July 30, 2025 • 26 mins
Kathy's professional path exemplifies how ski patrol skills translate across emergency services. After transitioning from volunteer to paid patrol, she became Mount Bachelor's Safety Administrator (Risk Manager), then joined Bend Fire as a paramedic in 1994. Her first aid journey began much earlier—as a Girl Scout lifeguard in the 60's—creating a foundation that supported five decades of water safety instruction alongside her snow-based rescue work. Even after retiring from Bend Fire after 29 years of service, she continues volunteering there and also patrolling at Santiam Pass Ski Patrol.
The PNWD History Project: Shirley Cummings, the official history project coordinator, (& all around fabulous lady), has been on a mission: Collect and assemble an archive of stories and pictures from the different ski patrols within the Pacific Northwest Division. Hence, Patroller Chats was born!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jodie (00:00):
Welcome back to another session of Patroller Chats, and
today we have the great honor intalking and meeting with Kathy
Alexander.
So, kathy, let's get startedwith the basics.
Kathy (00:11):
I have an NSP number.
I had an original one when Istarted on Ski Patrol and then
when the system was purged, weall got new numbers again so I
had to learn my new number.
So my new number's been with mefor a long time now.
Jodie (00:24):
It got purged.
When did it get?
Kathy (00:26):
purged?
I can't really remember becauseI started my ski patrol at
Mount Batchelor and got mynumber in September of 1986 when
I took the first aid course,which at that time it was
transition.
The American Red Cross had saidno more advanced first aid
which I had taken years ago as alifeguard swim instructor.
(00:49):
So I had my advanced first aidbut we took a American
Association of OrthopedicPhysicians and Surgeons textbook
and had pages out of it to doour first aid class in the fall
of 1986.
Next year, in the fall of 87,that the WEC Winter Emergency
(01:14):
Care textbook came out.
So we just did these sheets ofpaper every week when we took
our course.
Jodie (01:21):
So you got a little bit of the old and a little bit of
the new Right Talk about beingright there on the cusp, holy
Toledo.
That is interesting.
So you said you joined in 1986,correct, correct.
And that was with MountBachelor as a paid or the
(01:44):
professional side, or thevolunteer side.
It was the volunteer side.
So there were, oh my goodness,maybe about 12 of us in the
class and we finished our classand then in January we got our
jackets and I finished out thatyear, like in April or May, and
(02:05):
then the following year I washired as a paid staff person.
So I continued the rest of mycareer at Mount Batchelor from
September of 87.
And I left Mount Batchelor inJanuary of 2010.
So I finished my paid patrolcareer and then I went to
Santiam Pass Ski Patrol inJanuary of 2010.
(02:27):
And I've been a volunteer thereever since.
So you had mentioned that you had started, and then with
the merging of the two into theWEC, but you also mentioned
about purging of numbers.
Tell us a little bit more aboutthat.
Kathy (02:52):
Yeah, the first number I got.
I can't remember exactly whatyear this happened, but we were
notified by National Ski Patroland the patrols were given an
entire new list of numbers,because something happened with
the system and all of a suddenour numbers just disappeared and
they had to reassign.
Yeah, I started using that newnumber and I can't remember what
(03:17):
year that was because at thattime when you filled out an
incident report on an accidentyou had to put your patrol
number on the bottom.
And I remember because I wasalso risk manager at Mount
Batchelor for the mountain, butI worked as a patroller as well
and I had to put up everybody'snew numbers on the wall so that
(03:39):
when they did their charts theywould memorize their new numbers
, because nobody could rememberthem.
Jodie (03:43):
Oh, no kidding.
Had you started a while backago.
I mean, had that been shortlyafter you got started, or was it
maybe mid-range in the 90s?
Kathy (03:54):
I want to think it was pretty early.
It might've been the early 90s,I can't really remember, but I
do remember.
All of a sudden I have all mymembership cards back from day
one, so I can go through themand look to see exactly what
year.
All of a sudden, oh, I have anew number.
Yeah.
Jodie (04:13):
Wow, that is, that is awesome, that is awesome.
Kathy (04:17):
Sorry, I can't find them.
When I do, I'll just letShirley know, you know, because
it seemed to me it was anational thing.
So everybody got new numbersbecause something happened.
Well, you know, those days itwas early computers, you know,
and I used a computer at workwhen I entered all the incident
(04:38):
reports for the insurancecompany.
So at Mount Batchelor I had acomputer but it was the great,
big, huge consoles and all kindsof stuff and we had the lined
paper with holes in it on theside that you had to printer.
It was really old, but I justremember for some reason
somebody must have pushed abutton at National and it went
(04:59):
oh okay, we just erased.
We just erased because Iremember too they also asked us.
So it had to be the I want tosay it's the early nineties.
They also some of our recordswere depleted and we had to let
national know our addressesagain and what awards we got and
(05:20):
what instructors we had,because things kind of got not
there.
So it really got purged, yeah,yeah.
So I don't know if it was justcertain patrols or the whole
system, but I remember having togo back and our profiles
weren't set up like they aretoday where you can go.
So I looked and I went oh mygod, I got like 25 pages in
(05:43):
there.
Jodie (05:44):
Oh, my goodness, it's been so many years.
Wow, yeah, I think that wasback in the 90s.
If I recall back that, Iremember something about hearing
of the purging or something tothat extent.
But that is amazing.
So again, you joined NationalSki Patrol in what year?
(06:05):
1986,.
Kathy (06:07):
September.
Jodie (06:08):
Okay, and then you went to Mount Bachelor.
But not only were you avolunteer, you worked for Mount
Bachelor as a risk manager.
Kathy (06:17):
Yes, that was in 1992.
I had worked with the riskmanager at the time who could
not.
He had a very bad hip, needed asurgery, new hip and he
couldn't ride snowmobiles.
He didn't ski.
So when you have an accidentthat needed to be investigated,
(06:37):
he couldn't get out on the hilland take measurements and ski to
different areas.
And that's why I worked withhim and skied to different areas
and that's why I worked withhim.
And when he retired the mountainasked me.
Of course at that time Ichanged over from volunteer to
paid.
They asked me if I wanted totake on the role of my title was
actually safety administrator,but I was manager.
(06:59):
So I ran safety programs andworked with the insurance
company and the corporate lawyerattorney and did all the
investigations and trained teamsto work with me.
So there were days off that Iwas called at four in the
morning and said we just had ahorrible accident with an
employee.
Please come up and you knowwhat are you doing today.
(07:19):
And I said well, I'm supposedto work with the fire department
all day, but I'll be there.
Oh my goodness, investigatingaccidents that occurred early in
the morning.
Jodie (07:28):
So you also, besides the volunteer, you worked full time
as a firefighter, correct?
Kathy (07:37):
I was a paramedic.
I had my firefighter licensebut I chose because I like first
aid.
I chose to do the first aid andBen Fire did have a unit that
was a paramedic responding unitand medical transport unit.
So on my days off at least oneday, maybe two days, depending
(08:00):
on when shifts were not coveredI would work, sometimes on call
and other times I'd sit at astation and, yeah, do my work.
Jodie (08:09):
That is awesome.
That is just awesome.
That is exciting to hear.
Now, when did you start withBen Fire?
Kathy (08:20):
I started in September of 1994.
Jodie (08:23):
Wow so, would you say, ski patrol gave you the leap
into bend fire
it really did, and mainlybecause of the first aid
started.
My first aid.
First first aid class was at agirl scout camp in new jersey in
1963 when I became a juniorlifeguard across a camp and you
(08:48):
had to have a first aid card tobe a lifeguard.
And then in 1965, I took mysenior life saving and then in
67, I became a water safetyinstructor.
So I taught swim lessons forAmerican Red Cross for 50 years
before I retired a few years ago.
Oh, wow.
So I always had first aidtraining.
(09:10):
So it just kind of, you know, Ilived.
I went cross country inSeptember of 73 and was alone in
my car with all my camping gear, my scuba gear, my skis, and
went all the way cross countryuntil March of 74.
So it took me a lot of monthsand I wound up in San Diego and
(09:30):
and I was hired by YMCA becausenow I had no money and I had
given up.
Not given up, I took a leave ofabsence from my school.
I was a PE teacher at a middleschool and I took a year off and
I got to San Diego and I lovethe warm weather and I was hired
as program director at a YMCAin San Diego, la Jolla, and
(09:52):
worked there many years.
But I always wanted I skied.
I started skiing in high schoolas a high school trip and my
first ski area was BrodyMountain in Massachusetts and
going cross country.
I did a lot of skiing inColorado.
I had friends who were going tograd school in Greeley so I
stayed there for six weeks andskied all over Colorado and then
(10:13):
I came to Oregon.
I actually applied atUniversity.
I guess it was Oregon, no, itwas University of Oregon, in
Eugene, I applied for a master'sprogram in outdoor education.
I was going to get my master's,so I went to an interview and
then I came down the Redwoodsand I went all the way to San
Diego in March and then Iintended to drive back cross
(10:35):
country and resume my job as aPE teacher in September.
But I loved San Diego so Istayed in San Diego and I stayed
on the West coast ever since.
Oh, my goodness, so when?
No, wait a minute.
So you, you, you could actuallysay you have gone from water to
snow.
(10:55):
You're staying in the liquidform here, whether it's frozen
or whether it's liquid, and andthen being a firefighter, you
know, I mean, granted, aparamedic, but now you're still
around water.
But so you were a PE teacher aswell, yeah, that was my first
degree.
Kathy (11:13):
And then I did go to Springfield College in
Massachusetts for my master'seducation in Human Resources
Administration and I finishedthat in 1985.
So I would go back to the EastCoast every Labor Day till the
4th of July and go to schoolfive days a week at Springfield
(11:33):
College, sleep in my car that Idrove cross country, see my
family on weekends and then goback and resume my job after the
4th of July.
So I did that and then I alsogot another degree when I moved
up here to Oregon.
I moved up here because myboyfriend at the time and I
(11:53):
decided we wanted to live in thecold weather.
He was born and raised inHollywood so he didn't know cold
.
Yes, big Bear Lake several timesto start skiing.
So we decided we put out a mapon the West Coast and we chose
Mount Batchelor and moved uphere in September of 84 and
skied for a year at Ski Bums andthen started our first aid
(12:15):
class later.
But yeah, it was in fact.
Yeah.
So we started skiing here andthen got on ski patrol.
That was our goal.
And then when Bend Fire wasasking for help with people like
on call and that, I thoughtthis is perfect.
I live right here, I could doit on my days off, I don't have
(12:36):
to sit at the station all thetime we were on call we had the
old pagers that got beeped 20minutes to respond with your
uniform on, and that's what Idid for several years.
So when I left, oh, somewhere, Igot my paramedic.
Then I was an EMT since 1985.
But with all my first daytraining I took an EMT course up
(12:59):
at the college here in Bend andthen I took my paramedic class
and graduated in 2002.
So then that was more money forBen Fire, not for skiing, you
know, for ski patrol and I onlyworked as an EMT or paramedic if
and when the supervisingphysician would say if it needs
(13:23):
to save somebody's life.
I have above OEC skills that Ican do this while a helicopter
is coming in or an ambulance,and I did that for many years,
right, and I retired from BenFire five years ago, but I still
work every Wednesday.
I am a volunteer and I do a lotof programs with them.
Jodie (13:42):
You know, I think I saw something on Instagram that they
had said thank you, Meet KathyAlexander.
This is about two, almost twoyears ago.
I don't know if there they hadsaid that you had worked.
Maybe it was when you retired.
(14:02):
How long ago did you retire?
Kathy (14:07):
I retired five years ago, September.
Jodie (14:09):
Okay, yeah, yeah, no, there was from Ben Fire.
It was September of 2023.
They just said you had been amember of the department for 29
years and, yeah, they were justsaying thank you to all your
work with Ben Fire andeverything.
Kathy (14:29):
I was honored in 23 and 24 for the volunteer of the year
.
I had the most hours in out ofour whole volunteer unit and I
think that might have come fromthat.
Yeah, that is awesome.
Jodie (14:44):
Okay, so not only do you volunteer with the Ski Patrol,
you volunteer with Bend Fire.
I mean, you've got twofull-time volunteer jobs fire.
Kathy (14:56):
I mean you've got two full-time volunteer jobs.
Yes, and then I volunteeredwith Deschutes County Search and
Rescue for almost 30 years.
So when I retired I did decideI'm.
My twin sister was living withme at the time.
Jodie (15:06):
Right.
Kathy (15:08):
Mom had died and Katie needed to live with one of us
six kids and I went to SouthCarolina and brought her back
here and I just decided I hadtoo many volunteer jobs and I
wanted to focus on taking careof my sister and still ski
patrol, because I love skiingafter all these years and I'm
right here in town and I canstill do service with Benkfire.
(15:30):
I did give up search and rescue, still do service with Bend
fire.
Did give up search and rescue.
Jodie (15:34):
Oh, that is fantastic, that is just awesome.
Oh, my goodness, I see you knowthis is what we've always
talked about.
There's so much more that wedon't know about someone, et
cetera.
And interestingly enough, we'renot even close to paralleling
you but in all the time.
But I also became an EMT in1980 and a paramedic in 82, but
(15:55):
back east, so before I went intonursing.
Now can you help us tounderstand and learn a little
bit about, since you were atthat cusp, that dividing part,
right when they talk about thelegacy global to then into OEC.
You see on people's profiles,when you look at National Ski
(16:18):
Patrol and you're like, justwhat does that?
Kathy (16:20):
mean Legacy appeared I don't know some time ago.
When I was going through myprofile today I saw it again.
Instructive development startedsomewhere I want to in the late
80s and 90s and the Oregonregion instructor development
advisor lived on the west sideof the mountains and we had all
(16:44):
these people on the east side.
There was Warner Canyon, waydown southern Oregon and Mount
Bachelor, warner Canyon and thenWillamette Pass is kind of in
the middle, you know you couldgo either way and then Mount
Bachelor and this one guy wouldteach all the classes and I kept
saying to him I'd love to teach, you know, and every time I
(17:05):
asked him for a class he'd gowell, I'm busy, I'll do it in
six months.
And we needed instructors now.
So I did become an instructorfor instructor development and
at that time you went to an allday class and it was called
global, so that it was the howto be a look, you know how to be
an instructor, the adultlearner and characteristics, etc
(17:29):
.
And then you went and youmentored.
So global was the overall termthat they used.
So you had to take the global.
Nowadays it merged into you.
Take the online hybrid courseand you can take it, and then
you can do your face to face,with either a virtual meeting or
(17:49):
meeting with an instructor.
So there's two parts tobecoming an instructor now, just
like.
But then you still have thementoring program, which is
being revamped right now, andI'll be introducing the new
mentoring program andapplication system for
instructors at the convention.
So I hope all instructors willbe there in all division, all
(18:12):
disciplines, because it's goingto affect them.
Like, you want to be a mentorfor MTR?
Well, here's the new programand then I'll be meeting with
the ITs and the instructors forinstructor development to show
them how they incorporate thisinto their teaching classes.
Jodie (18:29):
It just goes to show you that the changes from time to
time of you talk about over theyears you know where you talked
about the slips of is always thesame, but we're morphing it
(18:55):
into technology but alsoencouraging.
Would you not say more of thementorship on making sure that
people are, or learning styles?
How would you say that inlooking back in time, the
changes, you know how it's?
Granted, we've got technologythat we're able to deliver it
differently, but as far as thecontent, a little bit different,
(19:18):
or do you feel it's just sortof?
What are your thoughts on that?
Kathy (19:24):
Well, the concept of teaching adults changes verbiage
over time, so we've kind ofencouraged that.
So the instructor developmentadvisors for all the divisions,
including international andprofessional, meet once a month.
So we've been doing this formany, many years and going
through some changes.
(19:45):
Instructor development all thematerial, the DVDs we used to
have, the books we used to have,and now the online programs
were all designed by instructordevelopment instructors and ITs.
This was not national, goingoutside and having somebody paid
to run our programs to dothings.
So things have been changing.
(20:07):
The new mentoring program is sothat we don't lose people in the
mentoring program.
So after they take their IDcourse, which is two parts,
online or in person, and thenthey go face-to-face, virtual or
in person, then when they go tobe mentored, if the mentee we
(20:29):
call them, the candidate doesnot meet with a instructor in
their discipline and ask them tobe their mentor and go through
a mentoring process, they getlost in, you know, and then they
have this training so far, butthey never become an instructor.
It takes them years becausethey fall through the cracks in
the sidewalk.
So this is an easier way.
(20:52):
On the sidewalk, so this is aneasier way.
And then the instructors forthe course, the ID instructors
can go back and see whatprogress the mentee, that
candidate, is making and if itlooks like they're not meeting
with their mentor or the mentorusually doesn't really know how
to mentor.
They've been an instructor formany years but they've never had
(21:14):
anybody underneath them thatthey mentor.
So they are kind of at a loss,which means the candidate
doesn't get the education thatthey really need to be a good
instructor.
So this is a way of catching alland doing it.
So I think this new program isgoing to work out well because
we're eliminating the paperwork.
The mentee doesn't have to hangon to the paperwork to have
(21:39):
everybody sign and then the IT,who does their final evaluation
when they teach, signs again.
Then it goes to the divisionperson and then the division
person sends it to national.
So there's a lot of steps alongthe way of becoming an
instructor.
And if somebody slips up orforgets a piece of paper along
the way of becoming aninstructor, and if somebody
slips up or forgets a piece ofpaper along the way or loses it,
always tell candidates keep allyour paperwork.
(22:01):
You've got to be responsiblefor your own learning and you
have to prove it if somebodyloses things, which does happen.
Jodie (22:08):
So not only did it prove for here your NSP purged out
everybody's numbers, but I meanit does.
I mean accidents happen.
And it brings home that wholekey point of yeah, back up, back
up and save, save, save foryour documentation for sure.
Kathy (22:25):
Yeah, and then there's people that'll come to me years
later and say I took this courseback and blah, blah, blah,
so-and-so was my instructor.
And then I have to find outwhere's that instructor, and
they may have left ski patrolafter so many years and I really
don't know.
And now, as the divisionadvisor, I've been the division
advisor for IT oh my goodness,id.
(22:47):
I think it's going on eight ornine years and I also was the
Oregon region ID advisor and Idid that for two years with
national because with the PNWD,because I couldn't find anybody
in Oregon region and I finallydid so.
Now we have somebody in thatregion as well to work with.
You know, doing the mentoringprogram.
(23:11):
It's just you want people tofinish they are sungungho being
an instructor and then ifsomebody doesn't do their job or
they lose that piece of paper,that person is just out there
and you want to help them.
Jodie (23:25):
Exactly, exactly.
Welcome back to another session of Patroller Chats, and
today we have the great honor intalking and meeting with Kathy
Alexander.
So, kathy, let's get startedwith the basics.
Kathy (00:11):
I have an NSP number.
I had an original one when Istarted on Ski Patrol and then
when the system was purged, weall got new numbers again so I
had to learn my new number.
So my new number's been with mefor a long time now.
Jodie (00:24):
It got purged.
When did it get?
Kathy (00:26):
purged?
I can't really remember becauseI started my ski patrol at
Mount Batchelor and got mynumber in September of 1986 when
I took the first aid course,which at that time it was
transition.
The American Red Cross had saidno more advanced first aid
which I had taken years ago as alifeguard swim instructor.
(00:49):
So I had my advanced first aidbut we took a American
Association of OrthopedicPhysicians and Surgeons textbook
and had pages out of it to doour first aid class in the fall
of 1986.
Next year, in the fall of 87,that the WEC Winter Emergency
(01:14):
Care textbook came out.
So we just did these sheets ofpaper every week when we took
our course.
Jodie (01:21):
So you got a little bit of the old and a little bit of
the new Right Talk about beingright there on the cusp, holy
Toledo.
That is interesting.
So you said you joined in 1986,correct, correct.
And that was with MountBachelor as a paid or the
(01:44):
professional side, or thevolunteer side.
It was the volunteer side.
So there were, oh my goodness,maybe about 12 of us in the
class and we finished our classand then in January we got our
jackets and I finished out thatyear, like in April or May, and
(02:05):
then the following year I washired as a paid staff person.
So I continued the rest of mycareer at Mount Batchelor from
September of 87.
And I left Mount Batchelor inJanuary of 2010.
So I finished my paid patrolcareer and then I went to
Santiam Pass Ski Patrol inJanuary of 2010.
(02:27):
And I've been a volunteer thereever since.
So you had mentioned that you had started, and then with
the merging of the two into theWEC, but you also mentioned
about purging of numbers.
Tell us a little bit more aboutthat.
Kathy (02:52):
Yeah, the first number I got.
I can't remember exactly whatyear this happened, but we were
notified by National Ski Patroland the patrols were given an
entire new list of numbers,because something happened with
the system and all of a suddenour numbers just disappeared and
they had to reassign.
Yeah, I started using that newnumber and I can't remember what
(03:17):
year that was because at thattime when you filled out an
incident report on an accidentyou had to put your patrol
number on the bottom.
And I remember because I wasalso risk manager at Mount
Batchelor for the mountain, butI worked as a patroller as well
and I had to put up everybody'snew numbers on the wall so that
(03:39):
when they did their charts theywould memorize their new numbers
, because nobody could rememberthem.
Jodie (03:43):
Oh, no kidding.
Had you started a while backago.
I mean, had that been shortlyafter you got started, or was it
maybe mid-range in the 90s?
Kathy (03:54):
I want to think it was pretty early.
It might've been the early 90s,I can't really remember, but I
do remember.
All of a sudden I have all mymembership cards back from day
one, so I can go through themand look to see exactly what
year.
All of a sudden, oh, I have anew number.
Yeah.
Jodie (04:13):
Wow, that is, that is awesome, that is awesome.
Kathy (04:17):
Sorry, I can't find them.
When I do, I'll just letShirley know, you know, because
it seemed to me it was anational thing.
So everybody got new numbersbecause something happened.
Well, you know, those days itwas early computers, you know,
and I used a computer at workwhen I entered all the incident
(04:38):
reports for the insurancecompany.
So at Mount Batchelor I had acomputer but it was the great,
big, huge consoles and all kindsof stuff and we had the lined
paper with holes in it on theside that you had to printer.
It was really old, but I justremember for some reason
somebody must have pushed abutton at National and it went
(04:59):
oh okay, we just erased.
We just erased because Iremember too they also asked us.
So it had to be the I want tosay it's the early nineties.
They also some of our recordswere depleted and we had to let
national know our addressesagain and what awards we got and
(05:20):
what instructors we had,because things kind of got not
there.
So it really got purged, yeah,yeah.
So I don't know if it was justcertain patrols or the whole
system, but I remember having togo back and our profiles
weren't set up like they aretoday where you can go.
So I looked and I went oh mygod, I got like 25 pages in
(05:43):
there.
Jodie (05:44):
Oh, my goodness, it's been so many years.
Wow, yeah, I think that wasback in the 90s.
If I recall back that, Iremember something about hearing
of the purging or something tothat extent.
But that is amazing.
So again, you joined NationalSki Patrol in what year?
(06:05):
1986,.
Kathy (06:07):
September.
Jodie (06:08):
Okay, and then you went to Mount Bachelor.
But not only were you avolunteer, you worked for Mount
Bachelor as a risk manager.
Kathy (06:17):
Yes, that was in 1992.
I had worked with the riskmanager at the time who could
not.
He had a very bad hip, needed asurgery, new hip and he
couldn't ride snowmobiles.
He didn't ski.
So when you have an accidentthat needed to be investigated,
(06:37):
he couldn't get out on the hilland take measurements and ski to
different areas.
And that's why I worked withhim and skied to different areas
and that's why I worked withhim.
And when he retired the mountainasked me.
Of course at that time Ichanged over from volunteer to
paid.
They asked me if I wanted totake on the role of my title was
actually safety administrator,but I was manager.
(06:59):
So I ran safety programs andworked with the insurance
company and the corporate lawyerattorney and did all the
investigations and trained teamsto work with me.
So there were days off that Iwas called at four in the
morning and said we just had ahorrible accident with an
employee.
Please come up and you knowwhat are you doing today.
(07:19):
And I said well, I'm supposedto work with the fire department
all day, but I'll be there.
Oh my goodness, investigatingaccidents that occurred early in
the morning.
Jodie (07:28):
So you also, besides the volunteer, you worked full time
as a firefighter, correct?
Kathy (07:37):
I was a paramedic.
I had my firefighter licensebut I chose because I like first
aid.
I chose to do the first aid andBen Fire did have a unit that
was a paramedic responding unitand medical transport unit.
So on my days off at least oneday, maybe two days, depending
(08:00):
on when shifts were not coveredI would work, sometimes on call
and other times I'd sit at astation and, yeah, do my work.
Jodie (08:09):
That is awesome.
That is just awesome.
That is exciting to hear.
Now, when did you start withBen Fire?
Kathy (08:20):
I started in September of 1994.
Jodie (08:23):
Wow so, would you say, ski patrol gave you the leap
into bend fire
it really did, and mainlybecause of the first aid
started.
My first aid.
First first aid class was at agirl scout camp in new jersey in
1963 when I became a juniorlifeguard across a camp and you
(08:48):
had to have a first aid card tobe a lifeguard.
And then in 1965, I took mysenior life saving and then in
67, I became a water safetyinstructor.
So I taught swim lessons forAmerican Red Cross for 50 years
before I retired a few years ago.
Oh, wow.
So I always had first aidtraining.
(09:10):
So it just kind of, you know, Ilived.
I went cross country inSeptember of 73 and was alone in
my car with all my camping gear, my scuba gear, my skis, and
went all the way cross countryuntil March of 74.
So it took me a lot of monthsand I wound up in San Diego and
(09:30):
and I was hired by YMCA becausenow I had no money and I had
given up.
Not given up, I took a leave ofabsence from my school.
I was a PE teacher at a middleschool and I took a year off and
I got to San Diego and I lovethe warm weather and I was hired
as program director at a YMCAin San Diego, la Jolla, and
(09:52):
worked there many years.
But I always wanted I skied.
I started skiing in high schoolas a high school trip and my
first ski area was BrodyMountain in Massachusetts and
going cross country.
I did a lot of skiing inColorado.
I had friends who were going tograd school in Greeley so I
stayed there for six weeks andskied all over Colorado and then
(10:13):
I came to Oregon.
I actually applied atUniversity.
I guess it was Oregon, no, itwas University of Oregon, in
Eugene, I applied for a master'sprogram in outdoor education.
I was going to get my master's,so I went to an interview and
then I came down the Redwoodsand I went all the way to San
Diego in March and then Iintended to drive back cross
(10:35):
country and resume my job as aPE teacher in September.
But I loved San Diego so Istayed in San Diego and I stayed
on the West coast ever since.
Oh, my goodness, so when?
No, wait a minute.
So you, you, you could actuallysay you have gone from water to
snow.
(10:55):
You're staying in the liquidform here, whether it's frozen
or whether it's liquid, and andthen being a firefighter, you
know, I mean, granted, aparamedic, but now you're still
around water.
But so you were a PE teacher aswell, yeah, that was my first
degree.
Kathy (11:13):
And then I did go to Springfield College in
Massachusetts for my master'seducation in Human Resources
Administration and I finishedthat in 1985.
So I would go back to the EastCoast every Labor Day till the
4th of July and go to schoolfive days a week at Springfield
(11:33):
College, sleep in my car that Idrove cross country, see my
family on weekends and then goback and resume my job after the
4th of July.
So I did that and then I alsogot another degree when I moved
up here to Oregon.
I moved up here because myboyfriend at the time and I
(11:53):
decided we wanted to live in thecold weather.
He was born and raised inHollywood so he didn't know cold
.
Yes, big Bear Lake several timesto start skiing.
So we decided we put out a mapon the West Coast and we chose
Mount Batchelor and moved uphere in September of 84 and
skied for a year at Ski Bums andthen started our first aid
(12:15):
class later.
But yeah, it was in fact.
Yeah.
So we started skiing here andthen got on ski patrol.
That was our goal.
And then when Bend Fire wasasking for help with people like
on call and that, I thoughtthis is perfect.
I live right here, I could doit on my days off, I don't have
(12:36):
to sit at the station all thetime we were on call we had the
old pagers that got beeped 20minutes to respond with your
uniform on, and that's what Idid for several years.
So when I left, oh, somewhere, Igot my paramedic.
Then I was an EMT since 1985.
But with all my first daytraining I took an EMT course up
(12:59):
at the college here in Bend andthen I took my paramedic class
and graduated in 2002.
So then that was more money forBen Fire, not for skiing, you
know, for ski patrol and I onlyworked as an EMT or paramedic if
and when the supervisingphysician would say if it needs
(13:23):
to save somebody's life.
I have above OEC skills that Ican do this while a helicopter
is coming in or an ambulance,and I did that for many years,
right, and I retired from BenFire five years ago, but I still
work every Wednesday.
I am a volunteer and I do a lotof programs with them.
Jodie (13:42):
You know, I think I saw something on Instagram that they
had said thank you, Meet KathyAlexander.
This is about two, almost twoyears ago.
I don't know if there they hadsaid that you had worked.
Maybe it was when you retired.
(14:02):
How long ago did you retire?
Kathy (14:07):
I retired five years ago, September.
Jodie (14:09):
Okay, yeah, yeah, no, there was from Ben Fire.
It was September of 2023.
They just said you had been amember of the department for 29
years and, yeah, they were justsaying thank you to all your
work with Ben Fire andeverything.
Kathy (14:29):
I was honored in 23 and 24 for the volunteer of the year
.
I had the most hours in out ofour whole volunteer unit and I
think that might have come fromthat.
Yeah, that is awesome.
Jodie (14:44):
Okay, so not only do you volunteer with the Ski Patrol,
you volunteer with Bend Fire.
I mean, you've got twofull-time volunteer jobs fire.
Kathy (14:56):
I mean you've got two full-time volunteer jobs.
Yes, and then I volunteeredwith Deschutes County Search and
Rescue for almost 30 years.
So when I retired I did decideI'm.
My twin sister was living withme at the time.
Jodie (15:06):
Right.
Kathy (15:08):
Mom had died and Katie needed to live with one of us
six kids and I went to SouthCarolina and brought her back
here and I just decided I hadtoo many volunteer jobs and I
wanted to focus on taking careof my sister and still ski
patrol, because I love skiingafter all these years and I'm
right here in town and I canstill do service with Benkfire.
(15:30):
I did give up search and rescue, still do service with Bend
fire.
Did give up search and rescue.
Jodie (15:34):
Oh, that is fantastic, that is just awesome.
Oh, my goodness, I see you knowthis is what we've always
talked about.
There's so much more that wedon't know about someone, et
cetera.
And interestingly enough, we'renot even close to paralleling
you but in all the time.
But I also became an EMT in1980 and a paramedic in 82, but
(15:55):
back east, so before I went intonursing.
Now can you help us tounderstand and learn a little
bit about, since you were atthat cusp, that dividing part,
right when they talk about thelegacy global to then into OEC.
You see on people's profiles,when you look at National Ski
(16:18):
Patrol and you're like, justwhat does that?
Kathy (16:20):
mean Legacy appeared I don't know some time ago.
When I was going through myprofile today I saw it again.
Instructive development startedsomewhere I want to in the late
80s and 90s and the Oregonregion instructor development
advisor lived on the west sideof the mountains and we had all
(16:44):
these people on the east side.
There was Warner Canyon, waydown southern Oregon and Mount
Bachelor, warner Canyon and thenWillamette Pass is kind of in
the middle, you know you couldgo either way and then Mount
Bachelor and this one guy wouldteach all the classes and I kept
saying to him I'd love to teach, you know, and every time I
(17:05):
asked him for a class he'd gowell, I'm busy, I'll do it in
six months.
And we needed instructors now.
So I did become an instructorfor instructor development and
at that time you went to an allday class and it was called
global, so that it was the howto be a look, you know how to be
an instructor, the adultlearner and characteristics, etc
(17:29):
.
And then you went and youmentored.
So global was the overall termthat they used.
So you had to take the global.
Nowadays it merged into you.
Take the online hybrid courseand you can take it, and then
you can do your face to face,with either a virtual meeting or
(17:49):
meeting with an instructor.
So there's two parts tobecoming an instructor now, just
like.
But then you still have thementoring program, which is
being revamped right now, andI'll be introducing the new
mentoring program andapplication system for
instructors at the convention.
So I hope all instructors willbe there in all division, all
(18:12):
disciplines, because it's goingto affect them.
Like, you want to be a mentorfor MTR?
Well, here's the new programand then I'll be meeting with
the ITs and the instructors forinstructor development to show
them how they incorporate thisinto their teaching classes.
Jodie (18:29):
It just goes to show you that the changes from time to
time of you talk about over theyears you know where you talked
about the slips of is always thesame, but we're morphing it
(18:55):
into technology but alsoencouraging.
Would you not say more of thementorship on making sure that
people are, or learning styles?
How would you say that inlooking back in time, the
changes, you know how it's?
Granted, we've got technologythat we're able to deliver it
differently, but as far as thecontent, a little bit different,
(19:18):
or do you feel it's just sortof?
What are your thoughts on that?
Kathy (19:24):
Well, the concept of teaching adults changes verbiage
over time, so we've kind ofencouraged that.
So the instructor developmentadvisors for all the divisions,
including international andprofessional, meet once a month.
So we've been doing this formany, many years and going
through some changes.
(19:45):
Instructor development all thematerial, the DVDs we used to
have, the books we used to have,and now the online programs
were all designed by instructordevelopment instructors and ITs.
This was not national, goingoutside and having somebody paid
to run our programs to dothings.
So things have been changing.
(20:07):
The new mentoring program is sothat we don't lose people in the
mentoring program.
So after they take their IDcourse, which is two parts,
online or in person, and thenthey go face-to-face, virtual or
in person, then when they go tobe mentored, if the mentee we
(20:29):
call them, the candidate doesnot meet with a instructor in
their discipline and ask them tobe their mentor and go through
a mentoring process, they getlost in, you know, and then they
have this training so far, butthey never become an instructor.
It takes them years becausethey fall through the cracks in
the sidewalk.
So this is an easier way.
(20:52):
On the sidewalk, so this is aneasier way.
And then the instructors forthe course, the ID instructors
can go back and see whatprogress the mentee, that
candidate, is making and if itlooks like they're not meeting
with their mentor or the mentorusually doesn't really know how
to mentor.
They've been an instructor formany years but they've never had
(21:14):
anybody underneath them thatthey mentor.
So they are kind of at a loss,which means the candidate
doesn't get the education thatthey really need to be a good
instructor.
So this is a way of catching alland doing it.
So I think this new program isgoing to work out well because
we're eliminating the paperwork.
The mentee doesn't have to hangon to the paperwork to have
(21:39):
everybody sign and then the IT,who does their final evaluation
when they teach, signs again.
Then it goes to the divisionperson and then the division
person sends it to national.
So there's a lot of steps alongthe way of becoming an
instructor.
And if somebody slips up orforgets a piece of paper along
the way of becoming aninstructor, and if somebody
slips up or forgets a piece ofpaper along the way or loses it,
always tell candidates keep allyour paperwork.
(22:01):
You've got to be responsiblefor your own learning and you
have to prove it if somebodyloses things, which does happen.
Jodie (22:08):
So not only did it prove for here your NSP purged out
everybody's numbers, but I meanit does.
I mean accidents happen.
And it brings home that wholekey point of yeah, back up, back
up and save, save, save foryour documentation for sure.
Kathy (22:25):
Yeah, and then there's people that'll come to me years
later and say I took this courseback and blah, blah, blah,
so-and-so was my instructor.
And then I have to find outwhere's that instructor, and
they may have left ski patrolafter so many years and I really
don't know.
And now, as the divisionadvisor, I've been the division
advisor for IT oh my goodness,id.
(22:47):
I think it's going on eight ornine years and I also was the
Oregon region ID advisor and Idid that for two years with
national because with the PNWD,because I couldn't find anybody
in Oregon region and I finallydid so.
Now we have somebody in thatregion as well to work with.
You know, doing the mentoringprogram.
(23:11):
It's just you want people tofinish they are sungungho being
an instructor and then ifsomebody doesn't do their job or
they lose that piece of paper,that person is just out there
and you want to help them.
Jodie (23:25):
Exactly, exactly.
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