You might think that sending a team of specialists up a mountain for hours on end to carry out a tricky rescue would result in a hefty bill. But you'd be wrong.
While sheriff's departments are responsible for search missions in Washington state, when someone gets lost or stuck while hiking, they often call in a specialized organization of volunteers. Doug McCall, the chairperson of Seattle Mountain Rescue, said that his organization is sent out on over 100 missions a year by the sheriff's department.
"A typical mission may be something where somebody may sustain an injury or they have an accident in the backcountry, and they're able to call 911," McCall said in a phone call with McClatchy. "And then we would get activated by the King County Sheriff's Office to respond to that mission."
Seattle Mountain Rescue operates primarily in King County, where McCall estimates they have just under 80 volunteers. But other parts of the state have their own mountain rescue organizations as well. The Washington Mountain Rescue Association lists nine member organizations across the state on its website: Seattle, Olympic Peninsula, Bellingham, Tacoma, Skagit County, Everett, Whidbey Island, central Washington (Yakima) and inland Washington (Spokane).
Several regions in Washington have search and rescue organizations that aren't specific to backcountry lands and mountains as well.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Navy also assist in search and rescue when needed. The Navy runs a rescue operation out of Whidbey Island, equipped with two helicopters. The Coast Guard, meanwhile, is particularly helpful for search and rescue missions on the Olympic Peninsula because of its air station in Port Angeles, according to McCall.
How much does a hiking rescue cost in WA?
According to McCall, donations and volunteers allow Seattle Mountain Rescue to operate without charging anything for its rescues.
"As a Mountain Rescue Association team, all rescues are free," McCall said. "All volunteer, actually, and all of our equipment is paid for by donations through the general public."
The National Park Service doesn't charge for search and rescue missions, and neither does the Coast Guard. The Navy doesn't charge either — it writes off rescue missions as training, which is already budgeted for, according to both the Mountain Rescue Association and McCall.
How much does an airlift cost?
What if a rescue requires a helicopter to fly in for an airlift — is it still free? That depends, but in most cases it is.
"King County and Snohomish County and Spokane County all have helicopters that are hoist capable," McCall said. "If those helicopters are on scene, then no, the person who is injured is not paying for that rescue, you're not paying for that helicopter. And also, the Navy helicopter from [Naval Air Station] with the island, we work with them pretty closely as well, that is also free."
An exception is if you need to be airlifted to a hospital. Airlift Northwest, which is run by the University of Washington Medicine, is one of the primary airlift operations in Washington, along with Life Flight. Airlift NW performs 4,000 airlifts a year, according to its Executive Director Jeff Richey and has seven bases in Washington — Bellingham, Arlington. Bremerton, Olympia, Davenport, Wenatchee and Yakima — as well as one in Alaska.
"[Airlifts] go into two categories, Richey said. "And so there's inter-facility, which is hospital-to-hospital, which could be ER, to a higher level of care, to Harborview Medical Center, which is the... the only level one trauma center in the region. The other part is scene work, which is landing on a highway, landing on the islands, landing up in the mountains to be able to pick up our patients."
Richey, who estimates 75% of their airlifts fall into the inter-facility category and the other 25% are on scene, said that Airlift NW doesn't have hoists on their helicopters to perform full rescues. However, they often coordinate with rescue organizations to meet patients at the scene of the rescue and take them straight to the hospital.
Unlike standard search and rescue airlifts, hospital transport isn't free, but it's often covered by insurance. Richey said that the organization is in-network with 85% of insurance plans in Washington.
"Our average out of pocket for a patient transport is around $750 to $1,000, with insurance," Richey said. "So obviously, a patient has to pay their co-payment. So it depends on what their plan is. If they have a low co-payment, then that goes into that range. If they have a high co-payment, and their deductible has an opt-in match, then it's going to be a higher bill."
But if a patient can't afford an airlift, Richey said that the organization regularly provides charity care.
"If they don't have insurance or they qualify for charity care, we work with each individual to be able to go through that process and to be able to get them in the right spot for charity care. We write off close to two to $3 million annually just in charity care," Richey said.
Both Life Flight and Airlift NW have membership programs available. Life Flight's is $85 a year, while Airlift NW's is $60. According to Richey, the organization will write off all costs not covered by insurance for members and their immediate families.
Providing low-cost rescue services
With all the equipment and labor required to carry out a rescue, McCall said he understands why people might be wary of the potential cost. But he hopes to raise awareness to the fact that most search and rescue services are free.
"That's an important thing that I hope we can help convey. We as rescuers, we really want people to know that we volunteer, that this is how we really enjoy spending our time — going out and helping people, especially in the backcountry, and offering that for free," McCall said.
The last thing he wants is for people to hesitate to call for help because they're afraid of the bill.
"We don't want people to hesitate to call," McCall said, "because the more you hesitate, your injuries may get worse, or the conditions get worse at night, it could cause more risk to the rescuers to delay."
What to do if you need a rescue
What to do if you're lost while hiking, according to Seattle Mountain Rescue and the Washington Trails Association:
— Call 911. Even if you don't have cell reception, you can sometimes get a call out.
— Stay where you are.
— Make sure you're visible. Wear bright clothes. Wave your arms if you see a person or a helicopter.
— Find shelter as best as you can.
— Stay warm. Put on extra layers if you have them with you.
— Yell if you think you hear someone.
Additional tips to avoid getting lost include:
— Leave an itinerary of your hike with a trusted emergency contact.
— Make sure your phone is charged.
— Carry a satellite messenger or personal locator beacon.
— Carry a whistle.
— Bring a map, compass, first aid kit, headlamp, extra food, sun protection and extra clothing.
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