REVscene Automotive Forum - B.C. search and rescue volunteers consider quitting over liability fears

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B.C. search and rescue volunteers consider quitting over liability fears

Quote:

http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/ph...ore-rescue.jpg
The leaders of the largest search and rescue teams in B.C. are demanding the province provide third-party insurance coverage for the volunteer organizations.

Officials from North Shore Rescue met with search groups from Whistler, Lions Bay, and Squamish, in Whistler on Wednesday night to organize a united front to present to the provincial government.

The groups are concerned after learning a Quebec man launched a lawsuit against the Golden and District Search and Rescue Association. Gilles Blackburn filed the suit claiming negligence by the association, the Mounties and a ski resort for not carrying out a proper search for him and his wife when they got lost on a mountain after skiing out of bounds. His wife, Marie-Josée Fortin, died of hypothermia after seven days on the mountain.

The province provides insurance for individual members, but said it is up to the non-profit societies that govern the groups to insure themselves.

Tim Jones of North Shore Rescue said both the volunteers and socieites should be insured by the province.

The situation has upset some experienced volunteer rescuers, and some are considering quitting, said Jones.

"There are some members — and they are fellow members who I have known for my 20 years in search and rescue — they are beside themselves, and they are some of the most experienced search and rescue volunteers in the province," said Jones.

Rescue teams along the Sea-to-Sky corridor have agreed they will continue to provide full service for now. At least three search and rescue groups in B.C.'s southeastern interior recently suspended their operations over insurance concerns.

The province's new Solicitor General Kash Heed plans to meet with the head of the Search and Rescue Association of B.C. next week, but Jones said Heed should also meet with individual search team leaders to hear their concerns.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...e-demands.html

Fuck, people really suck!

fuck that asshole that go out of bound and got his wife kill,
he should be charged with manslaughter

People from quebec really suck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mananetwork (Post 6471409)

Fuck, people really suck!

Mother, Fucking Shit! They should've just left that asshole out there to freeze to death with his wife.

You ski out of bounds and you blame someone else for not helping you...like come on..!!

so much BS, the guy should be thankful anyone came to get him

I fully expect that fucker's house gets egged by noon

bloody wanker ruining it for everyone else. they're not obligated to help search, it's a voluntary act. no idea how you can sue a group of people for doing something out of the goodness of their hearts.

#1 the idiot gets lost with his wife and puts their lives in danger

#2 the best he can come up with is SOS stamped in the snow

#3 wife dies and he blames search and rescue because they didn't come fast enough

#4 now he's sueing everyone, which means suspended services, which means MORE people could possibly die, because of the STUPIDITY of this asshole.

I'm not impressed.

the french - surrendering and sueing?

idiot. someone go shove a ski down his piehole.

i donate annualy to the north shore search and rescue, although i never ever go anywhere but the groomed runs.

wut an ass. Those ppl risk their lives to save u & u thank them by sueing them? Like c'mon

Some people just think they're entitled to everything.

"If I get lost because I was doing something stupid, YOU have to come look for me! And if you do a shitty job, I'm gonna sue you!"

Fuckin' idiot.

this is the biggest bullshit ever. search and rescue people shouldve just left him there to die.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxx (Post 6471503)

the french - surrendering and sueing?

idiot. someone go shove a ski down his piehole.

:werd:

Agree with everyone 100%

They should take this guy back into the wilderness and let him find his way back. Fucking ungrateful motherfucker.

Props to people who volunteer though for such a program. These people can't be thanked and appreciated enough. This guy is not going to win his lawsuit but the defence costs arising out of these mofos will still warrant liability insurance coverage.

If gov't doesn't want to provide liability coverage for the S&R programme, they should provide for a "Hold Harmless" act to remove liability.

That motherfucker should have died out there.

fucking stupid! they risked their lives to save him and this is how he repays them? talk about gay..

shit reminds me of that high school case a while back, where a kid skiied out of bounds or something and broke his neck and got paralyzed. he sued the school and won for negligence or some shit -- EVEN THOUGH THE TEACHERS SPECIFICALLY SAID NOT TO GO THERE.

people like that seriously piss me off.

Lesson learned, dead people don't sue next time leave his ass on the mountain.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby (Post 6471517)

+ 1

if you knowingly go and do something stupid, be prepared to face the consequences.

It's like if I'm dumb and go hunting for gators in the florida keys. If I get attacked by an alligator, and the coast guard comes to save me, and they were too slow, so I lost a leg, I think i'll sue them. like WTF.

It's fucking stupid.

The only time a skiier would be able to sue is if it negiglence was very obvious.

example: While trying to rescue the skiiers, one of the helicopter pilot was actually half drunk and landed on one of the people and killing them. . .Then they have grounds for suing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by carisear (Post 6471768)

No, I think it was a snowboarder on a HS trip who tried to do an inverted aireal trick and broke his neck.

Sued the school for improper supervision or something and won I believe.

I may be wrong, but that's what I recall.

This is the first time I've ever seen every poster in an RS thread agree with each other. MY faith has been restored!

As for the topic at hand, I'm inclined to agree with the volunteers. It's not too much to ask of the province to cover insurance for these men and women, as they already donate their time, and put their lives at risk every time they step off on a rescue attempt. It's not as though they're asking for big salaries or anything.

they should sue the quebec guy to recover the entire costs of the rescue.