Case Scenario

Four snowmobilers, Christopher Shaw, 20, Aaron Hopkins, 21, Corey Anderson, 21, and Jeremy O’Brian, 19, all from British Columbia were one Sunday morning, 19 January 2020 snowmobiling on a steep north facing slope of Columbia Mountains in Southeastern British Columbia (B.C). Suddenly a size 3 slab avalanche, 400 meters wide that ran up to 200m with a thickness of 80cm struck them. The avalanche seems to have been triggered by the group’s movement across the terrain. Three members were completely buried by the avalanche while one was partially buried. The partially covered member of the group managed to self-extricate immediately and fast. The rescue teams managed to locate and uncover the three bodies. Jeremy O’Brian who was lucky enough to survive the incident was taken to a health facility for further examination after receiving first aid. The findings from the investigations done suggest that it was a huge Deep Persistent slab avalanche that was present and the fracture line on a tree line was significantly propagated. Air rescuers also reported signs of a number of avalanches in the area where the bodies of the three men were recovered. We are now faced with the challenge of breaking the news to the family and friends of the deceased. We are also faced with the challenge of ensuring the safety of snowmobilers because such deaths have become common in Canada especially in the mountain ranges of B.C.

Proposed Solutions

As a learning institution, safety for our students is paramount. In Canada, avalanches present a significant natural hazard to not only recreation but also transportation and property (Stethem et al., 2015). According to CTV News (2017), since 2012, all the avalanches that killed snowmobilers occurred in British Columbia, and it is worth noting that many of the fatalities are snowmobilers from Alberta. Snow slides occur often and as a safety measure, avalanche airbags are a requirement and although the four had the bags, the avalanche was too big for the bags. According to BBC news, Elassar (2020) reports that avalanche bags are supposed to help a person caught in an avalanche to increase his/her mass for larger objects tend to rise to the surface of avalanche debris. Apart from natural triggers such as earthquakes and warming temperatures, avalanches can also be provoked by the activities of hikers, skiers and snowmobilers as well as vibrations generated from construction activities or by machinery (Boyd et al., 2009). Therefore, we will ensure that anyone planning to engage in any activity has gone through an avalanche safety course and we will encourage those traveling in backcountry to take the course, as this will ensure their own safety and help reduce any risks.

This January we have received considerable number of students who are joining us for the commencement of their studies in different fields of study. Quite a number of the students are coming from within Canada, but some are from other countries. We are at the start of an academic year, and I would urge the students not to venture into the fields and outskirts of the campus before the one-month orientation is done with, and this s especially important for the new students who are coming from outside Canada.

While riding, riders sometimes fall through hazardous ice or strike stationary objects like trees, other snowmobiles, rocks, or fence. These are the most typical causes of injuries in riders or triggers for avalanches (Corr et al., 2008). Therefore, we need to avoid or prevent situations that could trigger an avalanche and mitigate the risks involved in snowmobiling and to effectively reach, engage and train individuals on ways to take part in snowmobiling in a manner that is respectful and safe. Therefore, we will develop and follow up on more rigorous snowmobile-avalanche safety education programs, and ensure riders follow proper practices and those trainings. According to Nash (2012), a recreational avalanche course is not only interesting but also satisfying and increases a person’s appreciation of the winter outdoors. However, it is worth noting that avalanche avoidance strategies are ideal (Strong-Cvetich, 2013). Safety devices and resuscitation techniques are also recommended.

As the dean of students in this university, I will ensure student riders comply with the set rules and regulations. This will help in guaranteeing their safety. Snowmobiles is a vehicle and not a toy, hence serious riders  require serious training as it is crucial in reducing any risks involved in snowmobiling (Strong-Cvetich, 2013). The riders should adhere to applicable speed limits that have been enforced. They will be required to have approved protective headgears or helmets that meet minimum standards of performance as well as manufacture as set by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety standard. They will also be required to protect their eyes and put on reflective clothing.

Most importantly, all riders will be required to know basic first aid, know their machine, how it operates and ensures it is properly running through regular maintenance. At no one time should a rider ride alone; a rider should be in a group or with a partner so as to make it easier for other group members to know when a member is separated from them and initiate a searching/rescue mission in case of an incident and to also alert rescue teams.

Death telling has always been the hardest thing to do whenever an avalanche resulting in death of the people involved occurs. Many families have been affected negatively in the past incidents upon receiving the news of the sudden death of their loved ones while engaging in recreation activities such as ice climbing and snowmobiling among many others. Therefore, breaking the sad news to the family and friends of the three men that lost their lives will not be an easy task.

In order to help avoid any suboptimal interactions with the families of the deceased men, I will take certain measures with the aim of improving the death-telling experience of the friends and families of the deceased students, for according to Ahmady et al (2014), effective communication is the substance of mutual understanding and trust. First, I will enlist the services or help of one of our support staff. This will be either a social worker or a chaplain from the campus team. According to Naik (2013), informing sudden death of a loved one to their family members is a highly stressful experience for the person breaking the news. However, it should be noted that it is even more stressful for the parents; therefore, support on both sides is instrumental (Rosenzweig, 2012).  The work of the support staff will be to ensure that the families are placed in a private room that is clean and comfortable. He/she will inform me of the general mood of the family members in the room and the members that are present to receive the news. This is important, as I will know how to handle this sensitive topic and/or invite a security officer to stay close in case a member reacts violently to the bad news. As of Ahmady et al (2014), the emotions of those receiving the news should guide the one breaking the news on the amount information to transfer as well as time management.

Secondly, I will confirm personal details such as names and ages of the deceased students before entering the room to avoid any confusion or giving the wrong information to the families as this may anger them. Thirdly, we will offer counseling services to the families before and after breaking the sad news to ensure that they are able to cope with the situation and not be in denial. Reid (2011) asserts that the best practice to facilitate normal grieving for bereaved relatives includes a variety of things which include how, when and where to tell the relatives about the death. Moreover, honesty, sensitivity, and ethics have to be observed when breaking the news of the death, and respect and privacy has to be considered. Therefore, as Corr et al (2008) put it, effective communication of bad news helps foster hope and quality in living when individuals are coping with dying. It is thus instrumental to ensure that the news reach the right people at the right time (Ahmady et al, 2014). In this era of mobile telephony, speedy communication is important and in the case of the last student whose relatives are in Asia, calling them immediately is essential. Before, breaking the news, I will ensure that the person receiving the call, is accompanied by another person, and is comfortably seated and I would prepare for the news first before I break it for (Ahmady et al, 2014) asserts that preparing the environment in which the news are delivered include a suitable emotional, and social surrounding . As of Reid (2011), breaking bad news over the phone should be avoided where possible, and instead face-face should be adopted for it is preferable. However, in this scenario, I have considered all options, and it remains that I will have to break the news over the phone, and I will ensure that it is timely so that I can be the one to break and avoid any miscommunication.