Village Responder

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Below is the Village Responder Student Agreement, including Course Policies, Acknowledgment and Assumption of Risk and Agreements of Release and Indemnity. This document must be signed by all students and by the parents of any minor participants. Your signed Student Agreement will not ensure a place in the course until your tuition is paid. I agree, for myself (and for a minor student if I am signing as a parent or guardian) to the following as it relates to participation in Village Responder activities: Course Policies Thanks so much for registering for a Village Responder course! Below are our Course Policies. Read them carefully and come prepared to follow them. They make our courses professional, safe and comfortable and create a good learning environment for all participants. • Please be on time – At Village Responder (VR) we often put in long days of training. Please be at the course site and ready to learn at the posted class start time, so we can start and be done on time. Please do the same for all breaks. Attendance is required for all scheduled hours to receive certification. • Clothes - o Wear loose, comfortable clothes and shoes. o We practice indoors and outdoors, in all weather. Please bring clothing that will keep you comfortable and dry while playing the role of both patient and rescuer. o We also use stage makeup, fake blood and other props to make our rescue scenarios more realistic. Most of our moulage is water soluble, but please bring an old set of clothes that can get dirty and possibly stained. • Food – Bring your own snacks for morning and afternoon break. During lunch, we generally order from a local restaurant or bring our own pack lunches. • Classroom supplies - We will provide a textbook and workbook for each student, plus other course provided materials. Please bring your own notebook, pens, pencils, and any other classroom supplies you need. • Medical supplies – During the course we will be helping you plan and build your own medical “jump-kit” to use during real medical emergencies. If you already have a medical or first-aid kit, we encourage you to bring that and anything else that you usually use for medical response with you to the course. You are responsible for bringing the following medical supplies and tools. Required o A backpack or bag to use as your medical kit during the course. o 1 sarong that can be cut up and used to make two slings o 1 tee-shirt that can be cut up and used as bandages o 1 yoga mat or similar pad for outdoor scenarios o A water bottle o An inexpensive watch with a sweep hand (this is needed for efficiently taking vitals) o Flashlight or headlamp Optional o stethoscope o medical scissors o blood pressure cuff o ace bandage o pocket mask o anything else you regularly use for routine first aid • Registration – Students are registered on a first-come-first-served basis. To hold your space in a class you will need to pay the tuition fees and return a course registration form. Tuition includes text books, workbooks, other course materials, instructors, venue, certification fees and use of all equipment. Students will not be allowed to attend the course until they have submitted a completed registration form, student agreement form and fully paid their tuition. • Cancellation – VR offers full refunds (less a 35 USD cancelation fee) if the cancelation is more than 30 days from the course start date. A 50% refund is available if requested between 30 and 7 days before the course start date. No refund will be given if the cancelation is requested closer than 7 days before the course start date. Course fees are transferable and a student needing to cancel is welcome to find another person to take their place in the course, provided that person meets any listed prerequisites for the course in question. A full refund will be given, regardless of the timing, if the cancelation is initiated by VR. • Minors and supervision – There are many breaks throughout VR courses. Students under the age of 18 will have unsupervised free time and any activities during this free time are not part of the VR program and happen at the sole risk of the participant. We do not supervise minors before or after class time. • Pets – Pets are not allowed in our courses. If you bring a pet to class, you will be asked to leave until you can find somewhere else to leave them. • Alcohol, drugs and smoking – We do not allow the use of alcohol or drugs during our courses. The activities in our courses require close contact between participants and substance use is both distracting and unsafe. If you must use tobacco, please do it on breaks and well away from the training space and other participants. • Age restrictions – Some of our courses have age restrictions. Please check your specific course information for the minimum age requirements. Acknowledgment and Assumption of Risk and Agreements of Release and Indemnity I agree, for myself (and for a minor student if I am signing as a parent or guardian) to the following as it relates to participation in Village Responder activities: Activities and Risks I understand that VR courses teach international first aid and first response, and are taught in both the classroom and outdoor settings. The outdoor portions will occur during the day or at night in various types of environments from grass lawns to rugged wilderness-like terrain and in weather conditions that include heat, cold, wind, snow or rain or other conditions. I acknowledge that the activities of the course have risks, including certain risks, which are inherent. Inherent risks are those which cannot be eliminated without destroying the unique character of the activities. The same elements that contribute to the unique character of these activities and promote our educational objectives can cause loss or damage to equipment, accidental injury, illness, or in extreme cases, permanent trauma, disability or death. I understand that VR considers it important for me to know in advance what to expect and to be informed of the activities’ inherent risks. The following describes some, but not all, of those risks. • VR activities may be strenuous, physically and emotionally. • VR courses may occur in remote places. They may occur on lands open to the public, and exposed to the acts of persons not associated with VR. Communication and transportation may be difficult and evacuations and medical care may be significantly delayed. • Physical activities include, but are not limited to, walking, running, hiking, repetitive lifting, and carrying. Certain activities will require travel by foot and other means, over unimproved roads, hiking trails and rugged off-trail terrain including downed timber, river crossings, snow, ice, steep slopes, slippery rocks, and other features. These travel risks include falling, drowning, becoming lost, and others usually associated with such travel, including environmental risks. • Environmental risks and hazards include, but are not limited to, flowing, deep and cold water; harmful insects, snakes, animals; falling and rolling rock; lightning, falling timber, and unpredictable forces of nature, including weather which may change to extreme conditions without notice. Possible injuries and illnesses include wounds or bruises; bites or stings and insect or animal-borne diseases; sunburn, hypothermia, frostbite, heatstroke, dehydration, and other mild or serious conditions. • Equipment may fail or malfunction. • Students will participate in realistic simulated injury and illness scenarios and will at times act the role of patient, being handled, carried, and otherwise treated as patients of a simulated medical emergency. Students will also use and practice with various medical equipment. Training, under close staff supervision, may include the option of injecting, and being injected, by fellow students. Risks associated with this training include being inadvertently stuck by a needle, being dropped or otherwise mishandled while being carried; unwelcome touching while acting the role of patient in a scenario; and emotional distress in response to training scenarios. Students may spend time at regional hospitals. Risks include those associated with contact with sick or injured patients. • VR may require students to arrange their own transportation to locations away from the primary classroom from which further activities will be conducted. This travel is not supervised by VR and includes the use of personal vehicles and/or carpooling in vehicles not owned or controlled in any way by VR. • Decisions made by the instructors, other staff (including volunteers), contractors, and students will be based on a variety of perceptions and evaluations, which by their nature are imprecise and subject to errors in judgment. Misjudgments may pertain to, among other things, a student’s capabilities, environment, terrain, water and weather conditions, natural hazards, travel routes, and medical conditions. • VR is not responsible for students, including minors, before the start and after end dates of their course. Between the start and end date of the course students are not supervised before or after the established class time. Students may have homework assigned for after class, but this is not supervised by VR. VR has no responsibility for students and students accept the risks that arise from this unsupervised time. VR staff may from time to time provide assistance or even accompany students during unsupervised time, but in doing so, they are acting as private individuals, and VR is not responsible for their conduct. • During the established class time students are considered to be “participating” in their VR course. Participation includes, but is not limited to, involvement with activities, time spent studying or practicing techniques, and formal classes. • VR offers programs in countries where students may be exposed to unfamiliar laws, legal systems, customs and behaviors, animals, diseases and infections; in addition, these courses may be subject to dangerous road travel, political unrest, riots, demonstrations, banditry, terrorism, and other criminal conduct. • VR courses are instructional in nature. Students accept the risks of instructional activities, which are intended to challenge students to expand their skills and judgment. I have read and understand the general information about VR and its courses including VR’s Admission Policies made available to me through the VR website I acknowledge that the staff of VR has been available to more fully explain to me the nature and physical demands of my VR course and the inherent risks, hazards, and dangers associated with this course. Acknowledgement and Assumption of Inherent And Other Risks I understand and acknowledge that the description above (“Activities and Risks”) of the inherent risks of VR courses is not complete and that other, including unknown or unanticipated, risks, inherent or otherwise, may result in injury, illness, death or property loss. I acknowledge that my (or the minor student’s) participation in this VR course is purely voluntary, and I wish to (or have the minor student) participate in spite of and with knowledge of the inherent and other risks involved. I acknowledge and assume the inherent risks described above and all other inherent risks of my (or the minor student’s) VR course as well as any other risks of enrolling, participating in, or being present on a VR course or during free time. For activities that occur on National Park Service land and to the extent required by law, the above acknowledgement and assumption of risks is limited to assuming only the inherent risks. Agreements Of Release And Indemnity I hereby forever release, hold harmless and agree not to sue VR, its officers, trustees, agents, and staff including employees, volunteers, and interns (“Released Parties”), with respect to any and all claims of loss or damage to person or property by reason of injury, disability, death, or otherwise, suffered by me (or by a minor student for whom I sign), arising in whole or part from my (or the minor student’s) enrollment, participation, or presence on a VR course. I agree further to indemnify (“indemnify” meaning to defend, and to pay or reimburse including costs and attorneys’ fees) Released Parties against any claim by a member of my (or the minor student’s) family, a rescuer, another student, or any other person, arising in whole or part from an injury or other loss suffered by or caused by me (or by the minor student) in connection with my (or the minor student’s) enrollment, participation in, or presence on a VR course. These agreements of Release and Indemnity are intended to be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law and include claims of negligence, but not claims of gross negligence or intentionally wrongful conduct. For activities that occur on National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service lands and to the extent required by law, the above release and indemnity provisions are limited to claims arising from my (or the minor student’s) acts or omissions. Other Provisions - VR is authorized to obtain or provide emergency hospitalization, surgical or other medical care for me or for the minor student. I understand that situations may arise in which third party medical care is not available and which require VR staff to provide first aid and possibly more advanced procedures, employing wilderness first responder training. Such care will be provided under the guidance of the VR medical advisor by way of VR’s written medical protocols. Any such third-party medical care provider is authorized to exchange pertinent medical information with VR. Costs associated with medical services, including evacuation shall be born by me. VR may from time to time use the services of private contractors for certain tasks, including, for example, transportation and food service. VR is not responsible for the acts or omissions of such contractors. I agree to be responsible for any damage I (or the minor student) may cause to the property of VR or others. VR is not responsible for loss, theft, or damage to a student’s personal belongings at any time during the course, including storage by VR or others. Any dispute between me (or the minor student) and VR will be governed by the substantive laws (not including the laws which might apply the laws of another jurisdiction) of the country in which the course is held and I consent to jurisdiction of that country. Any mediation or suit shall occur or be filed only in the the country in which the course is held. If any part of this agreement is found by a court or other appropriate authority to be invalid, the remainder of the agreement nevertheless will be in full force and effect. I, as a student of Village Responder (or parent of a minor student), have read this full Student Agreement and I understand and voluntarily agree to its terms, which shall be binding upon me, my heirs, estate, executors and administrators. Any modifications to this agreement must be approved by Village Responder in writing.

The above information is correct to the best of my knowledge. I understand that all course deposits and payments are subject to the Village Responder cancelation policy. I understand that my registration is not complete until my payment is received and is conditional on space available.