With our severe weather season approaching there are many things to prepare for and be aware of. One of the most important of these is to remain safe while out spotting or chasing.
It is very easy to forget this or put it in the back of our minds. With more and more spotters and chasers going out to watch and track severe weather the roads are becoming more congested and dangerous. For some of you this might be old stuff to remember but it's always good to refresh this with our upcoming storm season.
So how do we remain safe? There are many ways to safe while out chasing. As a EMT for a local ambulance service I have pulled out a few people from vehicle acidents, some really bad and some minor ones. As one that also chases during severe weather season around my area I know how easy it is to get caught up in reporting and watching the storms and not realize our roads and being safe on them.
Here are a few idea's and safety tips for staying safe while out chasing:
1. Always wear a Safety Vest while outside your vehicle. http://www.safetyvests.com/
2. Carry a First-Aid kit in the car, you never know when you will need it.
3. Get training in First-Aid and CPR. You can use this anytime and maybe save a life.
4. Carry extra water and towels in your car. You never know if you come up upon a damaged home or business with people in it.
5. Pull completly off the road when stopped so none of your car is on the road, law enforcement will ticket you if your on the road in anyway and they think you could cause a hazard to other drivers.
6. Don't have any suction cup device attached to your windshield in State of Minnesota. A new law prohibits anything attached to the front windshield.
If you are interested in more information on staying safe and emergency preparedness, please contact me. I teach counties and cities on Emergency Preparedness and weather safety.
Kevin
NREMT-B, Skywarn Instructor
CERT Instructor
Radio Communications is a necessity as a chaser
Yes, Thanks Robert for this. Your right about having good communications in your car. I have been on many chases where cell phones did not work and the only communications that did work was Amateur Radio. I used ham radio to talk with the NWS and to other operators to get the word out on the tornado or severe weather.
I find in a disaster cell phones are useless. As the saying goes "When all else fails, Amateur Radio works".
I would recommend all chasers get their Amateur Radio license. Amateur Radio is becoming more important these days for emergency communications, I know all eleven hospitals in SW Minnesota are getting Amateur Radios to handle backup communications from hospital to hospital and to state EOC's.
Kevin
KC0YKX
Addition
Yes, that is a great addition to my list. Thanks!! If you come upon an accident do not remove the people from the car unless you are trained in extrication from a vehicle as most EMS and Fire are. Your safety is the most important thing to remember. As a EMT I don't want to pull more people out of car or have more patients to work on if I don't have too. Provide confort to the people in the trapped vehicle but do NOT remove them, and only provide comfort if your not in danger around the vehicle.
Since most chasers are first on the scene of a severe weather event, we need to notify the authorities using the communications you mentioned here Robert. I would agree also with you on chasers becoming Amateur Radio operators, there have been more times while out chasing that cell phones were busy or not existent and the use of my ham radio always worked and allowed me to communicate with the NWS office or local ham operator in the area to warn the public.
Thanks for the note to add communications here!
Kevin
KC0YKX
Some more info.
Kevin, great blog but if I may let me add something very important to your list of things to have. A chaser in my opinion should always have some form of communication ready. Make sure you have a way to contact the rest of the world incase you get in trouble and of course for making your reports to the appropriate services, Of course I would suggest that all Chasers become ham radio operators. In many places they use ham radio to talk directly to NWS.
Sure thing
Well, look at it this way, if Kenny and you get in reck, he can't treat you. If you ride with me I have a full medical kit with me and can treat you at the scene. lol...
Kevin
Safe Chasing
I want to ride with you instead of Kenny. I don't think that guy is safe to chase with! :)
Safety Coordinator!
Hey there Safety Coordinator! Looking forward to new chase season and hanging out on the road!
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