Big KUDOS to the current BOD of CHGPA. They have done an amazing job-- opening a new site and lots of other site improvements. CHGPA elections should be sometime soon-- but I think we should beg the current BOD to stay another year.
Matthew
BOD Kudos and Elections
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FlyingFelix
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Re: BOD Kudos and Elections
On behalf of the BOD, thank you! We're all on board for another year, but if anyone would like to pitch in and help let us know. Jon Brantley is doing double duty as the club President and Safety Coordinator. I don't think the Safety Coordinator has any real responsibilities, but it is an official position on the board that we should be trying to fill with someone who's interested in serving the club.
Re: BOD Kudos and Elections
FELIX - CHGPA PREZ 2015!!!
Matthew
Matthew
Re: BOD Kudos and Elections
First, I echo Matthew's recognition of the current board. It's always been my goal to make sitting on the board simple enough that no one feels overwhelmed enough to quit. Getting rid of superfluous tasks is one of making the job easier.
Safety Coordinator is an official board seat. But, have we ever had a real safety coordinator--or need one? Without real power to ground the guilty (and I don't think we're about to give any one person that power), I'm not sure what a safety coordinator is even supposed to do.
In the distant past, he coordinated the Pulpit festival--not really a safety oriented job. And at times previous safety coordinators have issued general safety exhortations at the beginning of Spring. All well intentioned. But, is it something the club needs? If in reality it's superfluous, let's ditch the job in favor of either nothing or of a board member without portfolio.
Safety Coordinator is an official board seat. But, have we ever had a real safety coordinator--or need one? Without real power to ground the guilty (and I don't think we're about to give any one person that power), I'm not sure what a safety coordinator is even supposed to do.
In the distant past, he coordinated the Pulpit festival--not really a safety oriented job. And at times previous safety coordinators have issued general safety exhortations at the beginning of Spring. All well intentioned. But, is it something the club needs? If in reality it's superfluous, let's ditch the job in favor of either nothing or of a board member without portfolio.
David Bodner
Re: BOD Kudos and Elections
First, thank you for the BOD KUDOs. Much appreciated.
A couple of points of clarification about the Safety Coordinator position. This is actually an USHPA mandated position that all Chapters must adopt and fill. It does have significant responsibility. When we almost lost our insurance two years ago, this was one of the action items that USHPA rolled out. Our first and ongoing task was to complete risk identification and mitigation plans for all our sites that we fly. Insured or not. These risk management plans must be updated yearly and made available if requested. As part of our chapter renewal each year the Safety Coordinator has to fill out a Certificate of Completion form to certify that we are compliant with all this. Just did this 4 days ago.
Ideally, and in addition to the above mentioned REQUIREMENTS, this individual, would be the club member that is starting safety discussions, encouraging a safety culture, and promoting safety in real and tangible ways for us all. I've done alright at the required components, but could probably pick up the pace in the other areas. If you have the passion for this position then please step up and make your interest known. It is probably one of the most important positions in the club structure.
thanks,
Jon
A couple of points of clarification about the Safety Coordinator position. This is actually an USHPA mandated position that all Chapters must adopt and fill. It does have significant responsibility. When we almost lost our insurance two years ago, this was one of the action items that USHPA rolled out. Our first and ongoing task was to complete risk identification and mitigation plans for all our sites that we fly. Insured or not. These risk management plans must be updated yearly and made available if requested. As part of our chapter renewal each year the Safety Coordinator has to fill out a Certificate of Completion form to certify that we are compliant with all this. Just did this 4 days ago.
Ideally, and in addition to the above mentioned REQUIREMENTS, this individual, would be the club member that is starting safety discussions, encouraging a safety culture, and promoting safety in real and tangible ways for us all. I've done alright at the required components, but could probably pick up the pace in the other areas. If you have the passion for this position then please step up and make your interest known. It is probably one of the most important positions in the club structure.
thanks,
Jon
Re: BOD Kudos and Elections
Excellent point Jon.
I was our Region 9 USHPA Director when this insurance issue came to a head. The facts at the time, as they were explained to me, was that there was only one insurer who was willing to insure us against the risks described in the USHPA policy. That insurer is a component of Lloyds of London.
There were two incidents involving suits by spectators (wuffos) that resulted in the Insurer imposing requirements including but not limited to the inclusion of an official safety monitor by each chapter. A failure to comply with the insurer's demands would have resulted in the loss of the USHPA insurance policy.
During the Director's meeting I asked rather pointed questions about what exactly would be the repercussions of losing the USHPA insurance policy. This turned out to be a more nuanced question than I thought and I never did get a simple succinct answer. To the best that I could ascertain it may have put the Association (USHPA) at financial risk and might have resulted in the loss of a few of the sites that employ the USHPA insurance policy as a means of addressing land owner concerns about liability. In reality state laws similar to those in Virginia already provide most, if not all, land owners with a great deal of protection from lawsuits resulting from recreation related activities provided that the land owners do not charge a fee in return for granting permission to participate in those activities on their property.
As near as I could tell the biggest tangible benefit was to protect the assets of the National Association. None-the-less the insurance policy provides an additional level of comfort to some of the land owners who permit us to launch or land on their property. The annual cost to each of the members of the USHPA is less than the cost of the gas required to get most of us to and from a flying site on a single occasion. Without a safety officer at each chapter Lloyds will almost certainly cancel our policy with them. Ironically the position of safety officer might be the most important one in the chapter.
Dan
I was our Region 9 USHPA Director when this insurance issue came to a head. The facts at the time, as they were explained to me, was that there was only one insurer who was willing to insure us against the risks described in the USHPA policy. That insurer is a component of Lloyds of London.
There were two incidents involving suits by spectators (wuffos) that resulted in the Insurer imposing requirements including but not limited to the inclusion of an official safety monitor by each chapter. A failure to comply with the insurer's demands would have resulted in the loss of the USHPA insurance policy.
During the Director's meeting I asked rather pointed questions about what exactly would be the repercussions of losing the USHPA insurance policy. This turned out to be a more nuanced question than I thought and I never did get a simple succinct answer. To the best that I could ascertain it may have put the Association (USHPA) at financial risk and might have resulted in the loss of a few of the sites that employ the USHPA insurance policy as a means of addressing land owner concerns about liability. In reality state laws similar to those in Virginia already provide most, if not all, land owners with a great deal of protection from lawsuits resulting from recreation related activities provided that the land owners do not charge a fee in return for granting permission to participate in those activities on their property.
As near as I could tell the biggest tangible benefit was to protect the assets of the National Association. None-the-less the insurance policy provides an additional level of comfort to some of the land owners who permit us to launch or land on their property. The annual cost to each of the members of the USHPA is less than the cost of the gas required to get most of us to and from a flying site on a single occasion. Without a safety officer at each chapter Lloyds will almost certainly cancel our policy with them. Ironically the position of safety officer might be the most important one in the chapter.
Dan
Re: BOD Kudos and Elections
Dan,
I don't know if the site insurance, the personal third-party insurance (the one for if you land on a roof and damage it), and the instructor (Rogallo) insurance are all the same policy/insurer, but I for one want *some* protection as a tandem instructor. There's always the argument that the existence of insurance ("deep pockets") actually attracts lawsuits, but I'm not smart enough to game out what it would be like to go naked… USHPA owns it's HQ building, with tenants that pay the mortgage plus, so it does have something to lose. The existence of the Foundation for Free Flight and its endowment has something to do with wanting to off-load cash that USHPA had so it would be insulated from being seized in a lawsuit.
- Hugh
I don't know if the site insurance, the personal third-party insurance (the one for if you land on a roof and damage it), and the instructor (Rogallo) insurance are all the same policy/insurer, but I for one want *some* protection as a tandem instructor. There's always the argument that the existence of insurance ("deep pockets") actually attracts lawsuits, but I'm not smart enough to game out what it would be like to go naked… USHPA owns it's HQ building, with tenants that pay the mortgage plus, so it does have something to lose. The existence of the Foundation for Free Flight and its endowment has something to do with wanting to off-load cash that USHPA had so it would be insulated from being seized in a lawsuit.
- Hugh