north-north-west wrote:I don't know where headwerkin got that from
From someone who got rescued recently - that was their words as relayed. As I said, just one anecdotal experience I heard, whether it is accurate or typical I don't know. I would imagine any costs passed onto the 'unnecessarily rescued' would obviously be highly dependent on the actual costs incurred... helicopters and crew burn money by the minute. Getting plucked off Mt Wellington obviously isn't going to be as expensive as a three-day search and rescue deep in the south west etc. I doubt that $5K is a flat fee as such.
Personally I've always operated under the assumption that if you are rescued, you owe everyone on that helicopter a slab of their preferred brew. I've had this confirmed by an actual SAR staffer that is very much accepted, and he'd prefer vodka. Ergo, the first thing you should say once aboard, after pleasantries are exchanged and 'thank you', is to ask what everyone drinks, and that you're buying
While I think spurious rescues do need to be discouraged, through education, personal responsibility and the genuine idiots being appropriately billed and made examples of, I'm fairly certain Westpac Rescue prefer people to not hesitate to press their button on their PLB if they're in trouble, which is why information regarding rescue costs or calls from the Great Unwashed for walkers to be billed go ignored. That makes good sense. No point dying in the wilderness with an un-activated PLB because you were too afraid of a potential bill or the wrath of the Tas Police Facebook Armchair Experts.