# Lawsuits make their way into the SAR field



## ffemt8978 (Jun 16, 2009)

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/06/16/9811671-sun.html


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## Luno (Jun 17, 2009)

I can see the next lawsuit now... Gilles Blackburn being the cause of the deactivation of SAR, so someone who had a chance, if SAR could of gotten to them dies... You've gotta love this... These people have can't grasp the concept that if you're out there, nobody HAS to come and rescue you...  And if they come, they don't have to succeed...


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## LucidResq (Jun 17, 2009)

Wow. I'd like to know who holds the legal responsibility for SAR in BC. I know that in my state and many other US jurisdictions the sheriff's office or another LE agency holds responsibility.


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## Mountain Res-Q (Jun 17, 2009)

_He claims the three organizations *didn't do enough *to save him and his wife, Marie-Josee Fortin, 44, after they became lost on Feb. 15._

Please.  I absolutely hate that attitude.  People have absolutely no clue what is really involved in Wilderness SAR.  I know nothing about this team or their capabilities, but my team has received the same criticism from time to time from city-folk that do something stupid in the woods and are under the assumption that help will be there to save their butts.  They have no respect for the wilderness and it's raw nature.  I have seen family members that practically threaten rescuers because they believe that we aren't doing enough.  "Enough" according to whom?  The helicopters, dogs, trackers, swiftwater teams, rope teams, atvs, snowmobiles, and nordic teams are not enough?  The hundreds of years of experience that we have in EMS, Search Managements, Ski Patrol, and Technical Rescue is not enough?  The term "needle in a haystack" is about right when it comes to SAR.  Like is true in Ambulance, people have no clue what is really involved in SAR work.  How dare they attack people who (in addition to their day jobs in Fire/Forestry/EMS/etc...) volunteer their time to be on call 24/7 just on the off chance that they will be called out at 0300 hrs so that they can spend days out in the middle of nowhere, cold, wet, tired, hungry, and emotionally drained.  This is a sad situation on so many fronts.  I am shocked and dismayed at the way SAR is organized in many places.  In CA, the injuries and such to the team members are covered by the state.  Because we are part of the SO, we are insured through them.  To shut down an entire team (and it sounds like others will be forced to do likewise) and leave giant swaths of Canada (primarily wilderness, am I right) unprotected, is ridiculous!!!  SAR does things that Fire and Forest Service can't or won't.  As we enter Summer (when call volume can increase) who is gonna protect that 7 year old playing hid and seek when he gets lost in the woods?  Who will be there for the plane that goes down in the forest?  Who will be there for the rock climber that falls of a rock face and is hanging 300 feet above?  I do what I do because some has to and I am willing and able to help those in need... but sometimes I wonder if some people are worth the misery I put myself through!!!


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## LucidResq (Jun 18, 2009)

Amen. 

And most importantly... if you don't want to risk serious injury or death, stay in-bounds at ski areas. How freaking stupid can you be? Better yet, if you don't want to risk serious injury or death, DON'T SKI. 

Nothing is more irritating to me than people who willingly do stupid stuff and then whine and moan when the people helping them can't completely eliminate the consequences of their actions. Yes, I deal with stupid people on a daily basis, we all do, but there's a big difference between a stupid person and a stupid person who sues you for not being able to save them from their own stupidity.


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## Summit (Jun 18, 2009)

The moron is from Quebec... what do you expect? His resilience the face of his own unfathomable stupidity was quite astounding.

RCMP does seem like they dropped the ball a bit, but the other organizations are completely innocent.


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## BossyCow (Aug 6, 2009)

I remember this on the news so my perspective is a bit more than what is told in the link. The SAR unit, like many of us, require a tone out from the Law Enforcement agency we operate under. In this particular case, the RCMP did more than 'drop the ball a little bit'. They ignored repeated requests to initiate a search and wouldn't even do a preliminary air search of the area. The couple had left a large, easily visible from the air marking of the spot and had the RCMP done the minimum, they would have been found and rescued. As I understand the situation, the local SAR group was exceedingly frustrated by the RCMPs lack of interest in initiating the search. The delay was not due to bad weather or danger to searchers but due to the RCMP refusing to take the situation seriously. 

Lawsuits are a pain when they are filed by someone who is looking to profit from an agencies inability to change the weather, risk personnel, or move mountains. This one I believe is justified. The RCMP screwed up royally, the SAR unit being mentioned is most likely a lawyer's ploy to get SAR to roll over on the RCMP. Both subjects survived the event and would have been rescued had the search been initiated in a timely manner. Had it been my spouse lost, I'd be talking to a lawyer myself.


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