Re: ISKA Committee Meet & Email
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 10:56 pm
Nailing my colours firmly to the mast or paddle
I have been pro-insurance for many a year.
In 2016 finally after years of debate the East Coast club took the plunge and bought insurance cover
Why ?
The main argument for having a cover for the club was fourfold
1/ Cover for the committee members who run the club and dictate its policies
2/ Cover for the trip leaders who take on the responsibility to take out club members throughout the year
3/ Public liability cover for the club both on and off the water
4/ personal cover for the membership
What has changed ?
Aside from the need to pay out an extra eur10 per member. Nothing has really changed in the way the. Club is being run and in the way meets are organised. There are no restrictions on the type of meets we run or the weather conditions in which we take our trips. Aside from the usual weather related restrictions and setting some safety guidelines for the type of paddle and relative experience of the members paddling.
One main change is that we now insist that new members joining have at least a level2 qualification
Which is the basic entry level flat water training.
We are not equipped as a training body and this additional level of discipline for new members
Did not cause too much difficulty for members. Owning into the sport.
Another change is that peer paddles without an appointed trip leader fall outside the insurance cover
And that new members have to have joined and paid their fees including insurance before that can come out with the club.
Trip leaders & qualifications etc
The trip leaders for Ecskc hold Level 4 / 4* as a minimum some have progressed to L5/5*
We do extra leader training and supplementary training weekends for them.
Most of these folks are also leading trips for ISka
Restricted numbers/ Ratios etc.
We also operate in a information void not knowing exactly how many paddlers and what level of their experience will turn out on any particular day.
It is not as pronounced an issue as it can be with ISKA.
Some thought by the committee into this issue will be needed with safety on the water as paramount.
It is more a safety issue than specifically an insurance problem and might be tackled by drawing up some guidelines for meets and members attending meets.
I hear the arguments - Nothing broken - What's to be fixed ?
It's a valid point. ISka has run perfectly well without this extra expense for a long time.
The reality is that some of this cover is a "Nice to have"
BUT
In today's world where paddlers or indeed their families can become litigious
Committee and Trip leaders especially feel that they are vulnerable.
Don't forget they are the people in ISka or other clubs which take the responsibility on their shoulders and are potentially first targets for aggrieved relatives after a tragedy.
Who wants to take on a voluntary position and risk a family home in a costly court case ?
There is a genuine fear factor of this nature that prevents some able paddlers from taking on such roles.
Advantages for ISka with insurance cover
The added comfort of insurance for trip leaders and committee members willing to take positions of responsibility will hopefully encourage others to take these relatively onerous duties on their shoulders.
Hire of venues such as swimming pools, camping grounds etc becomes easier/possible with public liability insurance
As Ecskc membership overlaps with ISka I hope that if ISka do go the insurance route
That some coordination of the cover can be made so that we can somehow gain a common insurance policy.
We have done the groundwork already and I know that ISka committee can easily access the insurance broker and policy documents as needed.
Wishing Mary and the committee members well in this one as its always very difficult to see the benefits of insurance and indeed the whole idea is that we continue to plan our sea paddling within a safe environment
Especially so when we have other less experienced paddlers under our wing and that we never should seek to actually rely on the cover.
Alan
I have been pro-insurance for many a year.
In 2016 finally after years of debate the East Coast club took the plunge and bought insurance cover
Why ?
The main argument for having a cover for the club was fourfold
1/ Cover for the committee members who run the club and dictate its policies
2/ Cover for the trip leaders who take on the responsibility to take out club members throughout the year
3/ Public liability cover for the club both on and off the water
4/ personal cover for the membership
What has changed ?
Aside from the need to pay out an extra eur10 per member. Nothing has really changed in the way the. Club is being run and in the way meets are organised. There are no restrictions on the type of meets we run or the weather conditions in which we take our trips. Aside from the usual weather related restrictions and setting some safety guidelines for the type of paddle and relative experience of the members paddling.
One main change is that we now insist that new members joining have at least a level2 qualification
Which is the basic entry level flat water training.
We are not equipped as a training body and this additional level of discipline for new members
Did not cause too much difficulty for members. Owning into the sport.
Another change is that peer paddles without an appointed trip leader fall outside the insurance cover
And that new members have to have joined and paid their fees including insurance before that can come out with the club.
Trip leaders & qualifications etc
The trip leaders for Ecskc hold Level 4 / 4* as a minimum some have progressed to L5/5*
We do extra leader training and supplementary training weekends for them.
Most of these folks are also leading trips for ISka
Restricted numbers/ Ratios etc.
We also operate in a information void not knowing exactly how many paddlers and what level of their experience will turn out on any particular day.
It is not as pronounced an issue as it can be with ISKA.
Some thought by the committee into this issue will be needed with safety on the water as paramount.
It is more a safety issue than specifically an insurance problem and might be tackled by drawing up some guidelines for meets and members attending meets.
I hear the arguments - Nothing broken - What's to be fixed ?
It's a valid point. ISka has run perfectly well without this extra expense for a long time.
The reality is that some of this cover is a "Nice to have"
BUT
In today's world where paddlers or indeed their families can become litigious
Committee and Trip leaders especially feel that they are vulnerable.
Don't forget they are the people in ISka or other clubs which take the responsibility on their shoulders and are potentially first targets for aggrieved relatives after a tragedy.
Who wants to take on a voluntary position and risk a family home in a costly court case ?
There is a genuine fear factor of this nature that prevents some able paddlers from taking on such roles.
Advantages for ISka with insurance cover
The added comfort of insurance for trip leaders and committee members willing to take positions of responsibility will hopefully encourage others to take these relatively onerous duties on their shoulders.
Hire of venues such as swimming pools, camping grounds etc becomes easier/possible with public liability insurance
As Ecskc membership overlaps with ISka I hope that if ISka do go the insurance route
That some coordination of the cover can be made so that we can somehow gain a common insurance policy.
We have done the groundwork already and I know that ISka committee can easily access the insurance broker and policy documents as needed.
Wishing Mary and the committee members well in this one as its always very difficult to see the benefits of insurance and indeed the whole idea is that we continue to plan our sea paddling within a safe environment
Especially so when we have other less experienced paddlers under our wing and that we never should seek to actually rely on the cover.
Alan