Well... don't. It is a subject very dear to me, and I do have strong opinions on it. Sorry if that leaves the impression of being an old, rough S&R guy. I'm not.

My actual live S&R experience is extremely limited. I've been on an actual search just _*once*_ (found nothing, body found 3 weeks later by hiker). I do have odd bits of S&R training here and there, from military, the local Red Cross and so on. Some contact with S&R leaders through work, but not much. I think I have a pretty good picture of what's going on in the S&R world, at least in my neck of the woods, but that's about it.



I don't know about these specific examples. People do the most ridiculous things. If you look for it it is pretty easy to find absurd examples of things that clearly are so absurdly crazy that they fit your description.

I'm not too concerned about these idiots. I am very much concerned with the huge grey area between stupid dare devil and those who don't do stupid things but are just a tad unlucky. I am afraid of a development where you start by punishing the most stupid dare devils, then after a time you gradually punish less stupid dare devils. Then you punish those who aren't dare devils, but moderate sensation seekers, like those who enjoy skiing steep slopes. After a while anyone who goes anywhere without emergency beacon and a full blown bivouac gear. Day hiking with a small back pack? OK if you make it home, severe penalty if you have an accident. Gone is personal responsibility of balancing gear with skill level, risk level, comfort level and type of activity. You break a leg, you're penalized (unless some bureaucrat deem your gear "appropriate"). I am exaggerating a bit here, just to clarify my point.

Another aspect I worry about: There must be some room for high risk seekers as well. I'm not one of them, I'm more a moderate sensation seeker (like skiing). Even so, I wish for a society where people can fling themselves out of planes in a kayak if they want to (yup, someone just did that. Apparently it is a bit delicate to keep the balance, but otherwise fine. Not for every one, I suspect). I don't know much about Niagara barrel riding, but to me that sounds like a thing that requires zero skill, just luck - something any idiot could, akin to Russian Roulette. I won't be too sorry if that one is banned. But I am against banning stuff like base jumping (that also leads to some some spectacular rescue missions).

For consideration: http://www.facebook.com/pages/No-Charge-for-Rescue/234269130733?ref=ts

In my area, if someone goes missing, there is a preliminary investigation by the police. If they choose to call SAR volunteer groups, we will always gather our people and our gear and just go.

There is no charge, costs are assumed by police departments (salaries) and the SAR teams themselves.

They usually don't cost much, since everyone already has their personal gear, etc. It may cost a few hours of your time, but that's usually it.

For the record, most of the searches I have been involved in last about 12 hours from start to finish. In somes cases the lost person is found in the very early stages of the search. In the other cases, the persons were simply never found.

In NH, if you are found negligent, they will charge you for S&R services. This was enacted after a few guys decided to attempt to climb Mt. Washington, in November, in jeans & light jackets, with backpacks filled with beer. Since then, they investigate all rescue efforts, and will bring those found negligent to justice. I have been on a couple of searches in NH, and its not easy terrain. So, they investigate every call after the fact.
The way it works as far as callouts in MA, is that the jurisdiction requiring S&R will call the state PD. They will then reach out to the S&R teams-theirs, and the civilians (our volunteer people). They coordinate, send out messages to the teams, telling them to stand by. If they decide to activate us, we gather wherever it it we are going. They have a headshed there-local crisis response, state PD, and our S&R crisis management team. They put together a plan, and execute. The S&R are all volunteers-the other teams are PD, FD, or otherwise paid. Volunteers have to take time out of work, and travel to wherever they are going-we are responsible for our own gear, food, and water (although, a HUGE help is the Red Cross-who always have shown up to whatever mission we have gone on, and provided both food AND water). This is something I dont think a lot of people (outside this forum, anyway) realize-S&R personnel are putting their own lives at risk, often volunteering (not being paid, or in any way compensated), to help someone in distress. A LOT of training is needed before you can be on a team in MA-and this training often is paid for by the volunteer. We do this because we WANT to-some of us have developed certain skills over the course of a lifetime that benefit search teams-this is why I used to do it. Regardless of what the outcome of the search was (most times, they are Alzheimers patients who wandered away, often found miles outside our zones), we did, and do, this, because it feels good to know that, in some way, you are helping someone else. It doesnt matter WHY they went missing-wandered away, mentally ill, or simply hasnt come home from hunting-we still go when called. Our job is simple-find the person. We have cops & FD on the teams to deal with legal or serious medical issues. Our job is to locate-they can handle the other stuff.

What a can of worms.

Call for no good reason, you get a bill.
Call for a good reason, but the reason you are calling for is your own fault thru being stupid (climbing without gear in winter let's say) and you get a bill.
Call for a good reason, and due to no fault of your own, you get rescued and no bill.

But who decides who gets a bill? This puts many people right on the edge - and they probably won't call and will die without rescue, leading to screaming meemee mobs of half informed people at the gate with pitchforks and torches (ok, maybe not pitchforks).

I know there is insurance out there. But the same morons who drive without insurance are the same people probably needing rescue from wilderness situations.

Makes your head hurt.

I say rescue everyone, then investigate why they needed rescue. If it is because they were more stupid than not, charge em.

JBMat, I think thats where NH leads. IIRC, CO does the same thing-if you are found negligent, you pay. Going out unprepared is negligence. If you are a freeclimber, and need rescuing, that may be different than two morons attempting Mt. Washington in November, carrying nothing more than beer. I know in NH its a case by case basis, and experts from S&R get to weigh in with their comments. Again though, you get called out, you go. What they do afterwards is up to the law. People arent denied S&R-most who get stuck dont even know there is a potential for a fine-if they did, they likely wouldve been prepared