Wow. Total downer on the rescuer. Crap.

The idea of "SAR insurance" bears merit. Get you some insurance or don't call us -- unless you've got the cash yourself. Difficult to inform the public. And enforcement? Do we station rangers in the woods to "card" people?

I've often thought there should be at least charge of, say $50. It would make people think twice but not so prohibitive that it would bankrupt people or cause them not to call when really needed. It would function much as a Doctor's co-pay does with a health care plan. HMO's found that if visits were free, utilization (amount of MD visits) went through the roof but if they charged even relatively nominal sums of $10 to $20, utilization went down. People went for the slightest sniffle when free but thought twice when the had to cough up a few bucks.

Just a thought.