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As morning fog blanketed Hosmer Lake, 55-year-old Terri Harris was was taken by boat to safety. Her husband 51-year-old John Harris was also rescued after spending the night huddled under a makeshift shelter of tree limbs in the forest, as temperatures dipped into the 40's.

"The lady that was hiking with them was extremely hypothermic," said Shelton.

Around 4:30 a.m. Deschutes County 911 got a call from the Portland-area couple. The pair said they called for help due to the cold, rainy weather and the woman’s worsening condition, Shelton said.

Patrol deputies using enhanced 911 responded to the area and eventually found the hikers about five miles from the Lava Lake trailhead, on the Windago trail.
Crews found Terri Harris shivering and pale, but alive after a long night that didn't have to be. The couple started their hike just after 4:00 p.m. Monday afternoon.
They had a fully charged cellphone - the entire time. But didn't call for help, because they thought Deschutes County Search and Rescue didn't do night missions.
"Anytime day or night, weather conditions make no difference, our job is to come help you if you are lost or in trouble," said Shelton.

Sheriff’s Search and Rescue teams and deputies responded with 24 personnel, including horse and ground search teams, medical support teams and watercraft. Heavy rain was falling at the time, with temperatures in the low 40s, Shelton said.

Shortly after 7 a.m., the SAR teams contacted a deputy who was assisting the lost hikers. The woman initially was unable to walk out due to injuries sustained from exposure to the elements, and was brought across the lake by a sheriff’s patrol boat. The man was able to walk out with escort.

Both hikers were evaluated by SAR medical personnel and Sunriver fire medics at the incident command post, and released after an evaluation, Shelton said.

Even in the dense forest, 911 was able to track the couple to a specific location thanks to their cellphone.

"I Just can't stress enough, if you think you're in trouble, call us early," said Shelton.

The Harrises told rescuers they had left from Lava Lake around 4 p.m. on Monday, intending to take a short hike, and not equipped to stay out overnight, or for the changing weather conditions.
Based on the weather when they left, they did not take rain gear or other foul-weather equipment, Shelton said. They also did not have a compass, map or other navigation system.

Shelton said the SAR members “want to advise the citizens of Deschutes County and those who visit the area that the sheriff’s office and Search and Rescue will respond to calls for assistance at any time, day or night, in any weather conditions.”

But he also said the “sheriff’s office would like to remind all who travel to be prepared for changing weather conditions and to be properly prepared for their activity.”

Some Comments by readers:
Comment from bothebus
I want people to know that these two experienced hiker, did almost everything right. Although, once the (sic) found signal, unlike the reporting this was not all the time, they should have called for help. Unlike the reporting search and rescue did everything right. When an unsafe em-pass was reached near what they thought was the end of the trail, they turned around, rather then chance losing the trail. Never did they leave the trail and Never where they lost. They built the lean to just a couple feet from the trail and John gave 911 their location exactly. They had back pack, food and water but where not prepared for the overnight weather conditions. Thank God for Search and Rescue, Clay and Ally and all the people that where there when needed. Too bad the media doesn't get their facts straight before they go on the air. Thanks for the SAR of Bend.

canwe
when are we going to start charging idiots who "are not prepared for the elements" and eliminate the wasted and costly resources spent on these fools!

Barney Lerten in reply to canwe
As has been discussed many times here before, many experts who lead these volunteer units don't want more billing because folks will be more reluctant to call for help, and thus when they DO they will be in more dire straits and pose more risk to SAR personnel. Why do we keep thinking we can legislate/regulate/require proper behavior anyhow? Do we really believe folks will, due to threat of fines, be more prepared heading out? Or is it about some sort of vengeance motive? Blame Society rules again.

AE in reply to Barney Lerten
Here are some interesting stats from Portland Mountain Rescue...
Portland Mountain Rescue opposes charging any member of the public for rescue services. Furthermore, we believe existing laws must be applied fairly to all groups of recreationalists according to the facts and not public misperception. Additional statements opposing charging for rescues, published by other search as rescue organizations, can be found on the Mountain Rescue Association's website www.mra.org or by clicking here.2008 Statistics from the Oregon Emergency Management's 2008 Annual Report:•Hikers 136•Motor Vehicles 119•Wandering 48•Game Hunting 39•Aviation 30•Suicide 28•Swimming 22•Snowmobile 21•Fishing 21•ATV Mission 21•Climbers 15•Snowboarding 13•Bicycle 11•Other Snow 10•Mushroom Pickers 9•Criminal 6•Cross Country Ski 6 """" Yeah no lost horseman in 2008!!!

http://www.ktvz.com/news/28383523/detail.html

Search Sparks Debate: Should Rescued Get a Bill?

Search Sparks Debate: Should Rescued Get a Bill?
Pair Lost Near Hosmer Lake Waited Hours to Call
By Joe Burns, KTVZ.COM
June 28, 2011

BEND, Ore. -- It's a touchy subject: Whether those who get lost should be charged with such rescues. Search efforts, by and large, are done by volunteers, not paid staff, and some say that if people wait to call for fear of billing, the risk to them and the rescuers increases.

In the wake of a major rescue effort at Hosmer Lake early Tuesday morning, some are questioning who should have to pay for emergency rescue services.

Right now, taxpayers foot the bill for Search and Rescue (though most of its searches are conducted by volunteers). And some say that's not fair, especially when it's people who aren't prepared to be outdoors in the first place.

"I don't think it should be up to the taxpayer to pay for those that don't take the responsibility seriously," Robert Prentice said. Prentice says there's a lot of things people can do ahead of time to protect themselves in the outdoors, including knowing how to use a map and compass correctly.

Karen Taylor agrees: "I think some people who go out and act negligent and stupid should have to pay the bill, why should the taxpayer pay for it to make that mistake," Taylor said.

But outdoor expert Robert Speik, who runs the Website www.TraditionalMountaineering.org and who has seen his fair share of rescue stories, says there's good reason why those rescued shouldn't be charged for the service.

"It always comes down to the fact that rescuers don't want to have people believe they will be charged for rescue," Speik said Tuesday.

Speik says people who need help should not hesitate to call 911 -- and if the potential of a hefty bill would keep them from calling, everyone is likely to be in more danger -- rescuers included -- when they finally do seek help, or friends or loved ones report them missing.

"People should forget about being charged for rescue, or forget thinking about disturbing the search and rescue and call them on your cell phone," Speik said. (In Tuesday's case, deputies say the Portland-area couple waited because they didn't think the sheriff's office would come look for them overnight.)

Speik says the pair of Hosmer Lake hikers serve as a prime example of the danger of waiting too long to call 911 for help. If they waited any longer, the outcome could have been much more dire.

Speik says by using a cell phone, Search and Rescue usually will be able to locate your position within about 10 minutes. He says a cell phone takes the "search: out of Search and Rescue".

"What people fail to realize is that often, rescue costs very, very little," Speik said. "The rescue volunteers provide their own gear, the gasoline cost may not add up to hardly anything."

Some Comments by readers:
Comment by Robert_Speik
A suggested minimum standard news advisory for all backcountry travelers!

"We would like to take this opportunity to ask our visitors to the backcountry of Oregon to plan for the unexpected. Each person should dress for the forecast weather and take minimum extra clothing protection from a drop in temperature and possible rain or snow storm or an unexpected cold wet night out, insulation from the wet ground or snow, high carbohydrate snacks, two quarts of water or Gatorade, a map and compass and optional inexpensive GPS and the skills to use them, and a charged cell phone from a Provider that has the best coverage of the area and possibly, a SPOT-2 GPS Satellite Communicator. Each person should carry the traditional personal "Ten Essentials Systems" in a day pack sized for the individual, the trip, the season and the forecast weather.

Visitors are reminded to tell a Responsible Person where they are going, where they plan to park, when they will be back and to make sure that person understands that they are relied upon to call 911 at a certain time if the backcountry traveler has not returned. If you become lost or stranded, mark your location and stay still or move around your marked location to stay warm. Do not try to find your way until you are exhausted, or worse yet - wet. Wait for rescuers.


Comment by Robert_Speik
It might be useful to know that calls from ordinary cell phones have initiated most search and rescue operations in Oregon in recent years.

You do not need an expensive cell phone with an actual GPS radio receiver inside, nor an expensive monthly application. FCC E911 Regulations require that cell providers be able to provide through 911, the latitude and longitude Coordinants of the caller within 10 minutes of a request by law enforcement. This "takes the Search out of Search and Rescue".

The most important capability is that the ordinary cell phone can allow a conversation with the SAR Incident Commander: "Hello, I am backpacking solo and I have broken my leg above the ankle. I am very experienced. I am camped on the trail at the crest of the hill above Green Lakes. My Responsible wife would call you on Sunday afternoon at 4 pm letting you know that I am late returning but it would be best for all of us if I could hitch a ride on a SAR horse tomorrow morning at your convenience. I have taken a pain pill provided by my MD, splinted the leg and I am OK You can confirm that my red SUV is parked at the Green Lake Trail Head. I will call my wife and ask her to call you through 911 to confirm details."

The best cell phone coverage of the Central Oregon backcountry and Cascades Wilderness is provided by Verizon cell towers. Other providers' cell phones can not "see" the Verizon towers. Only Verizon uses CDMA technology in Central Oregon.

More information on this subject is at http://traditionalmountaineering.org/News_OpEd_Yuppie911.htm

Comment by samhande
Here is a Newsweek article where a related topic recently was discussed - the cost of saving climbers. This time the flash point were the lost climbers on Mt Hood. In this article they discuss how Alaska and Colorado "tax" users, and how NH directly billed in one instance. http://www.newsweek.com/2009/12/16/a-mountain-of-bills.html


Comment by Robert_Speik
Hello Sam-The Climber User Fees on Denali are used to staff a Ranger high camp, provide special instructional services, remove poop, etc. and are not for SAR services.

The Eagle Scout who was charged the infamous $25,000 fine (for a helicopter search) raised a ruckus with BSA and folks nationwide. The fine was quietly rescinded.
Read more here: http://traditionalmountaineering.org/News_EagleScout_FineRescinded.htm


Saturday, April 10, 2010
New Hampshire fines Eagle Scout $25,000 for Rescue Services
Teen off the hook for $25k rescue bill
By David Brooks
CONCORD – New Hampshire has decided not to go ahead with a controversial attempt to charge a Massachusetts teen $25,000 to cover costs for a search and rescue in the White Mountains last year that involved a helicopter.

New Hampshire Fish and Game said it has “decided not to pursue collecting the reimbursement because of (Scott) Mason’s personal circumstances and conditions at this time. The department reserved the right to bring action in the future, however.”

Mason, an Eagle Scout who as 17 at the time, spent three nights alone on Mount Washington last April after he sprained an ankle and turned off marked trails while hiking alone.

The search included a helicopter, but rescuers on the ground ended up spotting the teen and leading him to safety.

Mason’s lawyer, Pamela Kogut, said her client and his family were grateful to New Hampshire rescuers and appreciative of the decision to drop the fine. Mason is now 18 and a senior in high school.

“We have long maintained that Scott took his responsibility as a safe hiker very seriously, and that he was not negligent,” she said. “We also believe that for a young man and a hardworking middle-class family, assessment of more than $25,000 was not warranted.”

The fine was the largest of its kind ever imposed in New Hampshire, one of eight states with laws allowing billing for rescue costs.

Three states besides New Hampshire – Hawaii, Oregon and Maine – have laws allowing agencies to bill for rescues, but only Maine has attempted to recoup money a handful of times and the bills were never paid, according to an Associated Press review last year. California, Vermont, Colorado and Idaho have laws allowing state agencies to bill in limited circumstances, but the laws are rarely enforced.

National search-and-rescue organizations dislike the laws. They worry the possibility of big bills could cause hikers to delay calling for help, putting them and rescuers at greater risk.

State authorities praised Mason’s skills when he was lost – which included sleeping in a boulder crevice and starting fires with hand sanitizer – but said Mason wasn’t prepared for the conditions.

Three months later, the state presented him with the bill, which produced a long and heated debate about the need and propriety of charging people for rescue.

At the time, the news caused a firestorm of attention, with hundreds of Web sites, blogs and ABC News picking up the story. A scoutmaster from Maryland set up a Facebook page in Mason’s name to raise money. Despite some fallout, several state officials interviewed stood by the law.

The charge came about partly because the traditional funding for search and rescue operations in the state – a $1 surcharge on off-highway recreational vehicles and boat registrations – was falling well short of costs.

Fish and Game Lt. Kevin Jordan said there was a lot of compromise on both sides. Mason’s family sent the state $1,000.

“We’ve reached what all of us believe is a reasonable conclusion that pursuing the reimbursement at this time would not be appropriate,” Jordan said.

In a letter sent April 8 to Mason’s legal counsel, New Hampshire Attorney General Michael Delaney and New Hampshire Fish and Game Executive Director Glenn Normandeau wrote: “We hope that the publicity about his experience has served as an important teaching moment to others considering hiking in the White Mountains, so they might know that the dangers and risks of doing so should never be underestimated.”
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/699918-196/state-wont-charge-teen-25000-for-white.html

http://www.ktvz.com/news/28390626/detail.html

Some of my previous comments on the KTVZ website:
I think part of the problem is that many people don't really "plan" to become stranded. Perhaps that is a big part of the problem for SAR, the families of the stranded and the unhappy folks who get much more of an adventure than they really wanted. Each year in Oregon, people become stranded overnight and some die each year from hypothermia

KTVZ has done the best job in Central Oregon, of publishing news reports that identify the factors that can "mitigate" the risks of backcountry travel:
1. Tell a "Responsible Person" where you plan to go and agree with the RP on the best time for a timely call to 911;
2. Dress for the forecast weather and carry a day pack with enough extra clothing, food and water for an emergency stop or stranding overnight;
3. Carry a $7 topo map of the area, a $25 declination adjusted compass and a current $100 GPS and learn some new skills;
4. Carry a common digital cell phone from a (CDMA technology) Provider and for hunting, a $149. SPOT-2 GPS satellite communicator that can call home, friends or 911 (without cell phone towers).

For a full list of the ten essential outdoor systems visit www.traditionalmountaineering.org.

http://www.ktvz.com/news/27459098/detail.html