[at-l] pay to be rescued

["Christopher Wood" <CHRISW@landmarknet.net>]

this is taken from the nh fish and game web site........


CONCORD, N.H., December 29, 1999 – Hikers who aren't prepared for the
extremes of New Hampshire's terrain and weather may want to reevaluate their
plans for outdoor adventures.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department announced today that hikers who
recklessly cause themselves to become lost or injured – resulting in costly
and dangerous rescues – may be billed for those rescue services. The new
protocol has an educational element that includes signs and handouts
advising hikers to be prepared when hiking in the backcountry, with the
objective of reducing the number of rescues.

"Millions of people come to New Hampshire because it's a fantastic and
beautiful place to hike," said Wayne E. Vetter, the Fish and Game
Department's executive director. "Unfortunately, a small number of those
hikers aren't prepared for the terrain or the weather and lack equipment or
experience they need to hike safely. We hope we seldom have to take steps to
bill people for search and rescues. But when those rescues are initiated
because of someone's careless or reckless behavior, we feel it"s our
responsibility to recover some of those costs."

Under the new protocol, which is supported by the Fish and Game Commission,
the Department would review each search and rescue mission and determine
whether a bill should be sent to those involved. Hikers who may be billed
include those who are poorly equipped for terrain or weather and/or lack
reasonable skills or stamina to handle the hike without getting lost or
injured.

The many dedicated and highly trained volunteers from diverse agencies and
organizations are an integral part of New Hampshire's search and rescue
missions. As the lead agency in charge of such missions, the New Hampshire
Fish and Game Department, handles roughly 150 to 200 search and rescues each
year. Of those, only a small number are initiated because of the actions of
reckless hikers, according to Col. Ronald Alie, chief of Fish and Game?s Law
Enforcement Division.

"Those small number of reckless hikers can present some very difficult,
dangerous and expensive search and rescue missions," Alie said. "Those are
the hikers who'll be billed for rescues. Furthermore, we hope that the
prospects of getting a bill will itself act as a deterrent to hikers who may
otherwise make incorrect and uneducated decisions."

Searches and rescues in New Hampshire are funded mainly by a $1 fee on
off-highway recreational vehicles and boat registrations.

Money collected from reckless hikers will support training and purchases of
equipment for volunteers of search and rescue organizations who help with
rescue missions. Proper equipment for a winter hike or rescue mission costs
as much as $4,000 per person, Alie said.

on the lighter side a skeleton walks into a bar and asks for a beer and a
mop :)

i just got snow shoes for christmas i hope they dont cost me 4,000 dollars
visit us at:
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cove/9564/

* From the Appalachian Trail Mailing List |  http://www.backcountry.net  *

==============================================================================