Certification Class Questions

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but...

I'd like to becoming a certified tech, but I have a few questions. I found the website where I can search for courses and there are a few in my area that I could possibly attend.

My questions are:
-Are there any fee's other than the local fee's listed for each course? I didn't look very hard, but I couldn't find anything...
-Why do some courses cost local fee's and not others? I'd really prefer a class in Crystal Lake since my parents live there and my SIL would be available to babysit and we could stay over there, so I wouldn't have to deal with driving back and forth from a class, but it's $100 and the other class I can consider is free.
-Is there any difference in a class that costs fee's or not?
-How long is my certification good for? What are the requirements for me to keep it good?
-My husband questioned whether there are any possible legal issues with being a tech? Like if I installed a car seat that a child was then injured in, can they turn around and sue me b/c I installed it?

Thanks - I'm so passionate about car safety and I'm really excited that I might finally have the opportunity to take a class!

SGTex said:

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but...

I'd like to becoming a certified tech, but I have a few questions. I found the website where I can search for courses and there are a few in my area that I could possibly attend.

My questions are:
-Are there any fee's other than the local fee's listed for each course? I didn't look very hard, but I couldn't find anything...
-Why do some courses cost local fee's and not others? I'd really prefer a class in Crystal Lake since my parents live there and my SIL would be available to babysit and we could stay over there, so I wouldn't have to deal with driving back and forth from a class, but it's $100 and the other class I can consider is free.
-Is there any difference in a class that costs fee's or not?
-How long is my certification good for? What are the requirements for me to keep it good?
-My husband questioned whether there are any possible legal issues with being a tech? Like if I installed a car seat that a child was then injured in, can they turn around and sue me b/c I installed it?

Thanks - I'm so passionate about car safety and I'm really excited that I might finally have the opportunity to take a class!

Click to expand...

I can answer a few.

There's a registration fee of $60. Local fees are extra to that, the $60 goes to Safe Kids.

Some classes charge local fees to help cover the cost of the chapter/instructor teaching the course. Often the instructor is taking time off work to teach the class, and/or the organization putting it on is incurring the cost of a building, etc. to hold it in. All classes will charge at least that $60, though.

No difference in classes that charge vs. classes that don't. The curriculum is standard; the only differences will be what is emphasized or de-emphasized by the individual instructors.

Certification is good for 2 years. In that time you must complete continuing education and community education requirements, and get several installs checked off by an instructor. You need to keep records of this in case of a certification audit, and more information on how to do this will be given at your class. (Also available on the Safe Kids website.) After 2 years you'll have to submit paperwork and pay a fee to keep your certification, IIRC.

Liability will vary by state. When doing checks with Safe Kids you'll be covered by their insurance; if you wish to do individual checks, documentation will be up to you. Individual liability is sometimes available, but in many states you're covered by Good Samaritan laws (not mine, sadly.) But, most techs don't feel they need it. (I do. Before I do individual checks I'll be buying a liability policy.) I don't think there's ever been a case where a CPST was sued that actually made it to judgement. Maybe not even to court, can't remember. It's highly unlikely, especially if you document correctly as you are taught to.

HOpefully I got that all right; I haven't slept all night... Someone correct anything I got wrong, please!

The PP pretty much covered your questions. I want to add to the liability question....

If you are working a Safe Kids event you are covered under their insurance.

Like if I installed a car seat that a child was then injured in, can they turn around and sue me b/c I installed it?

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If you do this on your own remember you are not installing car seats. You are an educator and will educate caregivers/parents on how to properly install and used the car seat. You will document everything and the caregiver/parent will be the last one to touch the car seat. This protect you since you did not install the car seat, they did.

SGTex said:

-My husband questioned whether there are any possible legal issues with being a tech? Like if I installed a car seat that a child was then injured in, can they turn around and sue me b/c I installed it?

Click to expand...

Quite possibly. That's part of why you don't install the seats. You might install the seat to demonstrate the process, but then you pull it out again and Mom/Dad/caregiver puts it back in. There's actually a section in the liability waiver that I have that says "I was the last person to install the seat and I was the last person to put my child in the seat." (Or words to that effect, I don't have it in front of me.) Mom/Dad/Caregiver has to sign that before I'll touch anything or give any advice. There's also a section in the waiver about agreeing not to hold me or SafeKids responsible, and understanding that not all injuries or death can be prevented.

Thank you guys for answering that for me! I for the life of my could not come up with the word liability this morning!

I've never been to a car-seat check or anything, so I had no clue how that worked! My DH wasn't so sure about me doing this before, but this will ease his mind!

Now I have to decide if I want to spend $160 to do this this summer... as much as I want to, it's already a tight summer and I can't do the class with no local fee's b/c my only babysitter possibility is out of town that week...

pixels99 said:

Quite possibly. That's part of why you don't install the seats. You might install the seat to demonstrate the process, but then you pull it out again and Mom/Dad/caregiver puts it back in. There's actually a section in the liability waiver that I have that says "I was the last person to install the seat and I was the last person to put my child in the seat." (Or words to that effect, I don't have it in front of me.) Mom/Dad/Caregiver has to sign that before I'll touch anything or give any advice. There's also a section in the waiver about agreeing not to hold me or SafeKids responsible, and understanding that not all injuries or death can be prevented.

Click to expand...

Is this something you get at the class because I would love a document like that and am taking the CPST course in less than two weeks....

It's the standard Safe Kids form used at seat check events. I believe there's a copy in the CPST student manual which you can download at cpsboard.org at http://www.cpsboard.org/training.htm.
You'll receive a hard copy of the manual at the course.