From sprained ankles to the tragic loss of life. Emergency help comes with staggering costs that Hawaii plans to address.
50 thoughts on “Latest Deadly Kauai/Hawaii Search & Rescues Lead To Pending Legislation”
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For comparison: Search and Rescue teams in my home province of BC in Canada never charge for rescue. They promote this fact so that nobody hesitates calling 911 when needing rescue because of being afraid of a large bill. “We do not charge for rescues”. Well, I understand the U.S. of A. is different…
Context is important to not ignore when comparing different countries’ search and rescue policies. BC doesn’t have the same environmental, political, and economical factors as Hawaii, amongst other things. Although I understand not wanting to discourage people from getting help, from my experience many people travel to Hawaii and don’t believe anything will happen to them, then proceed to ignore all signs, warnings, and advice.
People who flagrantly ignore safety signs, jump fences, trespass should be fully responsible, which includes paying, for their illegal actions. Going to a lifeguarded beach and having a lifeguard help you out of a situation is completely different from the many, many people I have seen at Wailua falls who climb through the tall fence directly in front of “do not trespass” “hazardous” signs. They look at the signs and continue, thinking only of their good time. SHouldn’t those people be responsible? Would they be responsible in your own home town? Fair is Fair. What happens here on Kauai is these internet travel blogs love to describe the adventure and beauty of a particular spot but they fail to mention the warning signs or cultural norms that prohibit certain behaviors. That doesn’t sell well and does not make their blogs rank. Money talks.
Maybe we should be asking where all those exorbitant fees are going and why they’re so high. Pay the SAR salaries, fuel, helicopter maintenance etc yes… but 47K??? Sounds like some corruption going on there. ??
Even talking about trying to charge the tourists for search and rescue is just retarded and petty. Tourism generates about $2,000,000,000 for the state of Hawaii in a normal year. (Yes, that’s $2B with a B.) So… what’s a few million here and there for this type of thing? It’s a drop in the bucket. Unfortunately, people seem to be getting stupider and stupider. And that doesn’t just apply to the tourists. But if we are going to charge the group that generates the largest segment of our tax revenue for search and rescue… I guess we’ll have to start sending a bill to everyone in the state of Hawaii that comes into contact with law enforcement, EMT’s, Fire Departments, DLNR officers, etc, etc, etc–including the locals. Right? What’s fair is fair.
And with all of the drownings that occur in Hawaii every year… I guess we should start talking about shutting down all of the beach parks permanently–and banning all swimming in the ocean. I mean, if we’re going to shut down tourism for a few COVID deaths… it’s only right that we shut down the beach parks to save all of those people from drowning every year. You know… the sanctity of human life and all that jazz.
It’s starting to sound like it would be very much preferable if I just sent a bunch of money and stayed home. I guess I can get behind the staying home part.
As someone who has always been a monkey and exploring off the beaten path it is paramount to respect nature and not be a jackass.
I often see people who think because I did something they can also and often get stuck or have to turn back due to the difficulties of the land.
The issue is if you charge people to be rescued there will be those who refuse or simply won’t call for help because they cannot financially afford to.
The question is then if they die or get into worse situation the state will definitely suffer and it just feels a bit inhumane but of course our healthcare is built on a for profit system so it’s not totally out there.
I just don’t think that will actually solve the problem just add more obstacles or nuances to saving lives.
I also feel it’s taking advantage of someone who has suffered, self imposed or not.
Perhaps the senate could allocate more money to search and rescue instead of giving it to the rich. I mean we did spend 14 Trillion in the last 20 years just in war. We can afford to do all the things to keep the citizens safe and happy. 🤷🏽♂️
I appreciate Yury’s comment on the Vancouver SAR policy. Maybe a distinction to draw is whether someone needed rescue from somewhere they were allowed to be or they needed rescue from somewhere they shouldn’t be. I believe you will get charged if you need rescue skiing in Vermont IF you are off trail. In my mind there’s a big difference between needing rescue from an open trail to needing rescue from a posted/private/bushwhack trail. It is a trickier call when you’re in the water, unless a beach is actually closed. Lots of people don’t understand that it isn’t Disney World, it is a big, sometimes unruly ocean, and you should give at least a passing thought to your limits before you swim out 100 yards from shore or play in the waves pounding the beach.
Please charge those rescued. Those of us who are paying taxes here, and who do not go off and do stupid things requiring rescue ourselves, would rather have our tax dollars spent on things that benefit local residents. Our schools, our roads, our lives, etc.
Hawaii…..where all good ideas go to die….including much needed
“Search and Rescue Insurance”.
Maybe private rescue firms will become the norm rather than local fire departments. Then, if someone needs help, they can call around to get a few quotes and find the best price for getting saved.
Wouldn’t a large fine for violating no trespass signs posted at dangerous places be simpler?
Between the special fees on visitors, and the ever increasing accomodations taxes, seems like some life saving rescue could be included at no additional at charge.
Thank you for the updates.
Hi Skip.
Thanks. We appreciate all of your input over the past few years.
Aloha.
Aloha Skip.
Regarding your statement, “seems like some life-saving rescue could be included at no additional at charge.” Why? Why should the residents of Hawaii pay for a visitor’s negligence? This isn’t Disneyland where they can stop the ride so you can get off. People die or get badly hurt because of wrong decisions! Also, it’s not “free drink with purchase”. We’re talking thousands of dollars here for SAR to be called out and that is absorbed by us. Why should we foot that bill? Respect the land, follow our mandates, and don’t use our SAR as an Uber. Mahalo.
Because it’s not only visitors that are being rescued