The only person who can risk the life of a rescuer is the rescuer themselves. I used to be one, I guess you'd call it - a paramedic on an ambulance. Never once did I put my life in danger to save someone. And I never knew anybody else who did either. Not paramedic, not firefighter, not police. We might risk non-fatal injury at times, but not death. Sure, there are heroes out there who will put their lives at risk for a stranger. They have big hearts, if not big brains. Realize though, that most of these heroes are granted their hero status posthumously. There's a reason for that.

My comments here do not apply to the military. That's a totally different situation. Our soldiers deserve the greatest respect and honor for how they sacrifice for each other and for all of us.

I'm talking about the situations like where Mr. Idiot Druggie decides to overdose and pass out while his pet cobra is sitting in his lap. Not a whole lot of rescuers are going to jump in there to save him without taking precautions to protect themselves first. Idiots who drive their cars into flooded rivers and get stranded (you see them on TV all the time!) are kind of like that druggie/cobra guy. If a rescuers life ends up being in danger, it's because the rescuer decided that's what they wanted to do. Good for them. But it's their choice. The stranded idiot didn't force them to do anything.