Chaser code of ethics?

[Matt Handley]

"Now we have a thread regarding what was heard on someones audio stream and IMO obviously taken way out of context much less by a newbie chaser (and I do not mean any disrespect when saying that)"

I understand you don't mean any disrespect by that, but because I'm a newbie to the forum doesn't mean I'm a newbie chaser. I've spotted/chased for Skywarn for the past 7 years and just for fun for 2 years before that. I should have added that

 

[Aaron Dooley]

No offense but im shocked by how many people are truly shocked. What did you expect? The author of this thread has some valid points but your bringing up issues much deeper than this one issue in your overall point. Going to have people coming to know Jesus Christ as their lord and savior if we want to get to the heart of this problem. Your going to see this across the board in anything you want to name off. Sports, public speeking(lol), live news production rooms(ROFL). Lets not get started on unsafe driving. PDS situation + tornado warned storm+professional storm spotters dealing with stupid locals out gawking at a tornado warned storms = risky, perhaps unsafe driving at moments.

Having said all that, the law does say you come to a complete stop when you come up to a stop sign. You also cant pass on a double yellow. Driving in excess of the posted speed limits puts everyone at risk especially while driving in unsafe driving conditions.

In Mikes defense his driver is somewhat new and im sure was just trying to show he was willing to do what it takes to get there. With his lack of overall experience instead of publicly shunning the guy why dont one of the older guys try and talk to the guy and give him an ear or two. Then dust his shoulders off and send him on your way. Believe me after this ill bet he never pulls something like today ever again.

It's simply because there are a few people who love drama/infighting and love to post things to try and get others in trouble because they can't keep their mouth closed and mind their own business, plain and simple. I have seen too many times information posted similar to this that is simply hearsay yet they "want the person to be outed" or "named" to bash their character, demean, and harass them before facts are even known fully from both sides.

As sure as I say that, I will also say this is a discussion forum where people need to know about these issues so they don't happen unless life threatening danger is taking place. There are many situations where running a red light or going around someone is acceptable, especially to save lives or assist the public. Remember what a stop sign means in the spirit of the law...It means to look both ways so you don't hit someone. In an emergency situation, a real one, make sure you don't cause more damage than you are trying to prevent. I know for myself if there is a tornado on top of me and I'm sitting at a red light where I can see if traffic is coming from all directions, I am going to go through it. Everyone will have to weigh these things for themselves as they will ultimately be responsible for their decisions and any harm they cause to another as well as any tickets or jail time. However, not having tickets/jail/injury happen doesn't mean people can harass them. I really doubt there would ever be a situation where a LEO is waiting to give you a ticket for trying to save your own or other's lives, in fact, there are provisions in the law for this as well as the discretion of the LEO.

In my opinion, Mike or David shouldn't have to answer to anyone on here because people are trying to cause a public bashing and harassment of them. Really, the bashing and harassment should stop as that is more of a problem than these situations being discussed in the first place. It is also interesting how many people follow and attempt to play off of someones recommendations that "appear" to be innocent but they are really wrapped in a disguise to cause problems for others. It just causes tension, stress, backstabbing, and more self righteous glamorization amongst the community.

 

[Stan Rose]

I think that anyone who puts themselves out in the public (video) is subject to commentary in a public forum. It doesnt have to become a flame war or personal vendetta--public behavior is worthy of discussion--period!
I try to avoid the drama but the original subject of this thread is one i take quite seriously; the fact that chasing as a whole has become somewhat of a distasteful circus. Anyone who has been chasing for more than 10 years knows that. Its self evident.

 

[Danny Neal]

Please remember to utilize the report button feature....any more attempts at public moderation and/or inciting of a flame war will be heavily penalized. Keep the discussion on track please.

 

[Scott Bennett]

One of the chasers in question I have had this same type of conversation with in another public forum. I run a weather chat and have a very strong belief that nothing should be said in there you would not say in my living room in front of my kids.

If your running audio on a stream I would feel the same way... if you can't say nice things leave it off.

Bart and I were chasing with audio on last week and had a fun conversation about Nebraska moving to the Big 10... obviously you can't control the weather but you can control what comes out of your mouth. I can try to contain what is said in my chat, but in the field people will do what they want to do... not much you can do to control that other than not give that person your respect.

 

[Mike Bennett]

I'm no saint and routinely speed while chasing and have pulled some stunts while chasing. I'm guilty. I don't think the spotter aspect of chasing is ever a justification for these maneuvers though. These storms were well warned and there were plenty of other spotters in better locations. There's no real need to break laws to get ground verification of a tornado warning.

I applaud your honesty Mikey, and I think we should all have the integrity to own up to our public actions. I know it was not implied in your post, but being a spotter or chaser never puts us above the law. Sure if you've got a medical emergency, I'd be passing that school bus too. The good of reporting severe weather to the NWS does not outweigh the bad of traffic violations, however.

...............AMEN!

 

[Mark Manchester]

Although it doesn't pertain to a chaser, here's a happy, feel-good story mentioning 3 of the exact things that have been discussed in this thread: http://www.ketv.com/r/27687912/detail.html

 

[Jake Orosi]

There's no need to start slugging it out over this stuff; I just think that, especially if we're willing to admit that we are playing a little fast and loose with traffic safety now and then, we shouldn't get all cranky over these legitimate criticisms. If you're going to break traffic laws on camera for the world to freely watch, expect some people to point it out and just roll with it. Assertions like 'we all do it' and 'other people have done worse' and 'the NWS was watching my stream and I had to keep up with the storm' will do little to assuage the suffering caused by a car accident; likely won't get you out of a ticket either. And again, if you're unwilling to help it, just have your feed mysteriously glitch out for a few moments before you pass all those trucks across a double-yellow or run that stop sign. Then you don't have to listen to the complaints at all.

 

[Dave Rennie]

The best rule of thumb is to be of the frame of mind that if you're streaming video, the world is watching, and if you're streaming video with audio, not only are they watching, they're listening too.

 

[Alan Broerse]

Chaser code of ethics? Its the wild west out in Tornado alley......Most Chasers ARE responsible and ethical....some chasers will walk the line every chance they get and borderline the reckless catagory...some only go reckless when cornered into a near death experience. WE ALL HAVE HAD TO DO UNLAWFUL ACTS and only we (you) will have to answer for that....by fellow chaser critics.....the police.....as a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit...or by your maker. Im not without fault...and I witness this many times a year....It will take post like this to open the minds of other chasers to maybe see that tornado footage is NOT worth a life....With the TV chase craze turning everyone into a rookie chaser.....I feel like we are going to lose lives in the next year or two because everyone wants to drive into a multi vortex EF-3 because they saw it on TV......Its up to us to POLICE ourselves....or face the consequences later...maybe even legislation....God help us on that one

 

[Gerard Jebaily]

Being ethical means having integrity. And integrity means doing the right thing when NOBODY is watching, not when you have 150+ viewers. I doubt anybody here has not bent or broken a law in the name of storm chasing. But we should all realize the possible consequences of it and call out anybody we see doing something stupid.

 

[Greg Johnson]

I dont think this issue has to do with audio at all. Anybody who says such things or even thinks this way is a degenerate. I really wish that you would post who was saying this as a general shun from the chaser/MET communities is in order. I for one am a photographer and as much as this is a passion for me, I certainly do not want to ever see damage, destruction, death or dismay. It does and will continue to happen but that is not a benefit of chasing. Kudos to you for raising this issue in this forum, I for one have never heard this type of thing but rest assured that if I did and if I knew who was saying it I would unfriend on FB, unfollow on Twitter and block them wherever possible.

We all get excited when a wall cloud forms and we all are hoping to see tornadoes for a variety of reasons, but if the choice is a bust or someones death....really that is no choice at all. The reality is that we don't get to make that choice, mother nature does.

 

[Keith Wilson]

I was involved in a traffic accident in 1992 that wasn't chaser related, but it is a scenario that could easily play out during a chase.

My wife and I were traveling north on a busy 2-lane highway in Alabama (331). People use it to get to the beaches of the Florida Panhandle. We topped a little hill and were immediately hit head on by a man trying to pass on a double yellow section of the highway. He was going 70mph and we were going 55mph, so it was quite an impact. The double yellow was there on a long straightaway because the little hill hid a small dip in the road that was hardly noticable. He was trying to get to the condo that he had rented before check-in time, and that was obviously very important to him. He didn't consider the potential consequences of his actions until after the fact, and suddenly getting to the condo in time seemed as insignificant to him as it did to us.

I endured a torturous period of reconstructive surgery on my face (it didn't help my looks any since they charged extra for that ), right foot, and right knee. My wife's sturnum was split from top to bottom and nearly punctured her lungs. Everybody miraculously survived, though he had to be revived.

Had my wife and I not been wearing our seat belts (before it was law), the man would have been responsible for orphaning our 5 children (who by chance were not in the vehicle). That could have been the consequences of his actions for something as insignificant as getting to his condo in time.

You could take this scenario and replace "condo" with "tornado" and have the same potential consequences.

I don't want anybody here to think that this is an attack on driving habits in the heat of the moment because it is not. I do hope it encourages a moments pause to think about what could happen before an action is taken. Is it something that you could live with?