Cost of mountain rescues and who pays

Thanks to Franklin Mountains State Park, El Pasoans and visitors to the Sun City, have easy access to the largest urban park in the U.S.

It’s beautiful and for many, irresistible, leading some to explore beyond their limits.

Ever Hernandez and his friends tackled the Ron Coleman Trail in the Franklins this week, but not before being told if they go up too far, or get hurt and can’t get back down without help, they will be charged for their own rescue.

“Yeah, that’s why we’re trying not to go do the hard parts,” Hernandez said, “and try to take it easy.”

The El Paso Fire Department coordinates ComSAR — the combined search and rescue teams. They’ve responded to nearly 40 mountain rescue calls since 2010, including 11 in 2011, four in 2012, seven in 2013, five in 2014 and already seven so far this year — four of those in just the past month.

“As the weather heats up, people want to enjoy the nice mountains, the state parks that we have,” said Deputy Fire Chief Chris Celaya, who has found himself in the middle of many mountain rescues. “Municipalities are required to provide police and fire protection. This is above and beyond that.”

The average bill for those who get stranded or hurt is more than $5,400. The rate is based on a city ordinance, that allows ComSAR to charge “the responsible party on a per hour basis for each unit assigned to the incident at $82.50 per half hour … “

It’s designed to recover costs and reduce the overall burden to taxpayers. But those responsible are not charged for everything.

For instance, the El Paso Fire Department bills for only one of each type of vehicle sent out, despite additional ones sometimes being needed.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s office told ABC-7 they do not bill for services when they’re called out. And if a helicopter is needed, which Customs and Border Protection estimates has happened at least a dozen times since the beginning of 2014, they don’t charge either.

“Once you start bringing in off duty people and it becomes an extended operation, you’re going to have an additional cost,” Celaya said. “We look at both sides. Certainly we hear from the taxpayer that’s saying that’s above and beyond what my taxes are made to pay for. We certainly hear that and we hear from the other side, and you’re here to provide a service.”

Taxpayers do pick up the difference.

“The preparation is a lot cheaper, making sure you look at the trails, you know the trails, you go up with people that are experienced, you have all the necessities,” Celaya said. “That’s the key to not getting a ComSAR bill.”

Celaya said one of the mistakes that many hikers make is believing that since their cell phone is fully charged, it will remain fully charged while they hike. But he said that’s not always the case in the mountains

“Keep in mind your cell phone is based on being able to hit a tower,” Celaya said. “When you start getting in areas that are maybe blocked by the mountain and it doesn’t hit, it’s continually roaming to try and get that signal back. That puts a drain on your battery.”

Hikers, like Hernandez and his friends, need to know they can be billed for rescue.

“It’s their fault for not coming prepared everything like that,” Hernandez said. “So they should be the one paying for being rescued, not other people.”

Although much of the cost still falls to taxpayers.