New Search and Rescue Rules Could Be Costly for Reckless Hikers
December 29, 1999

CONCORD, N.H. -- Hikers who aren't prepared for the extremes of New Hampshire's terrain and weather may want to reevaluate their plans for outdoor adventures.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department announced today that hikers who recklessly cause themselves to become lost or injured -- resulting in costly and dangerous rescues -- may be billed for those rescue services. The new protocol has an educational element that includes signs and handouts advising hikers to be prepared when hiking in the backcountry, with the objective of reducing the number of rescues.

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"Millions of people come to New Hampshire because it's a fantastic and beautiful place to hike," said Wayne E. Vetter, the Fish and Game Department's executive director. "Unfortunately, a small number of those hikers aren't prepared for the terrain or the weather and lack equipment or experience they need to hike safely. We hope we seldom have to take steps to bill people for search and rescues. But when those rescues are initiated because of someone's careless or reckless behavior, we feel it"s our responsibility to recover some of those costs."

Under the new protocol, which is supported by the Fish and Game Commission, the Department would review each search and rescue mission and determine whether a bill should be sent to those involved. Hikers who may be billed include those who are poorly equipped for terrain or weather and/or lack reasonable skills or stamina to handle the hike without getting lost or injured.

The many dedicated and highly trained volunteers from diverse agencies and organizations are an integral part of New Hampshire's search and rescue missions. As the lead agency in charge of such missions, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, handles roughly 150 to 200 search and rescues each year. Of those, only a small number are initiated because of the actions of reckless hikers, according to Col. Ronald Alie, chief of Fish and Game's Law Enforcement Division.

"Those small number of reckless hikers can present some very difficult, dangerous and expensive search and rescue missions," Alie said. "Those are the hikers who'll be billed for rescues. Furthermore, we hope that the prospects of getting a bill will itself act as a deterrent to hikers who may otherwise make incorrect and uneducated decisions."

Searches and rescues in New Hampshire are funded mainly by a $1 fee on off-highway recreational vehicles and boat registrations.

Money collected from reckless hikers will support training and purchases of equipment for volunteers of search and rescue organizations who help with rescue missions. Proper equipment for a winter hike or rescue mission costs as much as $4,000 per person, Alie said.