[pct-l] Paying for SAR

[Ned Tibbits]

Interesting thing is, when we roll out a SAR response at about 1700, set up 
an Incident Command by 2000hrs, send in the hasty team within the hour, find 
the near-the-trailhead victim by 0100, and get them out by 0300, when we 
first contact them almost everyone's first question to us is, "Do I have to 
pay anything for you guys?" And if you continue the conversation, they say, 
"well, I didn't want to call for help because I thought it would cost a 
fortune!"

In backcountry rescue, people do delay a call for help because of a lack of 
knowledge about how SAR works...



Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
www.mountaineducation.org
-----Original Message----- 
From: Reinhold Metzger
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 10:12 AM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net ; PCT ; Ron Dye
Subject: [pct-l] Paying for SAR

Brick wrote:
I guess if concerned citizens are afraid to call for SAR for fear of
incurring
large costs, and people die because of that fear, then it will be OK with a
sizable minority of the country... they already hold that view for
healthcare.
Do you think it is time to get rid of this commie, liberal un american
free SAR?
-----------------------------------------------------------
Reinhold writes:
Say Brick,
If somebody, in this country, has a medical emergency , would that person
choose to die, rather than call an ambulance, for fear of incurring a large
hospital expense?
Of course not....in this country people do not die in the street for lack of
ability to pay for their medical expenses.

For those with medical insurance the insurance carrier pays the bill.
For those without medical insurance, but with "deep pockets" their own
deep pockets will pay the bill.
For those without medical insurance and without deep enough pockets
to pay for their medical expenses, the government will pay the bill.

As a result, when people have a medical emergency they call an ambulance
rather than die for fear of incurring a large hospital expense.

Why should this not apply to  SAR?

JMT Reinhold
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