For this installment of Resort Perspective, 1RISK spoke with Tim Lambert, Assistant Director of Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol. This summer, Stowe implemented the checklist system for its summer Zipline and Treetop tour operations. We caught up with Lambert as the season zipped to a close.
When did Stowe first start using checklist?
Tim: We actually first began to implement the Incident Reporting app last ski season (14-15).
However, we soon realized that we were having some connectivity issues, so we had to postpone this a bit. At the resort, we really liked the program and the opportunities it provided for reporting and analytics. When we began to think about summer operations, we thought the Checklist app would be perfect for our zipline and tree-top tour operations.
Tell us how you use Checklist:
Tim: We have three main uses of Checklist: (1) daily procedures, (2) monthly inspections, and (3) employee training. For each use, we were able to configure specific actions and functionality. It has streamlined many of our processes. For example, our monthly inspections have over 700 items. We were able to look at the overall process and tag what we needed as required fields. With the required fields function, you can’t get to the next section in the checklist until you have made the inspection on the specific items. This helps our staff members to easily move through the inspection, but ensure they don’t miss any part of it.
Tell us about one of the custom configurations you made to your Stowe Checklist.
Tim: All of our staff needs to complete a certain numbers of rescue training hours each month. If a staff member conducts a rescue during hours of operation, we do count that rescue toward his or her “training.” With Checklist, we are able to not only track the rescue as a “first-responder” incident, but also we can tag the event to the employee for his or her training requirement.
What was the transition like from paper forms to the I-pads?
Tim: Our summer staff is very tech-savvy and mostly millennials, so it didn’t take very long for everyone to be up to speed. All the apps are very intuitive, so it makes it easy to learn and pick up.
What have been the biggest benefits of moving to the online checklist system?
- The clarity and professional look that we now have with all of our reports. Because of our AIG ownership we still do need to print all the reports, but now they are just much easier-to-read and more put together.
- The notifications part of the system is very helpful. By tagging items that automatically trigger an email notice to other co-workers helps us address potential risk future incidents.
- The real-time analytics and dashboard features are great. You can dive as deep as you want on a daily, monthly and seasonal basis, or you can set up your reporting for a snapshot of your operation.
For resorts who are just starting to use checklist, what is the biggest piece of advice, or what is something that you wish you did differently when you started the program?
I think if we were start again, we would have stayed away from apple products. For our resort and the demands from our ownership, tablets would have been a better choice.