Guidance for Instructing IPMBA Courses during COVID-19

While some types of public safety group training have been suspended as a result of COVID-19, the decision whether or not to conduct IPMBA Courses ultimately rests with individual IPMBA instructors and their respective agencies and/or contractors.

Bicycle operations are essential to many public safety agencies, and all public safety personnel should be required to complete training prior to being assigned to bicycle duty. Therefore, each agency should assess the relative risks and merits when deciding how to proceed.

Instructors who do teach classes must adhere to their agency policies and directives as well as any applicable federal, state/provincial, and/or local regulations and restrictions. These include, but are not limited to, restrictions on gathering sizes, stay-at-home mandates, physical distancing, and utilizing personal protective equipment (PPE).  Instructors must also follow the guidelines of any applicable governmental health organization, ranging from local health departments to federal entities such as the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada. 

Even if not required by policy or regulation, instructors are advised to wear personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, wash their hands and clean/disinfect equipment regularly, use hand sanitizer, and require that their students and aides do the same during all in-person training.  Guidance with respect to selection of PPE and implementation of universal safety precautions is available from the CDC.

Instructors are encouraged to be flexible and creative in delivering the course material within the established framework and safety standards. Instructors may use agency-approved videoconferencing platforms to deliver the lecture material remotely if necessary.  Lectures may also be conducted outdoors.  If lectures take place in person, whether in a classroom or open-air environment, ensure social distance is maintained.

All required skill stations and testing must be completed.  Eye protection, masks/face coverings, and disposable gloves should be worn and established protocols for use followed during all spotting exercises and hands-on instruction.  Close physical contact should be minimized, but all applicable safety guidelines must be followed.  

Instructors may wish to seek legal advice about adding exposure to COVID-19 or other infectious diseases into their liability releases (waivers).  A sample waiver reviewed by IPMBA's attorney can be found here.  General information (not legal advice) about COVID and liability can be found here.  Instructors who carry insurance independently should also ask their providers if and/or how COVID-19 affects their policies. 

The following are specific measures that instructors can implement to enhance course safety with respect to COVID-19.  

Class Size:  

• Keep class sizes small to enable students to spread out in the classroom and in the field.  In addition to helping prevent transmission, this also helps prevent negative perceptions by community members during outdoor exercises.  

Training Considerations:

• Use a classroom large enough to enable at least six feet (1.8 meters) between students.  
• Clean and disinfect classroom tables, chairs, and instructional aids every day.
• Use an outdoor training area large enough to enable social distancing during skill stations and testing.  
• Do not permit more than one person in a cone course at a time, spread out on group rides and during transitioning exercises, and refrain from supplemental activities that may result in close personal contact.   
• Do not use role players unless they are in the class or, in an internal class offering, members of the same agency.

Personnel: 

• Include a general statement at the beginning of the class advising everyone they are required to report any exposures, temperature, or symptoms.  
• Require any instructor, aide, or student who is believed to have been exposed or exhibits any symptoms to withdraw from the class immediately and report to the appropriate person.  Detailed information about preventing workplace exposures is available from the CDC.
• Appoint a COVID Compliance Officer to control access to the facilities, ensure temperatures are taken, enforce mask use and physical distancing, and disinfect the classroom, equipment, and bicycles at the end of each day.  
• Require a COVID screen each day before class starts.  All personnel should sign in and answer questions regarding any possible exposures, any cough, respiratory problems / shortness of breath, flu symptoms.  
• Take the temperature of all personnel with a no-touch digital thermometer and maintain a log.  Anyone with a temperature greater than 100.4 F (38 C) should not be permitted to enter the training area.
• Encourage temperature screening at night, before bed and require all personnel to report any temperature greater than 100.4 F (38 C). 
• Do not admit personnel into the training area until the person responsible for screening confirms verbally that no symptoms have been reported and no fever has been detected.  
• Remind personnel not to congregate and to maintain physical distance during breaks and while waiting their turn during skill stations and skill testing.  
• To minimize exposure risk, prohibit personnel from working their regular duties if at all possible. To facilitate this, modify the course hours/schedule as necessary.  

Personal Protective Equipment

• Provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and require its use. 
• Require students, instructors, aides, and spotters to wear eye protection, disposable gloves and masks/face coverings during spotting exercises and hands-on instruction.
• Wear disposable gloves when handling any tools, cones, and anything else that will be touched by multiple people.

Cleaning and Disinfecting

• Make hand washing a mandatory and frequent part of each day, such as before and after activities, during breaks, and after handling bicycles and other equipment or materials.   
• Provide and carry small hand sanitizers or approved sanitizing wipes that kill the Coronavirus for hand hygiene in the field whenever hand washing is not readily available.
• Encourage all personnel to wash their cycling gloves, helmet, and eye protection with soap and warm water following each class each night.  Sanitizing wipes and strong disinfectants may damage this equipment.  For advice on helmet cleaning, visit the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute.  
• Duty gear should be cleaned and disinfected according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.    

Bicycles

• Set up a bike wash station and require daily washing.  
• If washing with soap and water is not possible, follow these guidelines for spot-cleaning and sanitization.  
  • Wipe clean and sanitize the touch points of the bicycle at the start and end of each training session.
    • Grips (because they are porous and have grooves, spray disinfectant directly on the grips and allow it to penetrate for at least 30 seconds).
    • Handlebars
    • Stem
    • Top tube
    • Seat
    • Brake levers
    • Shifters

More information about cleaning and sanitizing can be found on the CDC website.

We will continue to strive to provide you with the resources and information you expect and deserve.  We wish everyone good luck and good health!

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