{"id":92210,"date":"2019-10-14T03:23:59","date_gmt":"2019-10-14T03:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/who-pays-for-search-and-rescue-missions\/"},"modified":"2019-10-14T03:23:59","modified_gmt":"2019-10-14T03:23:59","slug":"who-pays-for-search-and-rescue-missions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/who-pays-for-search-and-rescue-missions\/","title":{"rendered":"Who pays for search and rescue missions?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Members
Members of La Plata County Search and Rescue and Upper Pine Fire Protection District rescue a kayaker who injured his leg in 2016 on Vallecito Creek. The Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue card program helps cover some of the costs for rescue missions around the state. Discussions have begun in the Legislature to make more money available to search teams.<\/span>Courtesy of Dan Bender file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

When someone needs to be rescued in the backcountry, who pays?<\/p>\n

It turns out, there\u2019s a number of funding sources to keep the La Plata County Search and Rescue team fully operational and ready to go when someone\u2019s in need.<\/p>\n

Ron Corkish, president of La Plata County Search and Rescue, said the first thing to keep in mind is that the emergency response crew is comprised entirely of volunteers, and from the outset, that keeps the cost of missions down.<\/p>\n

So far this year, the team of about 100 members has logged 5,800 hours on rescue missions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAcross the state, search and rescue teams are seeing a decrease in new membership and aging of the existing membership,\u201d Corkish said. \u201cBut we\u2019re an anomaly. People in Durango want to give and help, and we don\u2019t have those kinds of issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there are ways to fund La Plata County Search and Rescue efforts, and in some cases, kick some money back to the people who give up their time to save others.<\/p>\n

The first is the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue card, known as CORSAR \u2013 a program that allows people to purchase a card that goes into a fund that the state of Colorado uses to reimburse teams for costs incurred in search and rescue missions.<\/p>\n

The card can be purchased for $3 for one year or $12 for five years. In many cases, the card is included in a fishing or boating license.<\/p>\n

\"Ron
Ron Corkish, president of La Plata County Search and Rescue, in an emergency operations mobile center. Search and Rescue, which performs 60 missions per year on average, receives funding from a variety of sources, but rarely charges those who need rescuing.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

If a person who requires rescue from the backcountry has purchased the card, local search and rescue teams can apply for reimbursements, which in turn can help fund things like gas and gear. Corkish said La Plata County Search and Rescue receives about $10,000 from the fund each year.<\/p>\n

Statewide, however, the CORSAR fund can\u2019t cover everyone\u2019s costs, said La Plata County Sheriff Sean Smith.<\/p>\n

Typically, the fund has about $350,000 available. Yet the 50 rescue teams across the state request reimbursements that can total $1 million.<\/p>\n

Smith said Colorado has more search and rescue missions than any other state. He said discussions have begun in the state Legislature to make more money available to search teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just really have to figure out how to support our teams better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And, not everyone who needs saving has a card. In fact, Corkish said about two-thirds of the people who require rescue don\u2019t have the card.<\/p>\n

La Plata County Search and Rescue has a few fundraising benefits which help, Corkish said. Every Snowdown, there\u2019s a pancake breakfast. In April, Chimayo Stone Fired Kitchen hosts a benefit for the team, which, over the last eight years, has helped raise Search and Rescue\u2019s contribution to fund a new building.<\/p>\n

And out of the 60 or so missions a year, Corkish said about 10 to 15 people rescued, or their family members, will send a check out of gratitude. All added up, the team receives about $5,000 this way.<\/p>\n

\"Several
Several agencies come together to plan a rescue. La Plata County Search and Rescue is made up of mostly volunteers, which help keep costs low for the agency.<\/span>Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Smith said La Plata County Search and Rescue is integral in situations outside backcountry missions. He said the team donated hours during the 416 Fire last summer, for instance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish La Plata County was in a better financial situation to provide them more,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re unsung heroes that don\u2019t seek the attention they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Search and Rescue is at the direction of the Sheriff\u2019s Office, Corkish said. And only the sheriff has the authority to bill a person for their rescue costs \u2013 though that rarely happens.<\/p>\n

Corkish said in his 30 years involved in search and rescue, he can recall only about four instances in which someone was billed, each time involving a skier who intentionally went out of bounds and put themselves and emergency responders in danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s deemed not an accident, and the result of a conscious decision, then that\u2019s where I\u2019ve seen a bill created,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a school of thought in the search and rescue world, Corkish said, that if people face the threat of a fine for rescue costs, they\u2019ll be less likely to call for help. Then, the situation has the potential to get worse, which can put the person or rescue teams in a higher risk of danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the state is of the opinion that we don\u2019t want to charge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Other than the CORSAR fund, which consists of money from sales, and the money allocated from the Sheriff\u2019s Office, there\u2019s no other cost to the taxpayer, Corkish said.<\/p>\n

Smith said Colorado counties get the majority of their revenues from property tax as opposed to sales tax, which means money spent on hotels and restaurants by visitors and tourists, who typically require rescue, doesn\u2019t filter back to search and rescue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is all being recognized and worked on,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWe\u2019re working hard to figure out how to do a better job (getting funding).\u201d<\/p>\n

Flight for Life helicopter rescues may be a different story, but that falls under the umbrella of Mercy Regional Medical Center, Corkish said. A representative with Mercy did not return calls for comment.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to attach a cost to one particular mission, Corkish said. This year, despite a seemingly busy summer, is on track for a normal amount of missions \u2013 about 60. So far, Search and Rescue has been out on 51 calls, which include assistance to neighboring counties.<\/p>\n

\n

Some 2019 rescue missions<\/h4>\n

Jan. 6:<\/strong>
\n A 40-year-old man from Longmont was killed in an avalanche near Red Mountain Pass.
\n Jan. 28:<\/strong>
\n A 50-year-old woman from Oklahoma became lost while snowshoeing at the Durango Nordic Center.
\n Feb. 15:<\/strong>
\n Two backcountry skiers spent the night outdoors after being caught in a storm near Coal Bank Pass. They were rescued the next day and returned to safety.
\n Feb. 20:<\/strong>
\n Search and rescue retrieved a teenage girl who separated from her group while cross-country skiing on Purgatory Flats Trail.
\n June 24:<\/strong>
\n A climber was rescued after falling near the northwest boundary of Taylor Ranch, a subdivision about 5 miles northeast of Durango.
\n June 27:<\/strong>
\n A woman was swept away in Pole Creek while in the backcountry with her husband. Her body was found more than a month later.
\n July 5:<\/strong>
\n A climber fell 300 feet in the Cascade Creek area, requiring rescue.
\n July 8:<\/strong>
\n A climber took a serious fall in the Cascade Creek area. She was taken by Flight for Life to a hospital and was expected to survive.
\n July 9:<\/strong>
\n Another climber fell in the Cascade Creek area, but was able to self-rescue.
\n July 11:<\/strong>
\n A 23-year-old woman fell 20 feet in La Plata Canyon and required helicopter rescue. She was expected to survive.
\n July 21:<\/strong>
\n Rescue mission for two motorcyclists who became stranded on the Hermosa Creek Trail north of Durango. The rescue took nearly 11 hours, but both motorcyclists were unharmed.
\n July 25:<\/strong>
\n A 60-year-old man required a helicopter rescue after falling and injuring his head on a hike in the Weminuche Wilderness.
\n July 28:<\/strong>
\n A woman injured while mountain biking in Horse Gulch required rescue.
\n Aug. 13:<\/strong>
\n A 56-year-old female hiker died on the Colorado Trail after a tree fell on her tent.
\n Sept. 8:<\/strong>
\n A search mission was initiated for a Durango woman who became separated from her group near Grizzly Peak. Sixteen emergency personnel responded. She ultimately was able to self-extricate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Victims are rarely charged, but sometimes subjects cut a check<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":92211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5738,5740,5737,5736,5735,5741],"tags":[21,13,28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-92210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cortez","category-frontpage-lead","category-headlines","category-local-news","category-news","category-newsletter","tag-cortez","tag-frontpage-lead","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92210\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92210"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=92210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}