Rescue Insurance for Backpackers

Thanks Rex… some very good information…

You have done a good service for the BPL community…

Billy

There is a ton of helpful information in this article, thanks for sharing!

HI folkes,

a good option to get a cheap but ggod insurance for alpine hikes etc is
becoming a member of the DAV(Deutscher Alpenverein) which is the German Alpine Club.

The insurance is included in the membership fee which ususally runs around 50€.

It covers SAR costs up to 25.000 € … details (also in German) can be found here:
http://www.alpenverein.de/aktuelles-info/versicherungen/bergungskosten-unfall-bergunfall-versicherung_aid_10256.html

BTW…the insurance is valid world wide.

Cheers

Carsten

Good article Rex, thanks for taking the time to gather the info.

I live in California, and can only really speak for this state. But you hit the nail on the head for our state, which is that the private ambulance costs and hospital bills are all you will be expected to pay, unless you were committing legal violations, which led to the rescue. CalEMA (now changed back to California OES) coordinates SAR for the state, but local Sheriff's Offices for the most part form the majority of SAR efforts, along with a few private organizations and federal agencies. I've been on SAR for 15 years, part of which was as a coordinator for our team and leader of our technical rescue team. We have never billed a SAR victim. Ambulances, on the other hand, are not cheap.

If an air ambulance is required, like you said in your article, it will be selected by the Ops Manager or IC, not the patient/ victim. But one thing to keep in mind is that CHP helos have a paramedic/officer on board, and are completely free. Coast Guard have an EMT-I, and are free, and CSAR helicopters (like the 129th out of Moffett Field), have a paramedic (pararescue jumpers), and are free. So there are a lot of free helicopters out there for rescue that do not cost the patient a penny. The downside is that availability/ protocols/ response times/ nature of injury will determine who responds, not free vs. costly.

A photo just for fun, of me and my K9 partner practicing "hot-loading" in a CHP A-Star helicopter at SAREX 2013. The only time I've been in a helicopter on an actual rescue is when I was hoisted up in a basket into a Coast Guard HH65, but that is a long story and involved a "recovery", not a rescue.

AAC members in good standing are automatically enrolled in both a $5,000 Trailhead Rescue membership with Global Rescue, and a $5,000 Domestic Rescue Insurance Policy. The two services combined provide up to $10,000 in Rescue Services to all members

Regular – $80
Age 29-65.

https://www.americanalpineclub.org/

Roger wrote: However if there was no medical injury (example: lost trail with no heart attack, or broken bones or hypothermia treatment) then the county emergency services will send a bill, and collection agency will put a lien on assets (car, home.)

Do you have any references for that? I have found nothing on those counties charging for rescues. Both Riverside and San Bernardino Sheriff's Departments did not reply to my email asking, in part:

I want your help discovering which rescue costs are billed to the person being rescued, and how much a "typical" rescue costs …

I'm trying to track down all the exceptions to the "no charge for rescue" rule in USA.

Thanks.

— Rex

"Roger wrote: However if there was no medical injury (example: lost trail with no heart attack, or broken bones or hypothermia treatment) then the county emergency services will send a bill, and collection agency will put a lien on assets (car, home.)

Do you have any references for that? I have found nothing on those counties charging for rescues. Both Riverside and San Bernardino Sheriff's Departments did not reply to my email asking, in part:…"

I was going to ask him the same thing Rex. I would be surprised if it were true. One of the coordinators on our team was previously on San Bernardino County SAR, and her father has been there for many years. I've written her with this question and I'm waiting to hear back.

"I have all 3, AAC membership, PLB, and medical insurance (though I don't know for sure what they will cover)"

Hey Billy – I've got a bridge for sale ….

BTW Greg… that bridge you have for sale… you shoulda posted that in the Gear Swap section, not here… :)

thanks,

Billy

Ah, that makes more sense now Roger. I think it means something a little different than how you took it. For non-medical rescues the costs are billed to the county of residency for the missing person. Otherwise, as you said, places like San Bernardino, Yosemite and surrounding areas, etc., would go bankrupt. San Bernardino has a small air force of vehicles (hahaha), so if the county absorbed all the costs it would be a nightmare.

But the billing is not to the missing person, but to the county itself, where they came from. We had a wealthy family (winery owners) go missing in the Sierras and our county was billed, not the county where they went missing. The family themselves were not billed, but made a generous donation to our SAR team. This is just one example I can think of off the top of my head, but it illustrates my point. I'm not aware of any agency in California that bills the missing person for non-medical rescue costs. In fact, I don't believe it would be legal to do so. Remember, search is a law enforcement function, which is why it falls under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff and not the fire department. Privatized EMS can obviously charge patients for medical care, but law enforcement is mandated to be accessible to all for no cost (aside from taxes…there is actually an exception to this but it goes beyond the scope of this topic).

Like we mentioned, another huge exception to that rule would be if the missing person was convicted of a criminal offence, such as trespassing, etc. Then all bets are off, and restitution fees can be ordered by the court.

"In some legal cases, the person phoning 9-1-1 gets billed for the hospital helicopter rescue, and not the injured person being evacuated. weirdness of punishing the good Samaritan by-stander. it happens."

No slight intended to you Roger, but I really doubt that is the case.
How could they charge an bystander for medical treatment to someone else… someone you don't even know?
Or the evacuation of someone else for that matter?

Seriously doubt that would hold up in court if it came to that…

Show me the case law and I'll believe it…

Billy

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