Hiker fined 25K for rescue mission.

[loomer]

Holy crap!

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regio ... id=1185652

[anna in boots]

This is ridiculous. According to another article, "Mason’s rescue was particularly expensive because the helicopters the state typically used were unavailable, and a helicopter from Maine had to be brought in, Acerno said." How is that Mason's fault? If they were negligent in having sufficient equipment (e.g. helicopters at the ready) for emergency situations and expected Mason to cover them, then I'd say Mason has an excellent case for his lawyer, regardless of the degree of his hiking negligence in the matter.

If he really wanted to stick it to them, he should've died. That would've shown 'em.

This is unheard of in Colorado. You purchase a kind of get-out-of-jail-free card called the Colorado Outdoor Search and Rescue Card at $3 for a year or $12 for 5 years and it basically covers your sorry butt if you should ever need airlifting, S&R, a team of bloodhounds, whatever. Doesn't matter what the bill is or how long they look for you, you're paid in full. Once they release you on your own recognizance, though, you'd better have health insurance. http://www.coloradosarboard.org/csrb-COSARFund.asp

Does Oregon have anything like that? How does it work here?

anna in boots

[MCSAR]

This is unheard of in Colorado. You purchase a kind of get-out-of-jail-free card called the Colorado Outdoor Search and Rescue Card at $3 for a year or $12 for 5 years and it basically covers your sorry butt if you should ever need airlifting, S&R, a team of bloodhounds, whatever. Doesn't matter what the bill is or how long they look for you, you're paid in full. Once they release you on your own recognizance, though, you'd better have health insurance. http://www.coloradosarboard.org/csrb-COSARFund.asp

Does Oregon have anything like that? How does it work here?

anna in boots

SAR in Oregon is entirely under the purview of the Sheriff of each County. Most of the actual ground pounding is done by volunteer SAR groups certified to Oregon State Sheriff's Association standards.

ORS Chapter 401 covers SAR legislation in Oregon. Specifically, ORS 401.590 does allow for a person to be charged for a mission. However, the limit is $500 to an individual. Also, Oregon Sheriffs have a gentlemens' agreement not to enforce this.

[Stefrobrts]

If people are afraid they're going to get charged for a helicopter to come rescue them, they might flail around and get in even more trouble trying to get out of it themselves. When the best advice is 'stay put and wait for help', it is counter-productive to charge people for that help.

Saying the boy should be charged because he was in over his head, reminds me of the time we rolled our truck on black ice and got a ticket for driving 'too fast for conditions'. Indeed, if we had known there was black ice on the road, we would have known we were going too fast, but since it just looked like a wet road, we suspected nothing until we were upside down. The ticket just added insult to injury - literally. You often don't realize you're in over your head until you're already there!

[anna in boots]

If people are afraid they're going to get charged for a helicopter to come rescue them, they might flail around and get in even more trouble trying to get out of it themselves.

I hadn't even thought of that--good point! (But I'll bet it would've sprung to mind if I was holed up on a cold ledge above 10,000' in the dark.)

anna in boots

[Martell]

People should stay at home and watch TV to avoid the incredibly small chance of requiring a helicopter to rescue them from a hike.

[JosephSamuel]

I think hiking insurance is a great idea. I know that some climbing groups (maybe American Alpine Club) offer insurance if you need rescue on a big alpine climb.

Besides the sheriff's office doing SAR, American Medical Response (911 ambulance service for Multnomah/Clackamas/Clark Co.) has the Reach and Treat (RAT) team for Clackamas County, one of the only backcountry paramedic groups in the nation.