Cost of Rescue

[Arizonaheat]

Yep you are right Daine, you are covered for the year. A portion of each license fee is pooled into a rescue fund and that is what pays for the search and rescue. It works quite well and they have used that system for years.

Here in Arizona it is the taxpayer that picks up the bill.
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Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.

[Davis2001R6]

I wouldn't think they would even make it enough money to cover the rescue expenses.

[Daryl]

Tax dollars should cover it all.

If the fire department puts out a fire at your house because you fell asleep while smoking, you don't have to pay.
If you call 911 for your friend because he shot himself in the head while cleaning a gun, the ambulance ride is free.

Why should emergency services in the back country be any different? I pay taxes, if I need help I expect my tax dollars to kick in and help me. Even if I did something stupid. Tax dollars go to help stupid people out every day. Start charging to put out fires and ambulance rides when people do stupid things, then I'll agree to charge for back country rescues.
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[Hikngrl]

Don't you think though that if we weren't expecting our taxes to cover so many different expenses perhaps they could be a bit lower... not that it would happen but perhaps we expect to much of our tax system when things could be handled in different ways....I don't want to open another whole can of political worms here so I won' take this any further than that... just a thought.
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~~~Diane~~~

I want to shine!

[doug]

Early in this poll it was stated that if you do some thing stupid in the you pay in National Parks. This is only partly true, if you need rescued you pay. Here is a link to the Grand Canyon page that explanes, http://www.nps.gov/grca/backcountry/backcountry_faq.htm#q21
One of the news shows a few years back had a story on this the park service was going case by case on this. It turned out that race was part of what was used, and one of the parks in the north west was sued for racial discrimiation, so now every body pays.

[Tom Treks]

[Daryl]

I agree taxes suck and should be lower. However, if you are going to charge people for rescues then you need to start charging people for the other services also.

I'd be pretty miffed if I had to pay for a rescue in Sedona, after I paid taxes and the red rock pass, because someone thought me climbing to a peak was a stupid idea. Meanwhile, the guy that gets drunk and wraps his car around a tree gets a free helicopter ride to the hospital...
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[firechik]

I know this is an old topic but I wanted to add a little.
Arizonaheat was talking about the fishing hunting licences in Colorado. To be covered by your licence you pay a dollar more, you can also buy a hiking/backcountry tag that does the same thing. I think it is also just a dollar. They are a great idea, and well worth the money I wish more places offered a program like that.
Daryl, most of the time you (or your insurance) does have to pay for ambulance rides. Most places charge a few hundred dollars to ride in the ambulance, they wont charge you if they come out and you don't ride with them, but as soon as you get in their truck it gets very expensive. Most people never see that because their insurance pays for it.

[maryphyl]