Ice flow on Erie

[DanG]

It may surprise you to know that I have some thoughts on this matter.

I say leave their butts out there.  The Gene Pool don't need'em.  I ain't worried about the money, but whenever somebody goes out over the water or into the mountains in a helicopter, their lives are at serious risk.

[stonebroke]

Its like that old saying the Coast Guard has, They have to go out, nobody ever said anything about coming back.

Stonebroke

[isawlogs]

 I can deal will one , lets call it a misshap or part of ones learnin' curve , but after that , your on your own to foot the bill .  Ya can't go out and think that the people involved with rescues are there for your personal back-up ...  Hey !!  WAKE up .. they are there for emergency use ... not for your bloody back-up system .  If you go out on a limb and cut the dam thing behind you ... well your gonna fall , hope you got on the lower one and dont need to fall from too high . 

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Well then, what's y'all's opinions on things like the Alaskan Crab Fishing fleet

  I know it's a JOB, but, surely there are other JOBS available.

  This puts the rescue teams at a VERY high risk level, just so people can eat high $$$ crabs

[isawlogs]

  I think that the captain of the boat should have the responsability of the rescue if he goes out and gets the boat in trouble. Some go out there and get real close to trouble.
 If a rescue is needed for a man over board or air lifted for medical reasons aint the same . But if the Captain takes that boat out to the ice pack and gets caught up and needs the choppers or the ice breakers to get free. Free in $$ dont come to mind . 

[Burlkraft]

I'm with DanG on this one.     

They never shudda been out there, they knew it wasn't safe.

Shudda left 'em to fend fer themselves.

I hate payin' fer others stupidity. I got my own stupidity to worry about   

[logman]

I spent 11 years in the CG, 9 of those years at small boat search and rescue stations. The other 2 years on an icebreaker where we spent 1+ year total underway.  I saw all kinds of dumb and stupid stuff we had to get underway for.
The worst cases were overdues, you had to go out and search all night or whatever only to find out the boat was tied up at some marina drinking.  Came across plenty of boaters that were navigating by road maps.  When I first joined in 77, you always heard that phrase "You have to go out but you don't have to come back".  When I got out in 88 things had changed and they had crew fatique standards and didn't require us to get underway for every little case unless there
were lives at stake.  It also seemed like our main mission changed from SAR to Law Enforcement.  We spent alot of time underway doing harbor patrols and boarding everything that came in.  The local fishing boats started to hate seeing us and you could tell we were becoming a pain to them. 

[stonebroke]

why were you boarding the fishing boats. Checking for illegal fish?


Stonebroke

[Luckyfarmer]

I remember when I was young I swim across the Mississippi River.  one mile wide here in Mo
I have looked at the river many times over the years and think how dumb

[Warbird]

You should change your name to "Luckyswimmer". 

[logman]

Mostly clam boats, we were looking for drugs.  Not saying that clammers bring in drugs but that is what came in and out of the harbor the most.  We boarded anything and everything that came in when on patrol. 

[lhgolfer2000]

wouldn't it be ironic if those genuises involved in that ice dilema were complaining about the government bailouts. It seems similar yet on different scales.

[Warbird]

Yeah, that would be ironic.    I've reread this entire thread and even with my experience as a boy, I feel like most of the rest of you.  Adults should know better and should be made to foot the bill in cases of sheer stupidity.  However, who is going to prove that something was a "case of the stupids" and not purely innocence or unpreparedness?

If a law were to be put in place making people ultimately responsible in cases such as this one, I can see it easily being misused.  Makes me a bit nervous.

[Stephen1]

Some of you might remember the case of the man & wife who skied out of bounds in Western Canada last winter. They were out there for 8 days the lady died on the 7th day. They had left SOS markings in the snow and nobody set up a Search & Rescue, because no one was reported missing, or any cars left overnight in the parking lot of the ski resort. They had left their car in the underground parking of the condo they were staying in.
Well the husband tried to sue everyone and a judge just rule that they went into the back country and it was his responsibility, not the government or the S&R organizations to rescue them. it is about time we saw the responsibility placed where it belongs. 
You are responsible for your actions, not anyone else.

[BcWoodWorks]

Stupidity is rampant, heck I'm full of it 6/7 days of the week...but at the same time people don't deserve to die for making one stupid mistake.

We've all had close calls, and when I started outliving some of my peers from school at 20...I realized nothing is promised.

Needless to say, I take a lot less Immortal 20 year old risks. 

[Ironwood]

Wasn't Gene Poole a famous country western star? 

 Gotta agree Dang.

 I dont eat crabs (or sea food) and think those folks should stay home warm and dry.

     Ironwood