*** Legal Liability in SAR *** Subject: Re: Liability for SAR Coordination Center Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 09:27:46 +0000 From: "Robert H. McCool" To: sar-l@islandnet.com Hi, Can anyone recommend sources to research liability issues regarding search and rescue organizations. We are a search and rescue coordination center with a 24 hour HF radio monitoring service for exploration teams working in remote areas of Peru. The project is non-profit and is supported by a group of 18 companies involved in exploration. We do not have any resources of our own except team of management/coordination team (Incident Coordinator, Information Systems Officer, Communications Officer, and radio operators) and a team of emergency doctors on 24 hour call with equipment. We rely on contacts to find and optimize whatever is available. We are newly formed, only a few months old, and have had five successes to date. The liability issue has come up among the members and we need to know how others have handled it. Are disclaimers, good samaritan laws, and/or insurance the answers? If so, where can we learn the details. I imagine this is well covered somewhere, and I'm sorry to be attempting to reinvent the wheel. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Tom Smith Tom, While I know absolutely nothing about the civil liability laws of Peru (and little enough about such laws here in the US), I can recommend a very good source of information to you: Norman Lawson Legislative Research Commission Kentucky State Capitol Room 300 Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 Phone: (502) 564-8100 I think Norm also has e-mail, but I don't know what his address is. He is probably the closest thing to an "expert" there is on SAR liability - he's the author of the chapter on Legal Issues in NASAR's Managing the Search Function text - and I think he could answer your questions. Hope this helps! ***Robert McCool*** --- Robert H. McCool, MS, EMT E-mail: rmccool@pop.uky.edu Univ. of Kentucky Medical Center --------------------------- KY Injury Prevention & Research Center Training Officer 333 Waller Avenue, Suite 202 Madison County Rescue Squad Lexington, Kentucky 40504-2915 P.O. Box 249 (606) 257-6741 Fax: (606) 257-3909 Richmond, Kentucky 40476 Web Site: http://www.kiprc.uky.edu/mvipp/ ------------------------