Same kind of nimrods that like to pet the friendly rattlesnake. Years back I read of a couple hikers in some U.S. State Park, Arizona I think, that didn`t register their hike. This was before phones and all the tech. Anyway ... they got billed for 35 Grand for the search and chopper rescue when someone they knew realized they were hopelessly lost.
Same kind of nimrods that like to pet the friendly rattlesnake. Years back I read of a couple hikers in some U.S. State Park, Arizona I think, that didn`t register their hike. This was before phones and all the tech. Anyway ... they got billed for 35 Grand for the search and chopper rescue when someone they knew realized they were hopelessly lost.
Same kind of nimrods that like to pet the friendly rattlesnake. Years back I read of a couple hikers in some U.S. State Park, Arizona I think, that didn`t register their hike. This was before phones and all the tech. Anyway ... they got billed for 35 Grand for the search and chopper rescue when someone they knew realized they were hopelessly lost.
I don't think the Canadian search and rescue services work this way.
At least not the ones in BC. My buddy is part of the local SAR, they are all volunteers, and the vehicles, fuel and other resources are all covered by donations made by snowmobile associations, hiking and other trail use organizations. Some of the motorcycle and ATV dealerships run fundraising drives during their test rides for SAR donations as well. They have a policy of not billing for rescues because it may deter people from calling SAR in the event of a real emergency. Unfortunately, that means sometimes you have to go rescue "nimrods"...
we have a marine SAR team based in Oakville , 95% of "rescues" are idiots that ran out of fuel / batteries/ or inflatbale pool toys that once out of the wind shadow of shore take off for Rochester with little sally skippering. I give annually to thier fundraisers , in case some day I'm the idiot,
Count me in too! Many moons ago, the fall of `83 two friends and I were out blasting around the bush in Ganaraska. It began as a beautiful late Fall day and by afternoon it was overcast, showers and getting cold. We were all aboard IT250`s and by late afternoon were getting low on fuel in spite of a lunch time parking lot refuel. We stopped to figure out we should be heading back to the car and trailer and realized we had no clue where we were, luckily I had a compass. I figured going west we would run into 115 sooner or later on a bunch of trails,....and it worked. The three of us riding on the shoulder facing oncoming traffic, in the now much heavier rain, and quickly getting dark, heading for the sideroad to the parking lot. I`m in the lead about 15 klicks north of sanctuary and see an OPP car slowing down, as we also slowed. He just looked at us and shook his head and waved, probably figured we were miserable enough and drove on. Happy to get home to a hot shower and good food.
we have a marine SAR team based in Oakville , 95% of "rescues" are idiots that ran out of fuel / batteries/ or inflatbale pool toys that once out of the wind shadow of shore take off for Rochester with little sally skippering. I give annually to thier fundraisers , in case some day I'm the idiot,
My kid does that in the North - similar things happen, mostly stupid people. Urban vehicles stuck on bush roads, boats / atvs / sleds running out of fuel deep in the bush. Occasional lost hiker.
It’s all volunteer with a little support and training supplied by the OPP. A small amount of gear is supplied, but most volunteers use their own vehicles and gear.
Remuneration is basically a summer BBQ and the occasional beer tent VIP treatment.
I just learned in the fall that Canadian Coastgaurd Trenton / Prescott is responsible for the search area Niagara to past Montreal and north into Hudson Bay . That’s a massive square to look after .
I just learned in the fall that Canadian Coastgaurd Trenton / Prescott is responsible for the search area Niagara to past Montreal and north into Hudson Bay . That’s a massive square to look after .
New Zealand has the biggest search and rescue area on the planet, ~30 million square Kms. If that's right it's three times the area of Canada. A sibling flew with them for years doing the electronics and also playing war games with the fleets.
Adding to the problem there are thousands of islands running cobbled together ferries to other islands. Few have emergency beacons and ethics are sketchy.
In one case they found a couple of survivors adrift in a tinnie after five days lost. The rescued survivors told of hitting a reef while still in safe waters but the captain figured the boat wasn't that badly damaged and carried on. The owner didn't report the non arrival for a few days. If no one survives there's no one to sue you.
Locally and at a boat show many years ago a crusty old salt listened to the spiel from the Coast Guard on how they rescue stranded novices. Then he said "Why don't you let them drown and make the waters safer for he rest of us?"
My idiot of the day moment was taking a canoe outside the break-wall at Sunnyside Beach when there were whitecaps out there. Rather than retrace my route to a clear opening I headed for one closed off with huge chunks of concrete. I successfully timed going through with a wave surge but the lifeguard on duty rowed out to strongly suggest I don't do it again.
I did that as a coast guard aux in decades ago on lake Simcoe. I never got a call in the 5 or so years I lived by the lake as OPP operated out of Keswick.
I did do a few rescues as a Good Samaritan on the lake. One late night out for a cruise we saw boat flotsam from boat about 2nm off Snake Island. We rescued 2 teens clinging to a cooler in open water. Drunk of course.
In another instance we picked up a mayday, then a relay. A small cruiser near us was swamped and taking in water. It was stormy, way too tough for our small craft, so a couple of us took a couple of Sunfishes out to try and help. We rescued a dad and 5 year old, their boat was lost to the storm.
But my fave was rescuing a buddy who lost power in the Holland river. It was before portable cell phones so I got the call thru a patch. I’ll I could hear was girls screaming “BRING BUG SPRAY”. The CG gave me their location and off I went. The CG called me twice while on route, both times to ask if I remembered the bug spray (as they laughed).
during Covid everyone discovered we have four beaches in Oakville and they all came to the beach . Blow up toys, kayaks , canoes , people that don’t swim . Seemed every third day someone was being pulled out . Then came the wave of personal water craft and tinny fish boats with no fuel gauges and nobody with any idea what a channel buoy color might mean .
.. . Then came the wave of personal water craft and tinny fish boats with no fuel gauges and nobody with any idea what a channel buoy color might mean .
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Happy to get home to a hot shower and good food.
www.simcoe.com
