I am not sure how time got away. It has been a while since my last blog.
Maybe it was the fact that the two weeks of staff training at the DCF Wilderness School were followed by four weeks shadowing the staff as they lead 5 day and 20 courses. Or maybe it was the fact that from Connecticut it was back to Ohio in time to pick up Rosemarie for an August vacation in Charleston, SC, to see Danielle and Douglas and prep our first grandson's baby room. Then back to Ohio drop off Rosemarie and back to Connecticut for the Wilderness School's September Reunion and more interviews, this time with Alumni. Then, back to Ohio, pick up Rosemarie and off to Charleston for Master Joseph Boone Palka birth. What a great summer!
While at the Wilderness School, the first time, I was constantly on the move, either checking in and helping out at the base camp's ropes course or running out to the 20 day courses with the Course Directors resupplying and talking with the field instructors as well as the students.
When at base Camp I got to sit in on the Officer of the Day daily briefings. The OD is a 24/7 job filled by staff rotation at base camp whenever crews are in the field. The designated OD is in charge of handling all calls from the field as well as parents/social workers. The OD gives the field staff a contact point for help as needed for interventions, medical follow-up, and resupply needs. Once the call is received and the need(s) defined the OD manages the situation to insure fulfillment. But it is not just the daily designated OD that gets involved. It starts as a team of three: the OD, the backup OD and a Course Director. But from there the job maybe directed to logistics, food services and/or the student's doctor.
There are two scheduled daily briefings where the on-going projects are updated. The morning briefing hands the duties to the new OD team and the afternoon briefing brings the team together to review. However, other meeting are held as the situation demands and its not just the three team members that attend. Other staff member will sit in and help work through the situations as they can.
Late one night during a particularly troublesome incident, I found the OD office filled with the OD on the phone talking to the field, a Course Director was kneeling on top of a desk checking out the route for a student pick-up. Meanwhile a staff member was reviewing the Instructor Manual, another was checking the Incident Flow Chart, and two more where off to the side discussing options. You can call it brainstorming or call it teamwork, they call it community.
I finished transcribing the last interview Saturday. Now I need to tear the interviews apart by categories and enter them into my database. So it one step down and another to start.
I promise to stay current. But first Ms Addy is calling for me to help.
