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Salient wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 8:29 pmSo you just got back to Earth in 2020 then

This isn't about me, this is about the heroes of yesterday, the heroes of today, and the heroes of tomorrow.

Terminally_Chill wrote: ↑Sat Nov 13, 2021 8:24 pm As someone that comes from many generations of first responders in Colorado and has seen the effect that the intense population growth here in CO has had on the public land that my ancestors considered sacred, I'm just going to say it: hikers, climbers, base jumpers, etc. should have to pay for search and rescue. If you don't purchase hunting, fishing, or recreational vehicle permits (which go towards funding volunteer SAR in much of the west) you shouldn't be able to activate the search and rescue system for free.

i suppose you also believe fire departments and police should charge when you call them too?

IMO, it needs to be the other way around. the state should fund SAR directly and everyone should pay for it through their taxes (just like EMS, Fire, Police etc.) regardless if they use it or not. that's my $0.02.

stories like these get all the attention (and facebook clicks) but the majority of SAR calls are legitimate calls. if someone thinks they're in trouble, you don't want them worrying about getting charged for a rescue and delaying calling SAR as a result. most rescuers would prefer to get a SAR call an hour or a day too early than 5 minutes too late... the point where it turns from a rescue into a recovery (and as we've seen this year, recoveries can often be just as dangerous to rescuers).

in really egregious cases like this, there are laws being violated and that provides an opportunity for punishment and recouping costs from these people. i don't think anyone has a problem with that. but in more borderline cases, the additional disincentive of a possible fine or large rescue bill could be the difference between an easy rescue and a heartbreaking ending. it's not worth trading lives for dollars. and yes, some of these people don't have the proper experience or skills. but experts need rescue sometimes too. do you really want your state gov't or some random judge deciding whether your decision to call SAR was justified or not?

curt86iroc wrote: ↑Mon Nov 15, 2021 10:22 am

Terminally_Chill wrote: ↑Sat Nov 13, 2021 8:24 pm As someone that comes from many generations of first responders in Colorado and has seen the effect that the intense population growth here in CO has had on the public land that my ancestors considered sacred, I'm just going to say it: hikers, climbers, base jumpers, etc. should have to pay for search and rescue. If you don't purchase hunting, fishing, or recreational vehicle permits (which go towards funding volunteer SAR in much of the west) you shouldn't be able to activate the search and rescue system for free.

i suppose you also believe fire departments and police should charge when you call them too?

IMO, it needs to be the other way around. the state should fund SAR directly and everyone should pay for it through their taxes (just like EMS, Fire, Police etc.) regardless if they use it or not. that's my $0.02.

In case you weren't aware, in certain areas fire departments do charge for their services. There's a company called Fire Recovery that recovers charges for fire department for certain services performed, but I believe it's only in select counties/states

yaktoleft13 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 15, 2021 12:49 pm

curt86iroc wrote: ↑Mon Nov 15, 2021 10:22 am

Terminally_Chill wrote: ↑Sat Nov 13, 2021 8:24 pm As someone that comes from many generations of first responders in Colorado and has seen the effect that the intense population growth here in CO has had on the public land that my ancestors considered sacred, I'm just going to say it: hikers, climbers, base jumpers, etc. should have to pay for search and rescue. If you don't purchase hunting, fishing, or recreational vehicle permits (which go towards funding volunteer SAR in much of the west) you shouldn't be able to activate the search and rescue system for free.

i suppose you also believe fire departments and police should charge when you call them too?

IMO, it needs to be the other way around. the state should fund SAR directly and everyone should pay for it through their taxes (just like EMS, Fire, Police etc.) regardless if they use it or not. that's my $0.02.

In case you weren't aware, in certain areas fire departments do charge for their services. There's a company called Fire Recovery that recovers charges for fire department for certain services performed, but I believe it's only in select counties/states

wow, i had NOT heard of them before...although some quick googling revealed they may be participating in some questionable billing practices.

XterraRob wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 10:48 pm

Salient wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 8:29 pmSo you just got back to Earth in 2020 then

This isn't about me, this is about the heroes of yesterday, the heroes of today, and the heroes of tomorrow.

ExtraterrestrialRob

3DCJ wrote: ↑Mon Nov 15, 2021 3:31 pm

XterraRob wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 10:48 pm

Salient wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 8:29 pmSo you just got back to Earth in 2020 then

This isn't about me, this is about the heroes of yesterday, the heroes of today, and the heroes of tomorrow.

ExtraterrestrialRob

3DCJ wrote: ↑Mon Nov 15, 2021 3:31 pm ExtraterrestrialRob

The Truth is out there.

XterraRob wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 5:42 pm It should become customary to tip your rescuers. I had to get rescued by NASA SAR back in '19 because my oxygen supply ran low at about 40,200ft on Olympus Mons. They showed up, put me in a pod, and shot me back to Earth. I wasn't charged since I didn't need to be MEDEVAC'd back to Earth, but I did tip them a couple hundos for saving my life.

These people put themselves in harm's way, selflessly, to save you, or your dog that got stepped on by a Moose during a nature walk. They deserve endless gratitude for the amount of s**t they have to respond to.

He is telling the truth. I was there with him. Of course, I was climbing without oxygen, but I wasn't strong enough to carry him down.

Sean Nunn

Here's a good article about Boulder County's SAR take on the issue. Some jaw dropping stats about the increase in call outs.
https://www.dailycamera.com/2021/11/21/ ... 0364BB2445

nunns wrote: ↑Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:23 pm He is telling the truth. I was there with him. Of course, I was climbing without oxygen, but I wasn't strong enough to carry him down.

Sean Nunn

Happy Thanksgiving.