For those who will make false distress calls

I am glad this guy was taken to task!

False Distress Call Costs Ohio Man 3 Months, $500,000 in Restitution | gCaptain

Wow! What a dick. Good post.

Looks good on him. Sure shows people what the cost of S&R really is. Might make a few people reconsider before doing the same. Good post!

The more interesting point is why did he do it.That wasn't discussed in the article.

In Oz there have been a few cases of volunteer firefighters who have been subsequently charged with starting fires. Humans can be strange animals at times.

LaBomba said:

Looks good on him. Sure shows people what the cost of S&R really is. Might make a few people reconsider before doing the same. Good post!

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For the USCG....All SAR is in the budget every year...it doesn't cost the taxpayer one red cent extra unless the is something like the Cuban Refugee Exodus or a special out of country op...or Manhattan boatlift for falling towers.

Sure it deducts from other missions...like fisheries enforcement, drugs...training...but a sharp operations office can absorb that into his annual planning no sweat.

Sting the criminal for sure...but it didn't cost us anything in the short run...but payout will help somewhere if it's used wisely....and that's a big if.

Looking on the bright side, false emergencies are good training.

markpierce said:

Looking on the bright side, false emergencies are good training.

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Except if someone dies in a real emergency while rescuers search for the false "emergency".
As this case demonstrates, the cost of rescue, sending helicopters or fixed wing search aircraft, dispatching ships, diverting nearby ships etc, is enormous. Let`s hope this case acts as a deterrent to the idiots.

Plain old searching in pretty good conditions doesn't provide much in the way of training...sure a good crew can be learning things along the way...but a dedicated training mission is much more effective.

Plus false distresses...much like false alarms (guys fresh water tank leaks and he thinks he's sinking, or a popped hose and with steam he thinks he's on fire) can be demoralizing if too many in a row are encountered. The degrade morale so when the real one comes along, the newer or less professional rescuers might slacken their performance with the thoughts "it will just be another false alarm."

What extra does it cost the taxpayers to send CG boats and C130s 1000 offshore to rescue the guy trying to paddle across the Atlantic? Do they send him a bill?

millennium said:

What extra does it cost the taxpayers to send CG boats and C130s 1000 offshore to rescue the guy trying to paddle across the Atlantic? Do they send him a bill?

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Usually nothing unless he was ordered to stop and didn't ...then got into trouble...

Even then probably nothing because most normal rescues are already budgeted for.