Stopping to help (or call for help) when pulling up on devastation

[ChristofferB]

Two things left unsaid in this very interesting discussion:

- I know of several storm chasers who have had a really strong psychological response (i.e. traumas) as of being a first responder after a major tornado. We have all seen videos of the rubble and devastation after a tornado but very few have seen what a tornado does to a human being. Imagine a night time tornado where you only see this lit up by sporadic lightning. These are memories that will haunt you forever. Having said that, not helping out in a situation like that is something that could leave even worse psychological scars! I am not pointing this out to discourage people to assist, I am just saying this is a factor often left undiscussed. Life threatening wounds are more important than psychological scars.

- If you do not feel comfortable helping out with people or feel that you would just worsen the situation, perhaps one of the less risky but yet important ways of assisting (outside of calling 911) is to try to clear the roads so that emergency personnel can reach the wounded. This is of course when there are no live wires on the ground.

I hope that, in a catastrophic event like this, that I would be able to help out more than just calling 911 but I think you don't really know until you are in a situation like that yourself.

 

[Jamey Ahlgrim]

Well I'm a couple weeks late to the discussion but I'll add my $0.02.

First off, I am a firefighter/paramedic with 30 years experience in fire and EMS including supervisory and command experience and also an active chaser for the past 12 years. I'm going to add a couple of things to think about. I did skim through and read most of the thread so far but admittedly may have glossed over some things so I apologize if it's already been mentioned.

#1. I can vouch for Scott Peake stopping and helping in damage paths. I pulled up to the destruction caused by the Mayflower, AR tornado in April 2014 on I-40 just after it hit and long before any emergency vehicles were there. At one location was a car under a load of debris on the interstate and several people on the pile trying to get to the injured underneath. One of those people helping was Scott Peake. I have video of it if anyone is interested.

#2. At the scene listed above I ended up parking my car on the shoulder of the interstate and leaving it for a couple of hours while I searched for victims in an RV park on the east side of the freeway. This potentially blocked access for responding emergency vehicles since the freeway itself was blocked. Lesson learned: If you stop, be very aware of how much you and/or your vehicle might be in the way and take appropriate measures. Again, I have video if anyone is interested

#3. I stopped to help after a tornado leveled parts of Earle, AR in May of 2008. At that scene I presented myself and my credentials to the fire department incident command and offered my assistance. I then waited for an assignment. Eventually enough help arrived and I wasn't needed as a freelancer so I promptly left the area. Lesson here is self-dispatching might help initially but when help starts arriving it becomes a hindrance. Fire and EMS workers need accountability of everyone on scene and the more freelancers their are in a scene the more complicated the organization gets for incident commanders.

#4. I was one of the first to almost arrive at Pilger, NE in June 2014. I approached from the south and was met on the south edge of town by downed power lines across the highway. I could see the destroyed buildings from my vehicle and wanted badly to help. I have also personally seen a firefighter get electrocuted once and have had a healthy respect (fear) of downed power lines ever since. I ended up having to go around and once I saw that officials were moving into Pilger I quickly got out of their way ad never entered the town. I feel bad that I did not help but I still think I did the right thing. I have video of this also however it is hard to see the power lines in my video. Proof that video only tells part of a story.

#5. Can an average person handle what they may find on the scene of mass destruction? It's life-changing to some and you might not know it until it's too late. I fault nobody for not entering scenes like that. If your strength is following a tornado after it hits something to continue to give timely updates to prevent further injuries and deaths down the road, I'm all for it. If your strength is to help the injured then do that. And if you are their selfishly for the quick action shot or whatever then it would be most helpful to just get out of everyones way.

#6. If you think you are going to stop and help at these scenes then consider carrying multiple tourniquets as a minimum first aid supply. Buy a bed sheet and cut it into strips. I can't think of much else that you could carry in bulk for cheap that would help the most patients.

Just random thoughts and opinions from someone who works in the industry.

 

[Brett Roberts]

Fantastic post, Jamey. It's great to hear such a nuanced and detailed perspective from someone with expertise on the subject. Much appreciated.

The next time outside critics, or envious rival chasers, want to hammer someone and drag their name through the mud for a personal, subjective interpretation of their failure to do X, Y, and Z in a certain event, replying simply with the URL to the above post should suffice. Bookmarked.