We are pleased to congratulate Oregon’s newest Section within the American Society of Safety Professionals: Broken Top, located in Bend. Broken Top is a Section of the Cascade Chapter. I reached out to Section Vice Chair, Luke Betts, to learn a bit about its history.
Initially, four ASSP members, Luke, Heath Foott, Liz Foott, and David McClung, began exploring how to form a section located in Bend. It took them a year to finish up details, planning and paperwork for its formation, receiving support and guidance from Regional Director Guy Silvey, and Regional Vice President James Boretti.
According to Luke, they also received assistance from the Central Oregon Safety and Health Association (COSHA), ASSP Columbia-Willamette and Cascade Chapters, and Santiam and St. Helens Sections, including financial support which was necessary to get started. “I can’t even get into how many individuals supported us for fear of leaving someone out. In short this was not one individual or even a few but a huge group coming together seeing a need to support safety professionals in Central Oregon,” shared Luke.
More from Luke: “I think most importantly is that the Oregon/Southwest Washington safety community is a special one. We have received so much support from other ASSP organizations and COSHA. I think it is unique to have that much support. We also had to learn not to become discouraged with the minutiae. We faced challenges such as getting officially recognized and setting up a bank account. But we had a very positive and good core group that kept the focus on our mission of having an ASSP group dedicated to Central Oregon safety professionals. Lastly we have been very lucky and fortunate to have an active base. Our members have been excellent about attending meetings and raising their hands for volunteer opportunities. We’re blessed to have such a group.”
We share our congratulations to Luke and Broken Top Section officers and members, for furthering the safety message, and creating professional opportunities for others in Central Oregon. We look forward to keeping up with your news and activities.
The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) is a global association for occupational safety and health professionals, with a history spanning over 100 years and including more than 38,000 members in 80 countries around the world. ASSP members are dedicated to making the world a safer and healthier place. Learn more about Oregon Chapters: Columbia-Willamette (Sections: Mt. St. Helen’s, Santiam, Mt. Hood Community College, Oregon State University), Cascade (Section: Broken Top.)
