Rescue?

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frediver
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Rescue?

Post by frediver »

A bud and I got talking today about the unwarranted use of 911 calls by unprepared and sometimes clueless backpackers/hikers wanting to be rescued from there own stupidity
in the backcountry.Yes sometimes there are real emergencies but most often not!
IIRC the figure shown was $2.5 million for Yosemite from 07 to 2011. We all pay for it and it will not be long until paying for it will be part of the permit process, ie insurance.
Well I got wondering, Why not:
If you call for Rescue warranted or not the "Service" has the rights to
your story. Condense it and develop a short 3fold pamphlet as a hand out to persons entering the parks or when obtaining a hiking permit. This handout will
outline what the hikers did wrong, why they were rescued or not, warranted or not,
cost of the rescue, how many persons were called out to risk THERE lives etc.
Then list the 10 essentials, perhaps if a rescue is called and you are found without them then a citation or bill will be issued. Maybe that is a bit extreme but I am way tired of watching people without and preparations or emergency gear of any kind enter the wilderness and then if the creek starts to rise or rain cloud
develops are then on there cell phone or Spot calling for help. I bet you have seen more than one spandex clad hiker with nothing more than a water bottle pass you on the trail.
List the facts, Names, Dates, Time, Cost, Success or Failure !
What is your answer, what do you think of the pamphlet idea, got a better one that will cost less?

Just had to: Today
A couple called 911 because they got lost in a CORN MAZE.
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windknot
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Re: Rescue?

Post by windknot »

I just read the news article you refer to at the end. In the family's defense (kind of), the local police department has a motto that reads "We Want To Be Bothered."

Anything the NPS does to broadcast that it, in fact, does not want to be bothered (short of failing to provide rescue service when needed/requested) and discourage hikers from calling who might otherwise be fine might decrease the total amount of money spent on rescue operations. I would argue that cutting cell phone service in many parts of Yosemite would help, but this seems to be attacking the branches and not the root of the problem.

I like the idea of the pamphlet. Education doesn't always work for everyone - the ignorant will usually remain ignorant - but the gravity of the possibility of a rescue mission should make some people think twice before calling for help (or getting themselves into a dicey situation in the first place).
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DAVELA
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Re: Rescue?

Post by DAVELA »

People getting stuck in the wilderness or whatever by their stupidity or not is just life.If they dont learn from these mistakes Darwinism will find them.Im glad there are more people enjoying the wilderness-that means more advocates for its preservation.

If youre concerned about fiscal issues then these microscopic issues are a major deflection from the massive financial plundering our country has undergone in the last decade from banks,credit rating agencies and companies that offshore jobs and pay no income taxes.Thats the real reason we have slashed budgets etc that cant cope with SAR costs.-rant over- :eek:
http://www.suwa.org/protect-greater-canyonlands" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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frediver
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Re: Rescue?

Post by frediver »

Money is only part of the issue. you can't legislate intelligence, it's money and lives (rescuers). This problem is not going away !
I agree that we should let Darwin work more often But:
If we do not come up with a viable solution you can one of the "agencies" will !
Perhaps NO RESCUE is a better policy?
Perhaps let private enterprise have a turn. Get lost, late, call " find them now" rescue service at an hourly rate of $$$?
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East Side Hiker
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Re: Rescue?

Post by East Side Hiker »

Its a very difficult situation. Who can say what goes through people's minds. Anyone going into the wilderness should have the sense to know whether or not they really need to be rescued. But with more and more inexperianced people trying backpacking, and better and better equipement making it easier, there's bound to be problems understanding a particular situation they are in, or how they feel.

We all had to start somewhere, but therre weren't cell phones when most of us started. If you were really hurt, word of mouth was the only recourse. Cell phones do make it easier for the inexperianced to call for help. And a lot of people are certainly not afraid to use them for any purpose or reason.

Its a hard subject to debate. But I do know that a lot of the cell phone calls for help turn out to be unneccessary. Money wasted on those rescues could be going toward public information of more trail crew/ranger positions.
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ejayerik
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Re: Rescue?

Post by ejayerik »

I used to pack my small rescue signal flares, a portable CB radio, survival storm kit, and a few other things. I even have an emergency dental kit. All of it was dead weight hence the signature below. With time I learned what I really needed to survive even under the harshest circumstances which is why I rarely hike in snow prone areas. I've heard the horror stories from those who have and barely made it out of sudden storms and these were people with 30 plus years of hiking experience.

Now, a cellphone and maybe a solar charger or extra battery and if I can spare the room, a FRS radio is about all I consider rescue gear. I'm an EMT with training in high and low angle rescue, and wilderness rescue and I always feel unprepared when going in. I've never needed to be rescued and really, we should be out there to have fun and hauling an 80 lbs pack is no fun so leave the rescuing to the rescuers. In fact the picture to the right was one of those bad trips where (not including the Ruger strapped to my leg) I packed an almost 70 lb pack full of survival gear since we would be out of cell range. Darwinism works to a degree but reality is that everyone has been unprepared in some form or fashion and that's why we have funding for these things.
packing like I'm going to need to be rescued is a bad idea
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