Re: [at-l] Billing for rescuing idiots. . . .

["Cricket" <D_Blick@email.msn.com>]

Just to bring up another viewpoint on this:  Two friends and I were once the
object of a SAR.  We were two hours late getting back to our campsite, it
was getting dark and other friends paniced and called the rangers out.  We
were in no danger, were properly outfitted for the weather, and didn't even
know that a search had been launched until we returned.  I would have been
very upset to have been charged by the rangers for their time and effort -
especially since they didn't find us!  The rangers had the descretion to
charge or not to charge us for that SAR and I believe that such descretion
should be left up to the people in charge of the SAR operation, not mandated
by law.

Another story:  I once had the opportunity to talk to a man in charge of
high altitude SAR operations in the Pacific Northwest and the Himalaya.  He
said that his rescue group was underwritten by a major coporation and that
the charges applied to the climbing groups he had to rescue were left up to
him and he used a sliding scale for the charges.  He said that he asked
himself these questions: "In the same set of circumstances, could I see this
happening to me?"  If the answer was yes - he didn't charge.   "If I or
someone on my team made a minor miscalculation, could it have happened to
me?"  If the answer was yes - he charged their standard fee.  "Were the
people involved unprepared for what they would encounter and/or made major
mistakes based on inexperience or ineptitude?"  If the answer was yes - they
paid double the standard fee.

I thought his scale made good sense.

Cricket



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