How to write a ski area incident report.

An incident report is written in minutes and read, sometimes, years later, by people who weren't there: a risk manager, an insurer, an attorney. The best reports are boring in the right way. They record what was seen, heard and done, by whom and when, and nothing else.

Care first, then the record

The scene and the patient come first. As SAM magazine's guidance on incident reporting puts it, the first questions are whether the scene is safe and what treatment the patient needs. Once the situation is stable, start securing the facts while they are fresh: if you don't write it down, you may forget.

What every report should record

The basics

• Date, time and exact location: trail name, lift tower number, or a map point.
• Who was involved, with full names and phone numbers, and who responded.
• Times: when the call came in, when patrol arrived, when the patient left the hill.

The conditions

• Weather and visibility at the time and place.
• Snow surface, the trail's grooming that day, and its status and difficulty rating.
• Traffic on the trail, and the skier count for the day if you track it.
• Signs, markings and closures nearby, as they actually were.

The people and the equipment

• The guest's equipment: skis or board, helmet, rental or own.
• Ability and activity as the guest describes them, in their words.
• Witnesses, with names, phone numbers and their own statements.

The care given

• The assessment and care, as your patrol's protocols require, with times.
• How the patient left: on their own, by toboggan to the patrol room, by ambulance, and where to.
• Refusals of care, recorded and signed as your protocol requires.

Photos and a diagram

• Clear photos of the scene, the surface and any signs, taken from where the guest came from.
• A simple diagram of the scene, marked with the direction of travel and where people were.

What to leave out

• Opinions and guesses. Write "the guest said she caught an edge", not "she was going too fast". Facts only; interpretation is for others.
• Blame and admissions of any kind, from anyone on staff.
• Ambiguous abbreviations. "N/A" can mean not applicable or not available. Spell it out.
• Blanks. If something isn't known, write "not known" rather than leaving the box empty.

Before a report is filed: the review checklist

SAM's guidance recommends a dedicated final reviewer, such as the general manager or risk director, for every report. This is what they check.

• Date, time and exact location are filled in and specific
• Every person involved has a full name and phone number
• Conditions (weather, surface, visibility, traffic) are recorded
• Witness statements are attached in the witnesses' own words
• Photos and a diagram are attached
• Times of the call, arrival and departure are recorded
• The care given and how the patient left are recorded
• No opinions, guesses or admissions anywhere in the report
• No blanks: anything not known says so
• No unclear abbreviations
• Red-flag incidents (serious injury, a lift involved, a minor, a possible claim) are reported to management, the insurer and counsel as your protocol says
• The writer and the reviewer have signed, with the date

Paper forms or software?

Paper fails in predictable ways: illegible writing, missing pages, a binder nobody can find. SAM's advice is to write legibly in pen, or use online forms, and online forms can also send the red-flag notifications for you.

Software built for patrol helps most at the bedside and in the review. In Verdynt/OS, the case record is written on a phone as care happens, with the times stamped; it keeps working without signal; and records are never deleted. A mistake is marked as entered in error, so the record stays intact.

Common questions

Sources: SAM magazine, "Report incidents properly". This guide is general information, not legal or medical advice; follow your patrol's protocols, your insurer and your counsel.