The most demanding of seasons — winter — is almost here. (Okay, it’s roughly two months away, but those weeks will fly by!) Cold temperatures, high winds, snowstorms, ice and snow all present significant safety hazards that require extra attention, extra care — and extra training.

“When there’s so much to get done, it’s tempting to rush through a task or take a short cut, especially when it’s freezing outside,” notes Tim Jaskiewicz, PDRMA Risk Management Consultant. “That’s why it’s so important to train everyone each year to remind them the goal is safety first.”

Here's How Arlington Heights Park District Does It

Arlington Heights Park District recently revamped its winter prep system, according to Jeffrey C. Lindstrom, Superintendent of Parks for the park district. “COVID has been a challenge with some facilities open and others not. It’s become even more important to have good communication with recreation supervisors, so we know what programs are planned during a predicted weather event...

There’s still time to register for this year’s virtual Risk Management Institute events. Each session — all of which are at no additional cost — has a 1,000-person limit, so register for them on our 2021 Risk Management Institute website page soon and earn 0.1 CEUs for attending! 

Oct. 22 — 8:45 to 10 a.m.
Leading Before, During and After the Crisis — Learn the importance of needing to lead yourself before you can lead others and applying lessons learned to mitigate the impact of any crisis. Dan Linskey, Incident Commander for the Boston Marathon, who oversaw the response to the bombings offers his insights.

Oct. 22 — 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Crisis Planning — What’s in the Details — Discover how your leadership and preparation shape your agency’s response...

Members continue to help us with field and form testing as we move forward with our plans to introduce the Risk Management Review (RMR) to all agencies in 2022....

It’s important to train and prepare employees for winter, but don’t lose sight of these nonwinter training opportunities that will keep you in the know...