Search & Rescue Billing...

[Dalmatian90]

Get lost in the backcountry, and you better hope your home county can pay for the rescue mission -- even if nobody finds you.

Santa Clara County is likely to get the bill for Tuolumne County's six-day search for Mountain View hiker Eric Tucker, who emerged on his own Tuesday after nursing injured ankles and roughing it for more than a week in the Stanislaus National Forest.

By law, California counties may bill one another for such searches, and the home county can turn around and send the bill to the missing person.

Nobody has started to calculate the cost for Tucker's search, but it might run as high as $200,000, said Tuolumne County Sheriff's Lt. Jim Earll. Santa Clara County officials say they expect a bill, but not one that high.

full story at: http://www0.mercurycenter.com/premiu...hikeside12.htm

Also, see http://www0.mercurycenter.com/premiu...cs/hiker12.htm for the story on the lost hiker...great story for "Don't Panic." He fell, injuring himself -- and basically stayed in place for 5 days resting and letting his body heal enough to finally drag himself out of the woods. Didn't panic, didn't waste energy while seriously hurt, thought out a plan to get himself out.

[Engine101]

In LA County just about all the Search and Rescue teams do not bill for search efforts, The only time that they will bill you is you are found to be guilty of commiting a crime, Say you wonder of a trail into a No Trespassing area then you would be sent a bill

[larrycook]

I am sure it happens all over the US, people driver past barricades into high water, or tresspass on private lands, or just break a law and then get lost on into some kind of trouble. these are the kind of rescues and searches that people should billed for. here in Texas a common rescue is the people driving into high water. Quote, i thought i could get across, it only came up to half way on the door. unquote. We have deer hunters who will climb fences to get into other peoples places and then get lost and make a cell phone call for help.
one time we searched for a lost hunter and found him next to the river, the first question was could he have a drink of water as he was thirsty and had nothing to drink all night as he sat by the river. this guy needed to stay at home.

LC

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

The State of New Hampshire passed legislation to bill for search and rescue missions. Most search and rescue ops happen because someone thinks that due to the fact they shop at LLBean for outdoor clothes and hiking boots, have a GPS receiver and a cell phone that they can go out in the woods and mountains and consider themselves invincible...NOT!

Police and Fire Departments in New Hampshire have billed people for their stupidity...and rightly so!