Utah Search and Rescue Assistance Card (USARAC)

[nkanarik]

Does anyone know where I can find more details regarding Utah Search and Rescue Assistance Card (USARAC).
I'd like to know if this is being offered to non-UT residents, where to purchase?, coverage? etc.

All I was able to find is this link, which doesn't give you much info: https://secure.utah.gov/rescue/

Thx

[Iceaxe]

To the best of my knowledge no such card yet exists.

[jman]

I checked that same KUED link (see previous thread) and this is what it says about the USARA Card:

Available May 2017:

"Purchasing a Utah Search and Rescue Assistance (USARA) card provides you and your family peace of mind and helps to support the vital Search and Rescue services we depend on in the backcountry. Think of the USARA card as another piece of “safety equipment” the prudent person takes into the wilds.


When people head into the backcountry, they don’t plan on having an accident, getting lost, or suffering from temperature extremes. But when “nature happens,” calls for help go out to county search and rescue crews.


In most cases, rescues are relatively straightforward affairs, but some incidents quickly become complicated and technically challenging, entailing expensive ground and air searches or helicopter evacuations. In Grand County, for example, the average cost of a rescue is about $2,000, but the most expensive rescue missions can exceed tens of thousands of dollars. High-cost rescues can severely strain the small tax bases of Utah’s gateway communities, some of which may see an average of 100 rescues a year.


The lack of funding to pay for search and rescue has unfortunately forced some hard-hit counties to back-bill and charge rescue victims for the costs of their rescue. To the victim, these back-bill charges can be a nasty surprise after the trauma and anxiety of a backcountry incident.


The Utah Search and Rescue Assistance (USARA) card allows backcountry recreationists to contribute to search and rescue efforts while eliminating the liability to repay associated costs. The program has been priced for value with a one-year individual subscription at $25 and just $35 for a family of up to six members. A five-year subscription gives the purchaser a 20 percent discount."


http://www.kued.org/whatson/kued-loc.../search-rescue

[nkanarik]

Jman...Thx...that article is what triggered my question :)...I couldn't find any info about getting the card on the official site...I guess I'll wait and see if it becomes available in the near future.

[Taylor]

Currently, the USARAC is in the hands of the State' attorneys. Need I say more?

[nkanarik]

Lovely

[Iceaxe]

The USARA Card is now available.

https://secure.utah.gov/rescue//

Read the fine print before signing up, probably the most important item of note is this is not insurance. Also note transportation is not included, which means if a helicopter is used a big bill could still show up in your mailbox. On the positive side the money from the card all goes to support our awesome SAR Teams

[accadacca]

Rescues in Utah backcountry could cost recreators $25 instead of $10,000

http://www.sltrib.com/news/5333363-1...try-could-cost

[hank moon]

Rescues in Utah backcountry could cost recreators $25 instead of $10,000

http://www.sltrib.com/news/5333363-1...try-could-cost

Anyone with legit stats on how often this actually happens in Utah? People being charged for their own rescue (and having to pay)?

[Iceaxe]

Rescues in Utah backcountry could cost recreators $25 instead of $10,000

Or you could still be stuck with a $20,000 bill as the helicopter among other items is not include. Folks would be wise to read the fine print and understand this is not insurance.

[Taylor]

Anyone with legit stats on how often this actually happens in Utah? People being charged for their own rescue (and having to pay)?

This was a good read a couple of years ago:

http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?...earch.html.csp

[canyonbrewer]

Am I reading this wrong? Helicopter is included?


Pasted From the FAQ:

"The cost of planes or helicopters used in the SAR operation - for an aerial search, transport of rescuers and equipment, and the like - are eligible for reimbursement to the county entity."

[Iceaxe]

You're reading it wrong as the whirly bird is not included.

[JWest11th]

Only two counties in Utah out of 29 currently charge for search and rescue operations, Grand and Wayne counties. Nationwide they are in the minority as most counties don't. This card and the misrepresentation it communicates to the public (several news stories covered it) are being investigated at the Utah Attorney General's office. The National Association for Search and Rescue opposes billing. Senators are also looking into it. There is also infighting about who will be paid in a case of rescue from the funds generated. The legal groundwork is a slippery slope of who will in fact foot the bill if the current tax payer system is removed and claims could remain unpaid. If you are seriously injured you are going to pay for Lifeflight no matter what they bill similar to an ambulance but far more pricey. However you may not have to pay for a helicopter flyover from Grand Canyon over say Zion or Bryce to locate you or even short line basket haul you out. This is all the hearsay on the matter that has come my way. I would wait until we see how this shakes out before thinking you are covered because of a card you paid $25 for. Chances are you are already covered on taxpayer's dime unless you are in Moab, Arches, Canyonlands, Blue John, Leprechaun, Capitol Reef, Goblin Valley, or Dead Horse, etc.

[Taylor]

A bit of a grey area but this is how it works in SLCo: We try to only use a helicopter for "life and limb" situations. There are exceptions. The medical helis only come for medical situations. There are exceptions. Stuck on a cliff? It's our job as high angle specialists to handle that. Only so much a heli can do and if one were involved, it would be DPS. Most know them as the highway patrol. Wouldn't be charged for a ride in the DPS bird any more than you would be charged by the highway patrolman who helps change a flat tire. It's good to not waste that resource, like the guy who was dying of heat stroke and cliffed out but ended up needing a Gatorade and was waiting for us on the trail. He honestly asked, " what no helicopter ride?" Or the guy who called because he was late for a flight out of SLC. True story. The UPD officers are not nice to those guys when they get back to command.

There are also medical liability laws at work here. The concept of "abandonment" comes in to play. Once a medical professional takes responsibility or care of a patient, they are not allowed to release that patient in the field except to a higher medical authority. If you're seriously hurt and get in Life Flight, etc, you will be taken to a hospital, or an ambulance waiting on the ground, and that's when the charges happen. Insider information: always get dropped off at the trailhead if given an option. Get mom to drive you to the hospital, if given an option.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[Utah Canyoneer]

I read all of the fine print and understood it. Still seems like a great deal, plus to help fund SAR? I'm in the back country at least one weekend a month and I'm usually doing something hard or dangerous or both. I got the 5 year plan for me and my family for $140. No regrets there! I hope I never have to use it, but I have a greater likelihood than most I know!