Questions for Susan Docherty

[nmikes]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ChevyHighPerformance:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by nmikes:
How would you characterize the success of hope. Do you think the program could be even more successful by involving more local law enforcement (i.e. sheriff's departments) in addition to just the 'Red Cross'. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

nmikes,

My only knowledge of HOPE is from the Hummer literature. Would you mind providing more insight into your question. You mentioned involving the local law enforcement. This sounds good. Are there any other possible organizational inclusions with HOPE? How about on the flip side, are there any legal issues/problems with HOPE. For example, if a hummer owner is actively angaged in providing relief with a Red Cross agent and something tragic happens, are there a ton of lawyers waiting to sue everybody? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm in Seattle and they have a pretty active volunteer search and rescue organization that works independantly but in close coordination with the sheriff's department (KCSAR 4x4). I know that when I was involved with them, getting called out to transport SAR crews the liability fell to the county for any mishaps like, if you were dragging a parts of a body to a vehicle for transport and got body gunk on you, your clothes would be classified as a bio hazard... they'd go in one of those bright bags with the scarey symbal and eventually incinerated, the county/state would pay to have them replaced. Same would go for your vehicle if it was damaged on a mission, the county would foot the bill for repairs probably the most common was cracked windshields and torn up tires. On missions you and your vehicle actually fell under the state, you personally could not be held liable. Like the nurse that walked into the tail blade of the helicopter once... the pilot or the on-scene commander couldn't be sued as individuals. Now I would believe the same would hold true for the Red Cross... any mishaps Red Cross is liable... wich is why you can't just show up in a disaster and expect to be directly involved. Its to protect you as much as it is them. But it would vary from county to state on how the insurance terms are drafted. I know first hand that this can be a valuable way for people to get involved... even doing street searches for alzheimer's patients and/or responding to amber alerts.