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out. “I don’t want to risk everything that I’ve acquired because of volunteering, and I don’t want to put my family through the psychological trauma of a lawsuit.”
Another fireman said, “It’s going to be devastating on volunteers in the whole county. A lot of guys work during the day and do this on the side. They can’t afford to be sued and lose their whole estates. There are lawyers begging on television, offering all kinds of guarantees. You know it’s bad if lawyers are on TV.”
Clayton said that the Virginia Rescue Squad Association has been looking at potential liability for some time, but the impact of the Catlett suit could go beyond what it expected.
However, he said, Virginians in the fire and rescue service are protected somewhat by. the so-called “good Samaritan law. ”
“It basically says that if you are out there performing a function for which you were trained, within the guidelines of your standard operating procedure, you’re given the benefit of the doubt,” he said.
However, the good Samaritan law, versions of which exist in many other states, has never been tried in Virginia, and it has limitations.
“Where it leaves off is if you go outside your training. I’m a cardiac technician, which means I can perform a good many procedures. But if I decide to do open-heart surgery —
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