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I believe almost all Search and Rescue is free because S&R organizations don’t want people to hesitate to call 911 (or equivalent) because of cost concerns, and

I believe almost all Search and Rescue is free because S&R organizations don’t want people to hesitate to call 911 (or equivalent) because of cost concerns, and have the situation deteriorate while they delay calling. As to who should share in the cost… my take is that it’s time to discuss whether some expeditions (e.g. risky commercial tourist rides) should sign a Do Not Rescue pledge before they head out and/or self-fund a commercial rescue operation.

davidw 3y ago
Yeah this question gets asked somewhat frequently in the mountain(ish) town where I live after someone does something dumb and requires extraction. It's just better that they call right away rather than wait too long and die. If you search around on the internet, you can find people writing this up in much more detail and more eloquently.
flaminHotSpeedo 3y ago
From anecdotal evidence, the few search and rescue units I've been involved with (all non-technical volunteer units) have been overwhelming against charging subjects, at least as a general rule. But the considerations for something like this are pretty much entirely different, risk to non-technical rescuers is pretty minimal and the costs are just gas and the time spent on what is essentially just an unplanned hike with some extra gear.
mahogany 3y ago
There has been at least one case in the White Mountains where the leader of a search and rescue team recommended charging the person they rescued, because that person acted with negligence and put the lives of the search and rescue team in unnecessary danger. I'm sure this is rare though.
- mikeyouse 3y ago
  There are some places where that outcome is explicitly listed on the warning signs. Less dramatically, places like Sleeping Bear Dunes list the cost for a rescue at the top to warn people that otherwise might make bad decisions; https://npca.s3.amazonaws.com/images/11275/93882d38-5217-4aaf-b2c4-2f5df6b592b3-banner.jpg?1498077203 https://npca.s3.amazonaws.com/images/11275/93882d38-5217-4aa... https://preview.redd.it/mx98brhdszg71.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=37ba38c42860b2268fda143aabf24c5e77d591f4 https://preview.redd.it/mx98brhdszg71.jpg?width=960&crop=sma...
watwut 3y ago
Mountain climbers and tourists in Europe who need help have to pay for rescue. Unless they have insurance in which case insurance pays. (It is affordable).
bobthepanda 3y ago
This is pretty much the poster child for insurance policies. One of the first major uses of insurance was for maritime activities. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd%27s_of_London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd%27s_of_London

davidw 3y ago

Yeah this question gets asked somewhat frequently in the mountain(ish) town where I live after someone does something dumb and requires extraction. It's just better that they call right away rather than wait too long and die. If you search around on the internet, you can find people writing this up in much more detail and more eloquently.

flaminHotSpeedo 3y ago

From anecdotal evidence, the few search and rescue units I've been involved with (all non-technical volunteer units) have been overwhelming against charging subjects, at least as a general rule. But the considerations for something like this are pretty much entirely different, risk to non-technical rescuers is pretty minimal and the costs are just gas and the time spent on what is essentially just an unplanned hike with some extra gear.

mahogany 3y ago

There has been at least one case in the White Mountains where the leader of a search and rescue team recommended charging the person they rescued, because that person acted with negligence and put the lives of the search and rescue team in unnecessary danger. I'm sure this is rare though.

mikeyouse 3y ago
There are some places where that outcome is explicitly listed on the warning signs. Less dramatically, places like Sleeping Bear Dunes list the cost for a rescue at the top to warn people that otherwise might make bad decisions; https://npca.s3.amazonaws.com/images/11275/93882d38-5217-4aaf-b2c4-2f5df6b592b3-banner.jpg?1498077203 https://npca.s3.amazonaws.com/images/11275/93882d38-5217-4aa... https://preview.redd.it/mx98brhdszg71.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=37ba38c42860b2268fda143aabf24c5e77d591f4 https://preview.redd.it/mx98brhdszg71.jpg?width=960&crop=sma...

watwut 3y ago

Mountain climbers and tourists in Europe who need help have to pay for rescue. Unless they have insurance in which case insurance pays. (It is affordable).

bobthepanda 3y ago

This is pretty much the poster child for insurance policies. One of the first major uses of insurance was for maritime activities. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd%27s_of_London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd%27s_of_London