2022 Season Update from the PSPA President
The Board held a meeting on February 2nd and based on the
information presented at that meeting we have once again cancelled this
season’s exam. None of us were happy about it, but it was / is
the right thing to do.
There were numerous factors and a lot of discussion that played into
the decision to cancel the exam. Probably the most important, at our
core we are a healthcare organization. As such it just seemed inappropriate
to take the chance that someone at the event would get sick and bring
the virus back to either their family, their patrol, or both.
We had no doubt we could hold the S&T events since they are outside
and basically “individual” events. But then we started
thinking about the First Aid exam. For each candidate it would be
close hands on contact with multiple “patients”, and for
the volunteers there would be close contacts with candidates from
all over New England. It generally takes around 4 to 6 volunteers
per station which adds up to approx. 30 to 40 people, all with close
contact. Then we consider the banquet, the Examiners meeting, the
Examiners discussions around the scoring for S&T and First Aid,
and lastly the housing / lodging concerns. All close contact indoors.
We considered the current covid numbers which seem to be dropping
in some areas. Hospitalization seems to be lessening in some areas.
But home self-tests aren’t generally reported, and would things
continue to trend in a good direction. That’s anyone’s
guess.
Bottom line, with everything to consider, we opted for the safe route
and voted to give everyone yet another bye rather than try to force
an event that may or may not be successful. We will be back at Sugarloaf
next season.
We are looking to hold an open zoom meeting towards the end of the
season to recap where we are and what we hope to see for next season.
Once we get that date/time setup we will send out a link.
In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the season and stay safe.
Carl