Re: [Paddlewise] Who picks up the rescue tab

Nick wrote;

> If it were just your wife doing the searching, I would say this is a 
> sufficient answer. However, while your wife or someone else may call you 
> in missing, it is rarely that person who puts them-self at risk in the 
> search. One example of how equipment such as an EPIRB might help in this 
> situation is if the search team knows you have an EPIRB, but you have not 
> yet turned it on, they will have good reason not to search for you.

Suppose I take an EPIRB but leave instructios that I will never set it off. 
What then?

Having an EPIRB and then giving instructions that say you will never use it 
doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Sounds like one becomes a slave to the 
EPIRB if you have one.

What did they do before we had EPIRBs? If a person left instructions saying 
don't search then what would you have done?  Has anyone ever disappeared 
without activating a search? How many missing persons are there for whom no 
search has ever been initiated?

> Also while your wife may agree to not do anything to save your life, she 
> may after 6 months decide that the probate paperwork would be a lot easier 
> if she could point to a body. So, despite your best efforts you will may 
> end up with a search team looking for you. Do you have any responsibility 
> to minimize the risk undertaken by the search team?

If she wants to speed things up that becomes her business not mine. Why is 
she in a hurry, Nick? You know something I don't :)

Should we assume that because we can search we must and that because we have 
these devices we must use them? What about these new locator chips they want 
to put in people to protect us from terrorists? Sounds like a good idea 
doesn't it? I mean, we have them, they could be put to good use, shouldn't 
everyone have one?

It lends a whole new dimension to the phrase "The good old days".

Snip
>. If we were to have a satellite phone, she would see no reason why we 
>couldn't call twice a day, and there would be no way to explain that water 
>got on the battery and the thing died.

Technology carries with it burdens and can enslave us even while seeming to 
be good for us..

Richard wrote;

> John, if you would be so kind as to go missing in Ungava or northern 
> Labrador, then we could have a jolly good time searching for you in an 
> area that has previously been ignored when it comes to major futile 
> searches.  Cheers to the Empire and all that!

Richard, you know my feelings about telling the world about those places I 
go that I would prefer to keep quiet and untraveled. The Kimosippi River is 
but one example where I have endeavored to keep the riff-raff out (not 
always with success it seems). It would pain me to think that my private 
places would get over run by club-footed rescuers scattering their gum 
wrappers across the barren wastes. Bad enough that the natives leave their 
surplus snowmobiles every where.

Cheers

John Winters
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************