On thing about charging for rescue; it tends to deter use of the service, which can have bad consequences.

Yes, tax money funds public safety services, but generally you are not given a bill when utilizing those services.

Over the years in my local area, SAR has evolved from a basically incompetent activity to a basically effective community asset, mostly based on improvement of volunteer capability in response to a demonstrated need. IMHO, the taxpayer gets a pretty good deal....