wasted money for rescues

[houstoncutter]

Just curious if any one feels like me on this issue.... Just wonder how many millions of dollars have beeen wasted on trying to rescue those clowns on Mt Hood.... Of course they are not the only ones that the goverment has had to waste money on.... Seems like one of our brain fart politicians would come up with the idea of these folks buying some sort of rescue insurance.... You want to go take part in a risky sport, then be willing to pay the freight if something goes wrong.... People shouldnt have to risk their lives to rescue folks that have engaged in a sport that can become deadly...Ok my rant is over, how do the rest of you feel about it.

 

[Gate Opener]

Yea I hate that so many people are risking their lives to find them.

I can't imagine why anyone would want to climb a mountain. Makes no sense to me. They could do so much more with all that energy. Think of how much fence they could have built.

 

[Frankie]

Just curious if any one feels like me on this issue.... Just wonder how many millions of dollars have beeen wasted on trying to rescue those clowns on Mt Hood.... Of course they are not the only ones that the goverment has had to waste money on.... Seems like one of our brain fart politicians would come up with the idea of these folks buying some sort of rescue insurance.... You want to go take part in a risky sport, then be willing to pay the freight if something goes wrong.... People shouldnt have to risk their lives to rescue folks that have engaged in a sport that can become deadly...Ok my rant is over, how do the rest of you feel about it.

I think many of the people involved in the search are volunteers. It's the job of the others to search and rescue. That's what they get paid for and I'm greatful they're out there.

 

[cowgirl_telly_369]

I think it's quite sad that they found one of the bodies today, but didn't take it with them when they left, so the families can worry about who it is all night tonight.

I feel a lot of money was wasted too.

 

[dun]

Not as big a waste as "space exploration"!

dun

 

[MikeC]

Not as big a waste as "space exploration"!

dun

I disagree dun. The money spent on innovations in technology in the space program were not spent on the moon.

We probably wouldn't have the opportunity to sit here and share information had it not been for the space program.

 

[dun]

Not as big a waste as "space exploration"!

dun

I disagree dun. The money spent on innovations in technology in the space program were not spent on the moon.

We probably wouldn't have the opportunity to sit here and share information had it not been for the space program.

That's what makes a race horse, differences of opinions.

dun

 

[warpaint]

Would you feel this time and money was wasted, if one of the climbers was a family member?

How about a couple of weeks ago, when a family's car went off the road and stranded them? Do you feel that was wasted time and effort?

I personally don't see the need for thrill seeking, (mountain climbing, etc.) but if it were a member of my family, I would be darn glad they were there doing all they could to find these people and bring them down, dead or alive.

 

[dun]

Would you feel this time and money was wasted, if one of the climbers was a family member?

How about a couple of weeks ago, when a family's car went off the road and stranded them? Do you feel that was wasted time and effort?

I personally don't see the need for thrill seeking, (mountain climbing, etc.) but if it were a member of my family, I would be darn glad they were there doing all they could to find these people and bring them down, dead or alive.

And then the family should be billed for the costs. The gov shouldn;t have the job of saving people from their own supidity

dun

 

[warpaint]

Would you feel this time and money was wasted, if one of the climbers was a family member?

How about a couple of weeks ago, when a family's car went off the road and stranded them? Do you feel that was wasted time and effort?

I personally don't see the need for thrill seeking, (mountain climbing, etc.) but if it were a member of my family, I would be darn glad they were there doing all they could to find these people and bring them down, dead or alive.

And then the family should be billed for the costs. The gov shouldn;t have the job of saving people from their own supidity

dun

I could agree with that.

But where do you draw the line?
It could be said that the family that was stranded, had no business being there either.

 

[memanpa]

well said dun, i agree fully, another free ride, from the rest of us.
they want to play? pay the fee

warpaint, running off the road is an accident, avoidable perhaps but still an accident,
mountian climbing is deliberate and definatly avoidable

apples oranges

 

[Alice]

Would you feel this time and money was wasted, if one of the climbers was a family member?

How about a couple of weeks ago, when a family's car went off the road and stranded them? Do you feel that was wasted time and effort?

I personally don't see the need for thrill seeking, (mountain climbing, etc.) but if it were a member of my family, I would be darn glad they were there doing all they could to find these people and bring them down, dead or alive.

And then the family should be billed for the costs. The gov shouldn;t have the job of saving people from their own supidity

dun

I could agree with that.

But where do you draw the line?
It could be said that the family that was stranded, had no business being there either.

That family that was stranded and the father died trying to get help...didn't I read that the road sign and been taken or changed or destroyed by vandals causing the family to get on the wrong road?

In that case, I'd think the vandals should be arrested for manslaughter and made to pay all costs for rescue efforts plus the man's funeral plus medical bills for the remaining wife and 2 children plus anything the judge can think of to throw at them.

Problem is, the vandals will probably never be caught.

Alice

 

[warpaint]

Simply playing the devils advocate. I, in no way, think that family should be charged. I'm just saying, what if?

It's my personal opinion, that climbing a mountain, just because it's there, is just plain ignorant.
Mountain climbers may think raising cattle is.

I agree, that should any of these climbers be found alive, that they should foot the bill. But how can the families be held accountable for something they may not have had anything to do with?

 

[Alice]

You know, there is a possibility that the mountain climbers will be charged with the rescue costs, at least a portion. Not that anything will be collected, and not that if they are there won't be law suits out the kazoo, but ambulances charge people for coming out...just a thought...

Alice

 

[mtncows]

Would you feel this time and money was wasted, if one of the climbers was a family member?

How about a couple of weeks ago, when a family's car went off the road and stranded them? Do you feel that was wasted time and effort?

I personally don't see the need for thrill seeking, (mountain climbing, etc.) but if it were a member of my family, I would be darn glad they were there doing all they could to find these people and bring them down, dead or alive.

And then the family should be billed for the costs. The gov shouldn;t have the job of saving people from their own supidity

dun

I could agree with that.

But where do you draw the line?
It could be said that the family that was stranded, had no business being there either.

That family that was stranded and the father died trying to get help...didn't I read that the road sign and been taken or changed or destroyed by vandals causing the family to get on the wrong road?

In that case, I'd think the vandals should be arrested for manslaughter and made to pay all costs for rescue efforts plus the man's funeral plus medical bills for the remaining wife and 2 children plus anything the judge can think of to throw at them.

Problem is, the vandals will probably never be caught.

Alice

I agree the people who did this caused (in part) their own problems but where do we draw the line?I served as an EMT on a volunteer rescue squad when I was younge.Some of our calls were due to people's stupidity and one was a little miffed at times dealing with that.I think that a voluntary sport or illegal activity should carry with it the responsibility of paying for any public service it requires :idea: :?:

 

[backhoeboogie]

If you are in a car wreck, there is comfort in knowing help is on the way. Think about bull riders. If they keep doing it long enough, there is eventually going to be bad injury.

Mount Hood in July of '84 was pretty treacherous. The olympic skiers were there and Pepsi was shooting scenes of a lady skiing in a bikini and such. I can't imagine going up to the summit this time of year. But each to his own.

There have been all kinds of fund raisers on the news here locally. One of the men is a soccer coach and his team has been holding all kinds of fund raisers and such. Probably not nearly enough nickels to pay a small portion, but there is effort being made. The news showed folks dumping some pretty big bills into that jar.

We are fortuneate to live in a country where people, volunteers and professionals alike, try to rescue us in times of peril. I hate it for the family. If a drunk were to wreck into my wife or daughters, I am glad no one would spare any expense or try to put a value on the lives of my loved ones. Our government wouldn't say, "It is not worth it."

Lets all hope no one is injured in the rescue (and now recovery) attempts.

 

[Bobg]

I think that if you want to participate in that type of sport that you should have to carry some kind of insurance to cover rescue. I work with a couple of people who rock/mountain climb and they said these three guys were insane for attempting a climb on the hardest part of the mountain with only 2 days of clear weather.

Bobg

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

I agree 100%! People that have a psychological compulsion to get that adrenalin rush or endorphin high from doing EXTREME "sports" should be held accountable to rescuers for their lame-brained activities when they crash and burn.

Their adolescent mentality that causes them to think that they are invincible, immortal, etc., ... and when they don't take 110% safety, back-up, etc., precautions... well... tough!

"Just because it's there" doesn't mean someone should (realistically) do it. We're probably talking about ego here, machoism... "Hey! Hold My Beer...Watch This!!"

Y'all remember the guy who was rock climbing by himself, slipped and caught his arm in a crevace between 2 rocks. He ended up amputaing his own arm to get loose. After he made it back to "civilization" then all the Media praised him on how brave and corageous he was to survive! (There was no mention of his stupidity in going out there alone and/or not having proper working equipment to communicate with).

 

[MikeC]

"Common Sense" and "Accountability" seems to be a dying art.

 

[badaxemoo]

Used to be a park ranger. Worked in two parks with lots of mountaineering activity. While the vast majority of climbers were responsible, a few weren't. At times I pondered the amount of time and resources spent on rescues even though many of the rescuers were volunteers and helicopter time from the National Guard was used as training. It is possible to charge someone if their negligence led to the rescue, but it is rarely done. The legal fees would probably be greater than the rescue costs.

The nastiest rescue I was ever involved with had nothing to do with climbing. Just a 300+ lb. guy who took an "S" turn too fast on his Harley, went off the road, and went about 100' down a steep boulder field. The bike was in pieces and he was pretty busted up - including a huge contusion on his lower back where he landed on his .357 that he had stuffed in his belt (he got a ticket from me for that!). Getting him up to the road was not a lot of fun.

I guess if you're not going to charge a guy like that for rescue, you probably shouldn't charge the climbers either. At least they don't usually weight 300 lbs if you do need to carry them out.

And truth be told, handling livestock can be hazardous. I wonder how many accidents there are per capita for farmers vs. climbers. Sometimes, even the best prepared can have an accident.