Injuries to Volunteers: VIP Program

We who voluntarily construct and maintain public hiking trails are well aware of the physical nature of our avocation as well as of the tools we use. One thing we don’t often think of is what use need to do if we’re injured. In this case, I’m writing about the administrative side, not about wilderness or emergency first aid.

PATC members who work in Shenandoah National Park are enrolled in the NPS Volunteers-In-Parks program through the Memorandum of Agreement between the Club and the Park. The VIP program includes insurance coverage for treatment of injuries incurred while working as a VIP. (People who are not members of PATC and who volunteer to work with PATC members in a national park can be covered, too.) If you have no experience with this program and its forms, you should read the remainder of this article, as I quote policy and guidance provided by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy on this subject.

A.T. Volunteer Injury Packet

A volunteer working on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail is officially a volunteer of either the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) or the National Park Service (NPS), and is entitled to certain protections. These volunteer protections are especially important in case an injury occurs involving an A.T. volunteer while at work.

If an injury occurs, a volunteer should follow these five steps:

• Immediately seek care and First Aid
• Obtain emergency treatment by a medical provider, if needed (inform agency authorities first, if possible)
• Report the injury to the appropriate agency authorities
• Document the incident
• Follow-up with appropriate authorities, as needed

You can download and print the forms and guidance for this program:

• VIP Instructions
• ATC Trail Hazards descriptions
• Authorization for Examination and Treatment
• VIP Notice of Injury
• Volunteer Injury Label form