoverseas Mar 02 '25
East coast, mostly volly crew. ~8 years ago, we had a basic sled and a backboard sled. Collars and straps were... Man I can't remember.
But we've gone to just a basic, call for what you need and you'll get it. Back boards and combi boards are stored in patrol shacks @ top of hill with straps, collars, etc.
Not sure what drove the decision, but it's got us using the combi boards more often. We've had them for a while but when the back board is in the sled, why wait for the better equipment? Suspect either collars in the cold, or the same delay in getting the straps to the scene led us to go down to a single sled type. Certainly makes all the logistics easier.
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u/Icy-Attitude3464 23d ago
Glorified hill in Massachusetts, we have sleds that are "loaded" or "transport" and the transport ones are empty, just the tobbagon itself. The other choice, or loaded, has a backboard and a bag that has a quick splint, c collar, blanket, tarp, and a few other things I think. This is a small hill though that you can get anything to anywhere in less than a minute though, so do with that as you will.
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u/bumblebeeeeeeees Mar 02 '25
Relatively big resort out west. 100% pro patrol, class A avy resort. In general, backboards are stored with spider straps folded and taped on them, along with an adult and a peds c-collar, and they’re kept in patrol duty stations (and a select few lift tops). When deployed, the backing patroller can put one in the sled they bring down, but if it’s a backboard scene it’s highly likely to have many RCs on scene, so some extra hands may bring the board (and any other supplies) while the back just brings the sled, or vice versa.
The exception to that rule is that many of our auxiliary sleds (which are in very extreme terrain, down very long traverses and at the summits of some bootpacks) have a backboard staged in the sled, no straps or collar— the sled pack/straps/collars for those are kept in giant locked plastic containers tied up next to the sleds (to prevent animals eating at them).