Everyone's grasping at these theoretical scenarios, but at least in yours... ventilators have battery packs. And most folks I've ever picked up that are on home vents have LOTS of batteries. And a whole lot of O2 bottles. And quite often, the local EMS or equivalent is well aware of them (since these guys aren't the most healthy to begin with). Worse case scenario, you bag the dude with a BVM until the power comes on. Hope your neighbors are there to swap with you when your hands finally cramp.

Hospitals have generators, and usually high priority on getting fixed. And again, lots of BVM's to hand-bag. Not like medicine comes screeching to a halt when the power goes off. Gets a bit hectic, but medicines still work, needles still work, IV bags still drip, etc.

All this hoopla about "immoral" and "illegal" are hogwash. One man's morals are not another's. I mean, just look at al-Queda for that. You think beheading people on TV is OK? I bet not, but apparently they do. Who are we to judge if cutting a power pole, with hypothetical and mythical consequences, is immoral? We're not the ones making the decision based on our values at that time.

Illegal? Probably. Screw it, I'll pay the fine. If I'm that SOL that I'm resorting to cutting a foot of power pole, then I've probably blown every other opportunity for help. (The OP scenario seems like he wasn't there yet). And besides, it's not like they can collect any more than I can physically provide. Like a $10 million fine is BS, cuz they'll never make their money back. I'd just end up on government support cuz they'd be docking my paycheck, and they'd end up paying themselves.

I'm all about responsibility for actions, but when push comes to shove, this place is called Equipped To Survive. Not Equipped To Obey The Law And Die Quietly. I'll do what I have to. I have to be alive to deal with the consequences...