The Kauai County Council is considering legislation to require hikers who disregard warnings to reimburse the county or state for the cost of search-and-rescue operations.
Bill 2589 notes an increase in search-and-rescue efforts utilizing the county’s Air 1 helicopter. Not only does it put emergency personnel at risk, it has a direct financial impact on the county due to overtime pay and fuel costs. In April of last year, 121 hikers were evacuated from the Na Pali Coast after being stranded due to rising stream waters. Fuel costs for Air 1 and overtime pay for firefighters and police officers totaled $3,561.
The bill includes such items as: compensation for employees devoted specifically for the purpose of the rescue operation, repair or replacement costs for any county equipment damaged in the operation, fuel costs, and legal fees associated with trying to recover those costs.
The bill also aligns the language more closely with state law, defining it as intentionally disregarding a warning or notice. Kauai County Councilman Mason Chock, who had been a Kauai firefighter for 11 years before retiring in 2005, introduced the bill last week.
“We need people to take a little better look at how they’re making their decisions,” he said. “Accidents are accidents. We cannot foresee when they happen. However, there are times when people make poor judgments.” Source: Pacific Business News