2. Educational objectives
The course, with particular reference to the specific risks of high altitude that can determine civil protection emergencies (snow risk, avalanche risk, risk in glacial and periglacial environments), has the following objectives:
a. provide the first elements of general knowledge of the natural risks present at high altitude, starting from real news events, from the analysis of the statistics of mountain accidents and from the description of the different types of objective and subjective risk, to highlight the topicality, size, entity and nature of the problem as well as the type of users affected;
b. indicate and describe the most important steps of the civil protection legislation to identify tasks, skills, procedures and responsibilities in the management of the related risks (prevention, forecasting, emergency and rescue);
c. initiate knowledge of avalanche risk, through the analysis of accident statistics, the description of the warning system and emergency management at national, regional and local level, the identification of areas of competence and responsibility;
d. provide general elements and notions on the activities implemented to prevent avalanche risk, illustrating activities, tools and systems used to manage avalanche risk, avoiding or reducing the effects of snow mass detachment;
e. transmit general elements and notions on avalanche danger forecasting activities on a local and synoptic- regional scale, preparatory to assessing and managing local and regional risk through the public warning system;
f. illustrate the principles and processes of snow physics that are the basis of understanding avalanche dynamics, the European EAWS (European Avalanche Warning Services) and international (ISSW) standards for local assessment of snowpack stability and for the development and drafting of danger bulletins;
g. describe the methodologies for the development and drafting of avalanche risk bulletins;
h. illustrate the methodologies for the management of avalanche emergencies, with particular reference to the competent bodies, procedures, activities and tools adopted, the nature and types of rescue interventions, also through the description of real cases that have become case studies of international importance;
i. illustrate the state of work in Italy and in Europe on the management of risk associated with landslide phenomena in glacial and periglacial environments.
l. provide useful information on the organization of Alpine Rescue in Italy and in the world.

3. Expected learning outcomes

1) Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the training activity, the student will acquire knowledge on the nature, typologies, size and management of the risks peculiar to high altitudes that can generate civil protection emergencies, and will be able to understand the organization, tasks, levels of responsibility, procedures, terminology and symbols adopted by the competent bodies in the field, both at local and regional and national and European level, as well as having the basic knowledge necessary to be able to acquire further detailed and in-depth information.
2) Applied knowledge and understanding
At the end of the training activity, the student must demonstrate that he/she is able to transmit the knowledge and skills acquired during the course, applying them: in the analysis and/or observations of situations other than those illustrated during the course and of his/her direct knowledge, in the reading and interpretation of danger and risk bulletins, in the evaluation of the methodologies to be adopted to manage a risk and/or an emergency peculiar to high altitudes, in the evaluation of the stability of the snowpack on a single slope through analyses, tests and international standard trials.
3) Autonomy of judgment
Through the examples proposed during the lessons and during the exercises, the student must be able to evaluate the correctness of the procedures and work methodologies adopted, the quality of the information acquired, the limits related to their use in the assessment of danger and risk. He/she must also be able to correctly cite the source of the information acquired in order to clearly distinguish the scientific and objective data, as well as bibliographical, from his/her own subjective considerations and personal interpretations.
4) Communication skills
The student must acquire a basic technical language related to the topics covered during the lessons and exercises, in order to be able to communicate with professionals and experts involved in the analysis, management and planning in the sector of prevention, forecasting and management of risks and civil protection emergencies. Communication skills will be tested during theoretical and practical lessons as well as in the final exam.
5) Learning ability
The student must demonstrate that he/she possesses the ability to research, analyze and interpret further information and knowledge for a greater in-depth study of the subject, both at local and regional, national and international levels, based on assumptions and objectives different from those illustrated during the course and exercises.