Charging for Search and Rescue rears its Ugly head again.

The three missing climbers on Mt Hood two weeks before Christmas raised the issue of charging for search and rescues. Numerous commentators online and in print added their opinion. See A Mountain of Bills, National Park Search and Rescue: Should the Rescued Help Pay the Bills?, Search and rescue costs tapping out account or Hikers rescued for free in Arizona.


Most commentators though are not putting in anything thought to back up their two cents. If the idea is based on restricting or stopping people from going out into the woods, closing the woods will encourage more idiots to go get lost. (Whatever is off limits is always more fun so let’s hop the fence and see why we can’t go there.) Nor will it keep those of us who really do enjoy the wilderness from going.

If it is a monetary issue, again they have not thought through or studied the issue. There are three issues on the monetary side of the argument. (1) People will not ask for rescues if they think it will cost money, (2) rescuing sooner is cheaper than rescuing later, and (3) 99% of SAR’S are no cost to the public unless you are on federal lands.

I was amazed at the number of 911 calls to Summit County where people did not want to be rescued because of the cost. 911 calls are recorded so there are verifiable real records of people on a phone saying no do not rescue me I can’t afford it.

It is getting to the point that SAR groups are posting on their website that they don’t pay for SAR: Palisades Search and Rescue Dog Association, Inc., Central Massachusetts Search and Rescue Team, Inc. and the Mountain Rescue Association to mention a few.

To assist in that endeavor, there is a new Facebook page No Charge for Rescues. If you are a member of Facebook please go become a fan to support this idea.