Who Should Pay?

“Interesting article.”

“Calculating the costs for these rescues is very subjective. The helicopter has been paid for, the employees have already been paid (overtime excepted).

The additional expense is usually minimal. However to maintain and support a rescue team is very expensive. Do you divide the number of rescues by the total cost? If we do then the costs are astonomical!

Cost accounting is almost as fun as backpacking!”

“The way the aticle phrased it, it sounded as if experienced climbers got in over their head through no fault of their own. In situation such as this I see no need to charge anybody. Yes it's expensive, but s#!t just happens. I might one day need rescue, but I cannot predict the future. I am going to be flamed for this, but the only time I can see the cost of a rescue being taken out of the victim is if they had purposely ignored warnings. In that case it's their own damn fault.”

“Drive on!
If there was no one to rescue, rescue work would be no fun.”

“I think that only repeat offenders should have to pay for the cost of being rescued. Everyone should get one (just one) "brain-dead day".

Maybe someone that does something so stupid that even an eight year old could tell them it is a bad idea should have to pay, too. Dunno.”

“Recently there was an idiot who climbed Mt. Washington, where every day is a bad weather possilbe/likely day. He carried his cell phone and just figured on calling when he got too tired or in trouble. Well, he called and I think the idiot ought to be charged for the taxi ride. Also comes to mind: what if there had been some other hikers out there, fully prepared, who got in trouble and needed a rescue? This idiot is tying up valuable needed services. I say we charge the idiot!!

As far as helicopter time and expense: Just about every mission flown by the military is a training mission. Exceptions: submarine patrols off our coast, and Desert storm, some others. Go to a military base and watch the planes doing touch and goes, those are classified training missions, even though the pilot may have thousands of hours flight time. They need to keep their proficiency up for use in case of battle. "Every" military plane crash occurs on a training mission. They are always training. How about training missions being traded for rescue missions. They wouldn't spend any more cash than the training missions. I understand that the greatest amount of fuel is used up on take off and landing, just imagine what each touch and go costs us.”

“I would not mind buying a hiking licence--kinda like a fishing licence. The money could go into a search and rescue pot. For that matter since everybody is charging to park everywhere maybe that money should be tapped.”

“I like the way it is dealt with in Europe. You buy SAR insurance or you pay. Rates depend on what you do, where you are going and experance.
I've been part of SAR for alot of years and have seen just to many STUPID things done. It wastes my time and much money to "save" someone who couldn't be bothered to even have a map. Remember most SAR teams are volunteers in both time and money!”

“I heard somewhere that hikers should pay if it is there fault. What if you hike Rainier and there's an avalanche or you fall into a crevass? That's a natural happening, yet it is knowingly possible if you do that hike.

Did anyone see the rebroadcast yesterday on MSNBC about a young man going on a one day hike across the Matterhorn? The weather turned into a hurricane-like storm.
He brought a sleeping bag, but no tent. After many days, he was found by helicopters that were searching for him every day. Whether he had to pay was never mentioned.

He managed to survive by defrosting snow by putting it into a container & keeping it close to his body, and eating very little everyday.”

“We have idiot ice fishermen who go out on unsafe ice every year and have to be rescued by the Coast Guard. The cost per rescue is astronomical! There has been talk about charging the rescuees for the past two years. They go out when it's known that the ice is unstable. I think the SAR insurance is a great idea, or perhaps work off the costs doing park maintenance if one cannot pay up.”