PLN 20

In the article “Deep Survival with Laurence Gonzales$earch + Rescue: Should Victims Pay,” by Adventure Travel tells of how it is a rising problem that some Search and Rescue (SAR) Teams are starting to charge for their services, this creates problems for both the SAR personnel and the victims. Many SAR teams are starting to charge for searches. Many of the victims that Search and Rescue teams help do not have the money to pay for a $25,000+ mission. Infact some lost hikers try to avoid these teams when they know they are being searched for. Search and Rescue missions are complicated and hard enough to conduct when the victim wants to be found, but when they start avoiding the rescue personnel they become impossible. In Colorado it is a written agreement between the state and The Colorado Search and Rescue Board (CSARB) that no SAR team will ever charge any victim. Most American and all Colorado SAR teams are solely based on volunteers and either get small amounts of money from their county or work very hard for donations. In conclusion it is not an option to charge for Search and Rescue operations because it makes everything harder for SAR personnel and the victims, plus it is not fair for the victim.