I don't see any major improvements happening soon. All governments and taxpayers are perfectly happy to let SAR work for them for free.

If SAR was paid for by tax dollars, the local governments will insist on stepping in to control it. Same thing if it were federal or state. You'd just have another top-heavy bunch of nitwits controlling what they don't understand, and schlepping the funds to other projects.

You can forget getting insurance companies involved; they don't want to pay for the stuff they're being paid to cover now.

Charging people for every rescue has already been covered. But what about situations like the three guys on Mt. Hood? One dead for sure, two probably. They started the ball rolling, but they're in no condition to pay now. They all probably had families who said, "One of these days you're going to die climbing those stupid mountains". So, do you try to charge the widow and fatherless kids, who were against the ascent from the beginning?

The only thing I can think of is to give SARs regulation 501-c-3 non-profit status, and then ask the people you've rescued to help out at fundraisers or something. Some might actually do it.

If there is an easy answer to this, I have no idea what it might be.

Sue