Cascade Rescue NSP AgreementWhen it came time for Cascade Rescue to renew its long standing Official Supply agreement with the National Ski Patrol, it became clear that it was time to step up to a more supportive and proactive role. The three year exclusive agreement bodes well for patrols across the US. As the Exclusive Provider of Rescue Toboggans to the NSP, Cascade Rescue can now more fully participate as a partner with the National Organization.
“National Ski Patrol is proud to continue our strong relationship with Cascade Rescue. Over the years they have developed excellent equipment for patrollers to do their job and save lives. We are excited to partner in the coming years and work together to make skiing and riding a safer sport and provide quality rescue equipment to patrollers,” says Tim White, Executive Director of NSP.
Under the terms of the agreement, Cascade Rescue will participate more fully in the very successful Patroller Education Conference, provide technical expertise, product developement and consultation to the NSP Education Department and make donations directly to the NSP for distribution to patrols and for fundraising. The first of a series of video's for the new Transportation Education Program has been completed and the next is already underway. This series will for the first time demonstrate visually the key elements of a successful patient transport program.
"We've long been a partner of National Ski Patrol and value our relationship highly. Our new agreement is the next logical step for two organizations who share a common industry vision.
Cascade Rescue Achieves ISO 9001-2008 StatusIn keeping with its 50 year committment of designing, selling and producing quality products, Cascade Rescue Company has successfully completed the final audit and is now ISO9001-2008 Certified. What does that mean?
What is ISO 9000?
ISO 9001 is an international quality certification that defines minimum requirements for a company's Quality Management System (QMS). A company's QMS comprises the organization's policies, procedures and other internal requirements that ensure customer requirements are met with consistency resulting in customer satisfaction. Some of the areas of the company within the scope of ISO 9001 include:
- Customer contracts
- Hiring and employee training
- Design and development of products and services
- Production and delivery of products and services
- Selection and managing of suppliers
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- Management responsibility
- Internal quality audits
- Monitoring and measuring
- Continual improvement
- Corrective and preventive action
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To receive an ISO 9001 certification a company must put the required QMS processes and controls in place, monitor performance of its processes and demonstrate continual improvement. Most companies hire an experienced consulting firm to assist with these preparations. Once the QMS is in place, a registrar (or certification body) is hired to audit the company's compliance with ISO 9001 requirements. If discrepancies are found during the audit, they must be corrected before the ISO 9001 certificate is issued. The ISO 9001 certification must be maintained through regular audits (bi-annual or annual) conducted by the selected registrar.
Benefits of ISO 9001
Organizations that implement an ISO 9001 compliant QMS usually realize important benefits, including a more organized operating environment, a greater number of customers and a higher level of satisfaction among those customers. Whether you are planning a QMS in response to direct market requirements or want to increase the productivity of your organization, you will experience the following benefits:
Process Improvements
As you implement your QMS, you have the opportunity to improve your processes. You will outline the current process, add the requirements of the standard and then optimize the process with input from the process users. After achieving certification, you will likely see continual process improvements. A recent survey of 100 registered firms reported the average improvement in operating margin at 5% of sales. These firms also reported faster turnaround times, and a reduction in scrap and overtime.
Increased Quality Awareness
During implementation, quality awareness will increase, since all staff must be trained on ISO 9001. Staff will be required to take "ownership" of processes that they are involved in developing and improving. The QMS will also have built-in systems to report on key quality indicators, which will significantly reduce the reoccurrence of problems. This helps develop a strong quality culture, where the staff recognizes problems such as systems or process issues and works on fixing them, rather than placing blame with an individual. The result is increased confidence in workmanship and a more confident staff.
Consistency in Operations
With ISO 9001 certification, your operation will run more smoothly, as the QMS promotes consistency in how work is performed and recorded. This helps new employees learn processes more quickly and reduces misunderstandings with customers. If a problem does occur, it is traced to its root cause and fixed, saving the organization from "re-correcting" it every time it happens.
Market Advantages
ISO 9001 certification is becoming a requirement to do business in many markets. A recent survey of ISO 9001 certified companies shows that 41% were asked to achieve certification by a client. Considering that it can take 6 months or longer for some organizations to achieve certification, already having a compliant QMS in place can be a distinct advantage.
Having successfully passed our Stage One Audit by an independant 3rd party Registrar, we at Cascade Rescue are on-track to complete our Stage Two Audit in October and recieve our full certification shortly thereafter.
CR Launches New WebsiteIn response to customer requests and demands, Cascade Rescue has invested substantially in the creation of a new web presence. The new site is intended to be extremely customer driven and interactive. More than just a shopping site; our goal has been to provide a place where our customers can visit for product information, technical information, training, video demonstrations and more. Features that allow our customers to Facebook and Blog about the products and services they use as well as issues facing the rescue community today. We've found that if we don't know the answer to a question, or have a solution to a problem, our customers do. The new website is designed to make life easier for our customers and to improve customer satisfaction as part of our ISO9001 efforts. We hope you enjoy the site and are equally interested in knowing your thoughts regarding how we may improve your experience.
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