NEW SAFETY MEASURES

Let's talk safety: it's part of our DNA and it’s always been the main element that drives all our decisions (well before the pandemic).

Today we’re applying rigorous health measures to continue to offer an experience that meets your expectations, in an environment that is as safe as before. Your trust matters and we cherish it.

Here are the measures we’re putting in place to limit the transmission risks of Covid-19 and to ensure the safety of all employees, skydivers, customers and guests who will visit our skydiving center this summer. Please note that you also have the responsibility to take your own precautions, for example, by washing your hands frequently, by avoiding touching your face, by respecting the two-meter physical distancing rule, etc.

GENERAL HEALTH MEASURES APPLICABLE TO EVERYONE WHO IS VISITING PARACHUTE OTTAWA

The following measures will be regularly reviewed and updated if need be.

• The majority of our activities will now take place outside. We’ve also changed the way we operate to minimize contacts between different groups and with different employees.
• An employee will be outside to welcome everyone that arrives at Parachute Ottawa. Each person’s temperature will be taken with a contactless thermometer. It will also be mandatory to complete a health questionnaire before accessing the site.
• Several hand washing and disinfection stations will be installed inside and outside. Washing or disinfecting your hands will be mandatory before entering the building.
• Surfaces that are often touched will be disinfected regularly and/or after each use (door handles, switches, bathrooms, pencils, payment terminals, computer mice and keyboards, belts and grab bars in planes, etc.).
• Wearing a mask will be mandatory at all times indoors, including in the hangar. It will not be mandatory outside, unless the physical distance of two meters cannot be respected. Masks that can be tied behind the head and that are strong enough to stay in place during freefall can be purchased. Physical distancing will be encouraged even between people wearing masks.
• A limited number of people will be admitted at the same time inside to register.
• A strict 14-day quarantine policy will apply for staff members with flu symptoms, who have been in contact with someone infected by Covid-19 or who have traveled outside of Canada.
• Plexiglas screens are installed at the reception to ensure the safety of our employees and customers.
• Hugs and high fives with the instructors or between jumpers are not allowed to limit physical contacts.

SPECIFIC HEALTH MEASURES APPLICABLE TO TANDEM CUSTOMERS

The following measures will be regularly reviewed and updated if need be.

• We reduced the daily number of reservations that we accept by around 50% and each customer doing a tandem jump is allowed to bring a maximum of two guests, to limit the number of people on site.
• Most stages of the tandem jump will be completed outside.
• In addition to being mandatory at all times indoors (including in the hangar), wearing a mask will be mandatory outside from the gearing-up stage until all the equipment has been removed after the jump. This applies to tandem passengers and instructors, who will also be required to wear a full-face helmet.
• Exceptionally, jumpsuits will not be provided for tandem passengers. Therefore, customers will have to dress appropriately for the activity, i.e. comfortable and tight sports clothes that are adapted to the weather. Please note that clothing can be soiled during landing.
• Instructors must wash or disinfect their hands before and after gearing up the passenger as well as before and after removing the harness.
• Freefall goggles will be disinfected between each customer.

SPECIFIC HEALTH MEASURES APPLICABLE TO LICENSED SKYDIVERS

Skydiving safety measures should never be sacrificed for Covid-19 health measures. Jumpers are required to check their equipment, to review emergency procedures and to seek assistance from an instructor or from the director of operations if they don’t feel safe or confortable in any given situation.

The following measures will be regularly reviewed and updated if need be.

• From our opening until further notice, only skydivers with at least a B licence AND who have done a minimum of 10 jumps during the 2019 season will be admitted, in order to limit the number of people on site.
• All jumpers must have a mask that is strong enough to stay in place during freefall, wear it inside at all times and outside when the two-meter distance rule cannot be respected (boarding area, altitude climb in the plane, exit from the plane, freefall, etc.).
• The manifest will be accessible via a window outside to avoid going in the building.
• Accompanying persons will not be allowed for regular jumpers, to limit the number of people on site.
• Jumpers who have their own equipment must commit to making a minimum of three jumps, with exceptions, and jumpers who do not have their equipment must commit to making a minimum of two jumps, with exceptions. Examples of exceptions: weather, winds, etc.
• Jumpers who pack their own parachute will have to do it outside and will be required to respect a physical distance of two meters between each other. Parachute Ottawa packers will remain available. They will also be required to respect the two-meter physical distancing rule.
• The interior of the building (including the hangar) will be a transitional zone accessible only to go to the bathroom, to pick-up your rental gear and to drop-off/pick-up your parachute if it’s being packed by one of our employees. So we recommend bringing everything you’ll need to be comfortable outside (ex. a tarp and a heavy object to fix your harness to the ground when packing, a tent or a parasol for shade, a cooler for your food and drinks, folding chairs, etc.). You will need to keep your equipment and all your things outside.
• Dirt dive practices must be performed without contact and with a distance of two meters between each skydiver.

We can't wait to see you in the sky again!

The Parachute Ottawa team