Rocky Mountain News
Copyright 2007 Denver Publishing Company
DENVER — ‘Wow. You are lucky. Feel OK? Good. That’ll be $5,000 please. We’ll take a check.”
That’s not the sort of message a hiker or rock-climber should expect to hear soon after being rescued in Colorado. But it’s the clear signal officials in Golden say they’ll send to David Seals, a 35-year-old hiker from Topeka.
Search-and-rescue team members from the Golden Fire Department returned Seals to safety last week after he was stranded overnight in Clear Creek Canyon with an injured ankle.
The department plans to send Seals a bill for $5,000 to cover its rescue costs. It’s doing so because Seals got stuck in an area that is not served by a fire department. Golden spokeswoman Sabrina D’Agosta told the Rocky, “Our taxpayers don’t really pay their taxes to rescue people in other jurisdictions.”
Great. That sort of attitude will only encourage outdoor enthusiasts to hesitate before seeking help should they get lost or hurt and need assistance. Delays or indecision might lead to even worse injuries - and result in even higher expenses for emergency rescues.
That message also insults any conscientious rescuer - paid or volunteer. No one would abandon the quest to find a lost soul if the search happened to reach outside the city limits or across the county line.
Fortunately, Golden’s stance is an oddity. Search-and-rescue groups can seek reimbursement from victims if they live outside agency jurisdictions. But cities and counties almost never do that, unless the person saved was breaking the law or engaged in extremely reckless behavior.
More typical is the response of the West Metro Fire Protection District, which also aided in the search and rescue. Rather than seeking reimbursement from Seals, West Metro will try to recover some expenses from the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue Fund.
This program is underwritten by the 25-cent annual premium on hunting and fishing licenses and the $3 card hikers and climbers can purchase from retailers or the Department of Local Affairs.
The fund collected $513,000 last year, which is used to repay mileage, lodging, meals, equipment and aircraft for rescues. Just about anything but wages can be reimbursed by the fund.
Golden could tap into that money, too, by asking the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to apply for a grant.
Rescue operations are public services, just like police and fire protection; if your house goes up in flames, the city doesn’t send you a separate bill after firefighters put out the blaze - even if it has to ask for equipment or expertise from a nearby department. It’s a normal cost of government.
The cards for the search-and-rescue fund offer enthusiasts an opportunity to help defray the costs of local rescues, many of which are conducted by volunteers. They not only risk their necks but also often use their own equipment, vehicles and supplies to save others who can’t help themselves.
Golden officials should drop their attempts to charge Seals and instead seek relief from the search-and-rescue fund. And if you enjoy the outdoors, buy a CORSAR card.