For people who make an honest mistake, like the Kim's, or honestly get stuck by the unexpected, like chest pains while hiking or an AD while hunting (ie, Mr. Chaney), no charge.

For people who do the amazingly stupid, like not bringing their fishing boat in when there is a hurricane on the way or drive trucks out on iced over lakes that aren't solid enough yet, or take no actions to help themselves beforehand, like the people who think a cellphone is a survival kit and a sore back due to being out of shape is an emergency, I say fine the suckers.

But the trouble comes into people in the middle, like the guys on Mt Hood or any of the rescues on Denali or the clowns who chopper up to the top of a mountain to ski down and get caught in their own avalanche, I think there needs to be a middle ground. I'm probably going to annoy people with this, but I know that most of the bigger mountains are state or federal land- if you have to pay for a permit to camp in Yellowstone, I don't see why there shouldn't have to be a requirement to pay for a permit to climb on that land.

Down side to that is getting the insurance companies to go for it. They balk at paying for transport with a bad appendix, much less the surgery and the recovery room.

The one thing I wish would happen more, not just for SAR, but also for EMS and fire (particularly in areas where it is all volunteer) is people who needed the services and can afford to make a gift doing so.