The Hidden Costs of Search and Rescue: Why Getting Rescued Always Ends up Costing More

Why do search and rescue operations end up being so expensive? Since 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, outdoor recreation has spiked among Americans. As more and more people have gotten out into the wilderness, the number of emergencies have risen as well. Alongside increasing extreme weather events, this has caused a perfect storm of conditions putting pressure on Search and Rescue (SAR) teams according to Greg Pearson, the founder and CEO of Focuspoint International, a critical event management company that specializes in emergency response as a service, driving up costs and straining existing services.

Across the U.S., SAR teams are made up of mostly volunteers. This takes the load off of law enforcement and other agencies when responding to dangerous situations in remote areas, and keeps these services free. However, with a higher number of people in the backcountry, some SAR agencies are overextended and have started to charge in situations where they deem someone to have been negligent. If a hiker were to enter an area that was marked closed for safety reasons and needed a rescue, for example, they may be charged since they are putting already strained rescue teams at risk.

So besides negligence, why do some SAR operations end up costing thousands of dollars? In an interview about this very question, Pearson said that if you’re being charged for a rescue, it’s “because of the medical component.”  Pearson elaborated further on an experience a client of Overwatch x Rescue (a rescue insurance company) had in the Montana backcountry,where after they broke their leg the client and had to get a helicopter evacuation to a medical center.

Since it was a medical-related rescue that dispatched a medical helicopter rather than a SAR one, the victim faced a $55,000 medical bill, which was fortunately covered by their Overwatch x Rescue plan. The same goes for someone if they injure themselves in an urban area and has to pay for an ambulance; medical transportation in the wilderness is what will always drive up costs. Someone could be brought to the trailhead by a SAR team which would for no cost, but getting in an ambulance from there to seek medical attention will then cost money. Urgent care centers in mountain towns may also be outside of most health insurance networks, so getting medical attention in these areas can also be very expensive.

Luckily, there are ways in which risk can be managed and pressure on SAR organizations can be reduced. Satellite communication devices are a game-changer for rescuers, making it easy to quickly assess emergency situations and make sure the proper resources are allocated, saving time and money. In addition, when people are spending time in the outdoors, it’s critical to always let someone else know where you are going, check weather conditions ahead of time, and to have the right equipment. Regardless of the potential for high fees, people in precarious situations in the backcountry should never hesitate to call SAR when a real rescue is absolutely needed.

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