Search Sparks Debate: Should Rescued Get a Bill?

It’s a touchy subject: Whether those who get lost should be charged with such rescues. Search efforts, by and large, are done by volunteers, not paid staff, and some say that if people wait to call for fear of billing, the risk to them and the rescuers increases.

In the wake of a major rescue effort at Hosmer Lake early Tuesday morning, some are questioning who should have to pay for emergency rescue services.

Right now, taxpayers foot the bill for Search and Rescue (though most of its searches are conducted by volunteers). And some say that’s not fair, especially when it’s people who aren’t prepared to be outdoors in the first place.

“I don’t think it should be up to the taxpayer to pay for those that don’t take the responsibility seriously,” Robert Prentice said.

Prentice says there’s a lot of things people can do ahead of time to protect themselves in the outdoors, including knowing how to use a map and compass correctly.

Karen Taylor agrees.

“I think some people who go out and act negligent and stupid should have to pay the bill, why should the taxpayer pay for it to make that mistake,” Taylor said.

But outdoor expert Robert Speik, who runs the Website www.traditionalmountineering.org and who has seen his fair share of rescue stories, says there’s good reason why those rescued shouldn’t be charged for the service.

“It always comes down to the fact that rescuers don’t want to have people believe they will be charged or have them charge them for rescue,” Speik said Tuesday.

Speik says people who need help should not hesitate to call 911 — and if the potential of a hefty bill would keep them from calling, everyone is likely to be in more danger — rescuers included — when they finally do seek help, or friends or loved ones report them missing.

“People should forget about being charged for rescue, or forget thinking about disturbing the search and rescue and call them on your cell phone,” Speik said. (In Tuesday’s case, deputies say the Portland-area couple waited because they didn’t think the sheriff’s office would come look for them overnight.)

Speik says the pair of Hosmer Lake hikers serve as a prime example of the danger of waiting too long to call 911 for help.

If they waited any longer, the outcome could have been much more dire.

Spiek says by using a cell phone, Search and Rescue usually will be able to locate your position within about 10 minutes. He says a cell phone takes the “search: out of Search and Rescue.

“What people fail to realize is that often, rescue costs very, very little,” Speik said. “The rescue volunteers provide their own gear, the gasoline. The cost may not add up to hardly anything.”