This happened in the White mountains a few years back. Seems a couple of young men decided to hike into the WMNF, with a backpack full of beer, & nothing more. In November, IIRC. Also, the only clothing they had were jeans, T-shirts, & jean jackets. They were rescued, & charged. It was found that they went into the wildeness unprepared, and risked their own lives & the lives of searchers because of their stupidity. Now, at least there, if the rescued are found negligent, they can be charged.
I am also a rescue volunteer in MA. Even though we arent paid, we still have to take tests, & meet certain criteria to be allowed to join in on a search. And, we have to be contacted through the state PD. So, even though we work for free, we are still regulated. Most of this is a result of different scenarios that have occured in the past, involving untrained searchers, who then have to be rescued. We model our agency on ones in CA, as well as what FEMA originally used (forgot what FEMA is now called). I dont mind doing it for freee at all. Thats why I volunteer for it. I think that, if someone needs to be rescued because they go into the wilderness unprepared, or, what happens quite a bit, people get too lazy to walk out (happens at Mt. Greylock quite a bit), then they should be charged. Not so we can be paid; but, rather, to allow the state to purchase better gear like Stokes litters, specialized gear, or even fund some training courses (we all must be at LEAST first responder qualified). It isnt about money; its about finding & rescuing those who need it, regardless of why, in the most efficient way possible. All expenses come out of the volunteer's pockets.