Lessons Learned, Irresponsible Chasers, Ethical/Moral Responsibilities

[Eric Matthews]

This is not intended as an attack on any specific individual or group; however, I want to use some recent chase videos for two purposes; first, as an opportunity for learning about safe chasing, and second, as a way for each of us to contemplate our duties as citizens and responsibilities as humans.

There are many videos from which we can learn and I'd like to see more members of this board bring them up, pointing out potential "death traps". They are in almost every clip, so let's not only use these videos as a way to learn more about tornadoes, but let's learn more about safe chasing.

In a video from a few days ago, Dick McGowen is positioned on a paved road in Nebraska, "100 yards away" from a violent wedge tornado. Yes, the footage is amazing, but what else do you see when you watch this clip? Bordering the road to his left is a 200-yard section of irrigation piping. All it would have taken was a small surge of inflow to roll that pipe directly across the road, trapping him. If you've ever seen irrigation piping hit by a tornado, you know what I'm talking about. You are not going to drive your vehicle over or through it! In the video, you can see the piping moving and shaking... it was very close to tumbling! Dick was not chasing by himself, so he held the lives of others in his hands and kept assuring them, "we're fine", but clearly he was not aware of the potentially lethal situation he but his group in.

This is an example of irresponsible chasing. We are each responsible to know our surroundings.

Lesson Learned: If you are ever positioned downwind of irrigation piping, utility poles, or other hazards, stay further back from the tornado. Consider what would happen if these structures blocked our egress.

The second purpose of this message may be better suited as it's own discussion, but I'll introduce it here. Every so often the chaser community enters into a heated debate about our Ethical/Moral responsibilities. Each and every chaser must look at where their moral compass is pointed and decide for themselves where they stand. I cannot and will not try to suggest what each person should do.

I ask that you think this through BEFORE you are out there chasing. Is it worse for a chaser to stop and take pictures when a tornado has struck a home/town, yet also aids in search and rescue? Or is it worse for a chaser to drive by destroyed homes/towns so they can keep filming the tornado, yet not lend a hand to anyone?

If you watch a home get destroyed, do you feel the need/obligation to help another human being? Would you stand there and watch as a child is beaten or a woman is brutally raped; would you turn your back and pretend they don't need help and just walk away? Is there a difference between those scenarios and driving past destroyed homes with a high likelihood of people needing immediate help?

I work full-time as a firefighter, so yes, I do have training. But, just because someone does not have training, I don't believe they are exempt from basic human decency!

 

[Todd Lemery]

I'm also a career firefighter. The first thing we are told about ANY scene is to make sure the scene is safe for yourself before initiating any rescue so the rescuer doesn't add to the body count. With downed power lines, gas leaks etc, these are, in fact, very dangerous situations by themselves. There may be times where the most good you will be able to do is call 911 and stay out of the way. Every situation is different, so I would recommend, at the very least, for every chaser to take a basic first aid/ CPR class. There was one point I did want to let everyone know about. I have seen on video where there are downed power lines and I hear people saying that they are "dead". Always assume they are energized. When power is lost, the electrical supplier will automatically try to reenergize the lines periodically. This is done automatically whenever there is a power outage and those lines that are "dead" may become re-energized just when you are in contact or nearby. Don't consider power lines "dead" until told so by the power company

 

[Paul Knightley]

The ethical debate is something which I'm sure all chasers have gone through at times - much of it has to be a personal reasoning, but I think it's worth remembering that the actions of any chaser in a public setting can set the tone, amongst the wider populous, as to how all chasers are perceived.

That said, if you don't go looking for publicity you're unlikely to face bad publicity.

 

[Rob H]

I ask that you think this through BEFORE you are out there chasing. Is it worse for a chaser to stop and take pictures when a tornado has struck a home/town, yet also aids in search and rescue? Or is it worse for a chaser to drive by destroyed homes/towns so they can keep filming the tornado, yet not lend a hand to anyone?

The situations that chasers can aid in are extremely limited, and almost require you to be right behind the tornado as it hits something. Calling 911 and clearly communicating the situation is enough of a help that it can save peoples' lives. You don't need to perform emergency tracheotomies or anything. The best thing you can do if emergency personnel are at the scene and don't need any help is to get the heck out of there.

Now the only chasers out there minimizing the risks are those in tanks, or those that keep a large distance between them and the storm. How many chasers have stepped into puddles with downed powerlines touching them that were thankfully shorted out, driven 2' under power lines, had poles snap and fall next to the car, and have had bad feelings and changed plans at the last second before an unseen violent tornado razed the previous location? More than would publicly admit. Most of us have been there, done that.

My point is, every time you do these things you're rolling the dice. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity, so we prepare by refining our forecasts and hoping the opportunity presents itself. Bad luck is when lack of preparation meets the worst possible situation (WPS). There is literally no way to protect yourself from certain forces near a powerful storm unless you're in a tank, so you're relying on the WPS not happening. Every time you roll the dice, that's another chance for that WPS. Eventually your luck will run out no matter how good you are, and El Reno is the best example of that.

 

[Todd Rector]

This is an interesting article I came across today. I didn't know where else to put it, but it seemed logical to go with this thread.

Chasers who are in it for personal attention, and those who want to see damage so they can profit from pics. Other stuff as well - I liked the article.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/06/19/pilger_nebraska_tornado_photo_why_stormchasing_has_become_unethical.html

 

[rdale]

It's a strange article. 1) 99% of all chasers don't do that. Why throw the baby out with the bathwater? 2) The people who do it for the "wrong" reasons will keep on doing it that way. What's the purpose?

and the biggie... #3...

He was a researcher who worked with the DOW and studied under Bluestein, and somehow got the impression that the dual-pol upgrade makes eyes on the ground useless? That's straight out of Met102 ridiculous.

 

[Todd Rector]

I admit I just glanced through the article this afternoon before I shared it, and since I have seen a lot of real craziness this year, I think it resonated with me on some level.

I agree dual-pol in it's current state could never replace eyes on the ground, but I have also wondered on every single tornado-warned storm I have been on this season, how many of those warnings were triggered by overly-anxious people seeing benign atmospheric phenomena rather than actual funnels.

 

[Warren Faidley]

This is an interesting article I came across today. I didn't know where else to put it, but it seemed logical to go with this thread.

Chasers who are in it for personal attention, and those who want to see damage so they can profit from pics. Other stuff as well - I liked the article.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_t...to_why_stormchasing_has_become_unethical.html

This article is heading in the right path, but does not go far enough. I'm currently working on a similar article, but much more in depth.

I personally don't have a problem with people profiting from severe weather, I've been doing it for years via images, footage, etc. I like to think it has a positive outcome, including educating people. When you start profiting by ethical infractions, that's a different matter.

The problem is how some chasers profit from it now days and the damage they do from questionable ethics. One good example are the few chasers who are now focusing in areas where it is almost impossible to see or film tornadoes, like AR. In the words of a storm spotter I interviewed, "They are only coming out here to race to a disaster and look like they are heroes."

I believe we have reached the turning point. If you noticed this year, TWC almost completely avoided the "let's get close" way of chasing that they openly promoted last year. Good for them. I've spoken to multiple reporters who are slowly seeing through the smoke and mirrors.

As for the way Dick McGowen was chasing, you have to remember where his inspiration comes from. Then again, he has every right to chase anyway he wants and I firmly support a person's choice to chase like they desire, even if they kill themselves. If he was endangering other people, then that is a different story. There is a big difference between chasing freedom and ethics, like faking your intentions and the other issues previously discussed.

W.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

I ask that you think this through BEFORE you are out there chasing. Is it worse for a chaser to stop and take pictures when a tornado has struck a home/town, yet also aids in search and rescue? Or is it worse for a chaser to drive by destroyed homes/towns so they can keep filming the tornado, yet not lend a hand to anyone?

Now let's back pedal and think about all the different scenarios here. Let me throw out a couple of ideas and see what the rest of the forum think...

Personally, I've never come across major damage after a tornado. Sometimes I'll drive through an area that's been hit a few hours after it happened. Obviously by then, the area is on lockdown with various search and rescue teams. Now to get to know me a little bit, I consider myself a desensitized individual. I can look at extremely gory situations and not be completely disgusted. There's not many sights and smells that make me feel sick. That's just how I am. So yes, if I was to come up to an area where there's not many people helping others or any rescue teams, I'll drop whatever I'm doing and help out anyway I can. I don't have any first aid training, but I'm built to move heavy objects if needed.

But, I don't chase alone. My girlfriend has been with me the last 2 years of chasing. I know for a fact that seeing death and destruction up close would do unimaginable permanent emotional and mental damage to her. So if we do have to come across a large violent damage path, it would probably be in our best interest to just keep going. I'm not at all a selfish person in any way or form, but I do think about the people I care about first and foremost.

 

[Jake Orosi]

This is an interesting article I came across today. I didn't know where else to put it, but it seemed logical to go with this thread.

Chasers who are in it for personal attention, and those who want to see damage so they can profit from pics. Other stuff as well - I liked the article.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/06/19/pilger_nebraska_tornado_photo_why_stormchasing_has_become_unethical.html

Clicking the reference link at that article to the quotes from the photographer was nauseating.

For those of you who view me as 'inhumane' and a 'vulture': Do you want to know what it's like to make eye contact with a dying child as you photograph her being carried to an ambulance on a stretcher, and see the life within her eyes slowly fading to darkness? Can you hear the wailing of her badly injured mother, who knew that her daughter was dying as she lay there, unable to even say goodbye to her precious child and kiss her one final time? Do you know what its like to watch another human being slipping into the otherworld, and not be able to do a damn thing about it?

I saw. I heard. And I felt.

...and then I thought, dayum I've got to post this on my Wall, I'll be internet-famous!

 

[Todd Rector]

I am a former career firefighter/paramedic, so it's natural for me to want to help anyone in any circumstance if I am able to do so.

I have just recently begun chasing again a few years ago, and luckily have not come across a recently devastated town. I am prepared to render emergency aid if needed (I carry fire gloves, a flashlight, window punch, knife, gas wrench and communications gear in my car along with many years of experience in technical rescue) but I fully recognize my limitations in a disaster circumstance and would be prepared to leave the scene immediately when appropriately trained personnel with rescue equipment arrived. It's been joked about many times in EMS circles, but there is a moderate amount of truth to it:

Q. What do you call a paramedic without an ambulance full of equipment?
A. A bystander.

In cases like Marcus Diaz - chasing with someone he needs to protect emotionally from a disaster scenario - I would never judge a decision to bypass a scene. We have to protect ourselves and the people we love.

 

[Todd Rector]

Oh. Yeah. That makes me want to barf.

Again, I am a retired firefighter/paramedic and I *have* seen the most horrible deaths imaginable happening on the streets, in a livingroom, in my ambulance. The difference is, I don't talk about it with anyone but my professional peers and my shrink. I certainly don't paste it on social media for all to see.

 

[Todd Lemery]

Well said Jake and Todd Rector

 

[Bob Schafer]

Just for the sake of anyone reading this thread who didn't know it:

Dr Chuck Doswell has been around for a long, long time, and is a legendary stormchaser. He is also well known for being opinionated about these sorts of issues, has been writing about issues such as this for decades, and IMO good for him. Free country.

 

[Dan Robinson]

The problem with articles like this, and threads like this, is that they take the actions of a few and apply it to all. I'm getting tired of having to defend chasing when this happens and can't understand why any chaser would take the torch and smear the names of us all.

I've worked with media long enough to know that controversy is a gold mine. A profit maker. How a writer gets promotions. When someone unfairly publicly disparages undeserving people in an article or op-ed piece, naturally there will be those rising up in defense, and viola, a controversy is born. The media outlet laughs all the way to the bank. It's that way by design. It's not really about the issue being discussed, it's about ruffling people's feathers enough to get a response. And if good people get their names smeared in the process, it's acceptable collateral damage. Yet another way some in the profession invoke "journalism" as a do-anything-I-want-to-make-money card. It's in itself in the same category of the picture from Pilger - just do what one has to do to make a buck, regardless of who is hurt in the process - then just say "hey, it's journalism" to help one sleep at night.

We've had countless threads on this in the past, here's yet another one. I could just go back and copy-paste what I typed in those other threads, but I don't think it would matter.