Storm Chasing and Emergencies

[Jason Boggs]

Furthermore, I do not understand the chasers who feel it is necessary to drive with warning lights activated. I have strobes in the tails and an LED bar in the back window of my tv station chase vehicle. When I am in a dangerous situation, parked, they come on. I also wear a reflective vest in those situations if I am outside the truck. I just don't get people who feel the need to drive with them on. Again, a bit of a vent.

So you're saying someone CAN'T be in a dangerous situation while DRIVING down a road?? They have to be parked before lights need to be activated...

I don't agree at all with this scenario.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

They may have you do something as simple as stand there and tell people where they are setting up a shelter or blocking a road. It could be more complex.

But there may come a time when you may be the first person there. It's those times you will wish you had prepared beforehand if you haven't.

Disaster scenes are not for the faint of heart, and as prepared as you may think you are to view and help out in one, unless you have done this many times in the past, I can tell you, you are not prepared. Emotions you thought you could contain might overwhelm you, you may see things you never imagined. Even emergency workers who do this stuff day in and day out sometimes have to get Critical Stress Debriefing after some incidents. Be careful what you open yourself up to, it may affect you for the rest of your life.

Wise words, David. That's what I think.

Moreover, as I was writing in a different topic, during a tornado emergency you could have explosions, poison gas emissions, dangerous tension cables, debris falling down from trees or from unstable collapsed houses and many other dangers, and you must keep in mind that you could have to deal with that, any seconds. It must say that if you are not too conscious of those risks you could encounter, because of concitation or adrenaline, it would turn out to be bad for you. So, to me it's better to do what you can do without making the hero, especially if you're not a medic. One thing is to help, another thing is to make stupid things, for yourself and others.