St Clair County hosting Meeting to disscuss charging fee for rescues

[JasonG]

Channel 7 reported this afternoon that St Clair County will have a meet tomorrow (Wed) to disscuss the idea of charging people that need to be rescued.

The meeting is open to the public here is the info:

held at: 200 Grand Ave in Port Huron

6:00 pm Wednesday 1-21-04

[Banditto]

next thing you know they will charge you for calling the police, or calling the fire department, or animal control, or your congressman, etc...

I could see a ticket, but charging a fee is totally uncalled for.

[William H Bonney]

What would the "ticket" be issued for?? Believe me, I've done my fair share of "stupid" things,,and got ticketed for them,, but all the stupid things I did,, happened to be against the law. Ya can't write citations for people being stupid.

These meetings will never go anywhere,,, the ACLU would have a FIELD DAY, if ANYONE tried to pass something like that.

[Banditto]

well actually you can get a ticket for doing stupid things.

take for instance driving in "unsafe conditions" like we did in the U.P. during a snow storm once. The truck got a little sideways off the road and we had to call a wrecker. In the meantime a cop pulled up and asked if we need help, no it's on the way.

Oh in the meantime here is a ticket for driving in unsafe conditions.

oh thanks.

[Bumble]

Are they wanting to charge for all marine rescues? Why should ice fishermen and women be singled out. What about going out on the lake in a boat on a sunny morning only to get caught in a afternoon storm? I think its a catch-22 situation.

[redwing111]

Does anyone know if the county will be accessing a fee to swimmers in the summer who require the aid of a lifeguard? Just wondering.

[Banditto]

just remember you can always refuse the help... LOL

[snakebit67]

See you in Sarnia, I think I'll do some trolling.

Seriously, this is just nuts for lack of a better word.

Legislate, Legislate, Legislate.... Ban, Ban, Ban.

[neversunk]

You're missing the point.....they can even declare a "dangerous condition" warning system like the beaches in California if they want to by having flags at the launches.....then find you in violation if you go on the ice despite it......and guess what???? You and I will have no say in what it takes to declare that condition or when it will end.....believe me....the public is gonna get their ounce of blood out of us icefishermen one way or the other cause of the guys that do go out when they should'nt and have the attitude of "my taxes pay for it anyhow". The problem is made worse by the guys that go on the TV news cameras saying "thats what I pay taxes for". The public isnt gonna keep buying this crap in these times of fiscal austerity and government cutbacks....this is gonna get ugly and we (the minority) are gonna loose on it....you can write that in stone...you might even see a fee to register your ice shanty or bucket in the future to pay for it...again...thank the idiots that could'nt police themselves and argue that "they can't make me pay for that anymore than they can to send a fire engine to my car fire". Well I got news for you....they are sending people a bill now to send a fire engine to your car fire....wake up guys!!!!

[Banditto]

well some cities may send a bill to your insurance, but not mine. have personal exp with that one.

[snakebit67]

Heck of a first post neversunk. Welcome to the sight. I would like to know when that meeting is, you can bet i'll be there, even though I don't live there I spend a heck of alot of money over that way.

[ESOX]

Originally posted by Bumble
Are they wanting to charge for all marine rescues? Why should ice fishermen and women be singled out. What about going out on the lake in a boat on a sunny morning only to get caught in a afternoon storm? I think its a catch-22 situation.

And are they going to start charging the estates of the cadavers they have to pull out of LSC a couple of times a year after people fall off boats? What a crock.

[homerdog]

Are they also going to make the rescue crews part time? If we have to pay extra for them to just do their job, then we should only pay them when they are actully doing the work they are signed up to do. We should also just have them rent the rescue equipment on an as needed basis instead of putting all that tax money into buying and maintaining the equipment.

[WILDCATWICK]

Well put Neversunk. I don't mind at all if the government starts determining safe and unsafe ice. I read posts from our own members that they were out on 1" of Ice what the heck is up with that! These people give all sportsman a bad name and can cause all of us sportsman to be viewed as "slobs". Thus giving peta and other dumb organizations more fuel for the fire. If you act like a fool you should pay!

By the way if you have a boating issue unless you think your going to sink my expereince has been that the coast guard will call a tow or salvage for you and you will be charged. I think that those practices are more than fair.

If Governement posts unsafe ice and idiots go out, charge em.
They already post thing suck as swimming advisorys and warnings for e-coli are you serious in saying you would rather not have them interfere

[neversunk]

I'd like to see them do something to warn people....but the problem is that with the way the coast guard, DNR and local authorities operate in this state they will screw it up, lay people off, forget to take the flags down, or miscommunicate something and we'll be left at the gate to the launch with the gate closed on a day when the wind direction does not dangerously affect that particular launch. Heres another interesting note to all of this.....with the exception of volunteer firefighters/rescue personnel who don't get paid unless they get called in....the costs of running a marine rescue operation are the static anyhow. The equipment is paid for, the personnel are on staff, and they go out periodically to practice anyhow. The coast guard helicopter is in the air around here all the time even when nobody is on the ice.....and its in the air all the time in the summer on calm days so the crew can fly by Gull Island at a low altitude and look for topless girls. But there is additional danger to the rescue people when the conditions are bad. Maybe they oughta do like Florida does with the sharks near the beaches....the helicopter that patrols the beaches gets on the loudspeakers and tells everyone to return to shore immediately. I have yet to see the coast guard or anyone else inform fishermen that a chunk of ice a little distance from their fishing location has floated away....why don't they pass the information on to us? They have the view from up in the air, and we do not. Just my two cents worth......The news media could even use their choppers to give us an overhead view of the conditions of the bay...but NO....that would not be spectacular enough for them would it?