Great thread. I can see doing this in a few yrs when my kids are older and I have more me time. Have always been curious how this works and how people get involved.
In California, you are covered for bodily injury or death by the state compensation fund, assuming you are registered as a Disaster Service Worker on a SAR mission or training.
In our county, gear lost or destroyed on missions is usually compensated. The Sheriff provides vehicles and encourages us to use them. Personal Vehicle damage or wear/tear isn't covered in our case. Some teams have a different arrangement.