Canadian Ski Patrol System

The Canadian Ski Patrol (French: Patrouille canadienne de ski) is a national, non-profit, registered charitable organization that is volunteer-based and provides advanced first aid and emergency response services at more than 230 ski resorts and Nordic centres as well as hundreds of recreational and sporting events across Canada. The Canadian Ski Patrol (CSP) has more than 4,500 registered members consisting of all alpine disciplines, Nordic skiers as well as non-skiers, making it the largest volunteer-based certified first responder organization in Canada. Members of the CSP are involved in accident prevention and investigation, managerial activities, and patroller and public education.

In 1941, doctor of osteopathic medicine Gordon Campbell and doctor of osteopathic medicine named Douglas Firth were asked by an executive of the Canadian Amateur Ski Association (CASA) to organize and train a first aid rescue team to patrol the ski resorts in the Toronto area. It was from this request that the Canadian Ski Patrol System (CSPS) was formed as a standing committee of the CASA with independent patrols in different areas. During the years between 1941 and 1948, the Second World War restricted expansion, but the Toronto-area and Montreal-area patrols united to form the nucleus of a national organization.

In the 1960s, following a dramatic increase in the popularity of skiing as a family sport, the services provided by the CSPS were in great demand. Registration grew to more than 650 individuals, with members providing services in Quebec, the Lakehead area (now Thunder Bay, Ontario), Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton in addition to the original central Ontario and Montreal regions.

In 1961, the CSPS became an accredited national charity and gained independence from the CASA.

In 1967, Governor General of Canada Georges Vanier became the first patron on the CSPS. The current patron is His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston.

During the late 1960s, expansion continued both in the east and in the west with the addition of an Atlantic Division and the formation of a zone which covered a broad area within British Columbia. Membership grew proportionately, with approximately 2,500 patrollers registered by the end of the decade. The following year, the Saskatchewan Division was formed and, by 1975, registration had reached 4,200 patrollers.

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