Helicopter Rescue Team needs your help!

I am writing this to ask for your help in saving a northwest backcountry rescue resource.

I am a rescue technician and EMT with the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team. We fly around 80 missions per year in the Pacific Northwest and are in many instances the last resort for people in need. We are a team of 30, 27 volunteers and 3 deputies, that don't hesitate to respond to emergencies. As long as we are patrolling the backcountry there is hope for a swift rescue and transportation to definite medical care. We do not charge for rescues !

Federal funding for helicopter fuel and maintenance was recently eliminated and is threatening to ground us for good. Snohomish County found emergency money to keep the Team aloft through 2014, but after that there is high probability of no money. We seek to cover expenses of $150,000 per year. It is now up to our community to save the Team and SnoHawk 10 (a UH-1H Huey) which have both stood ready 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the past 40 years. We have been and will be there for our community, now we ask our community be there for us.

We are having a fundraising drive including a casual, social evening with dinner, raffle and auction coming up on April 19 next year. The Mountaineers is graciously hosting us in their main clubhouse in Seattle and we will put on a great evening for all our friends and supporters in the community. See the enclosed Save the Date flier. We are pursuing all avenues for sustained funding for the Helicopter Rescue Team. In the meantime we hope for a strong support from our community.

Check us out on Facebook and feel free to hit donate or buy a cool product on our web site www.supportthelastresort.com.

Most of our crew are avid backcountry folks - ask them about HRT if you cross paths; Marcus (yes THE TAY Marcus), Andy, Miles, Dave, Jason, Richard are all lurkers or posters on TAY.

It's a noble cause, but why don't you charge DOC for the helicopter for rescue operations (projecting average hourly costs for insurance/replacement of parts that don't have component life)? I'm assuming that's your biggest operating expense due to all of the volunteer effort. A few thousand dollars is dirt cheap to save a life.

i'll go to the party.
b

This is worth saving, I wonder if we could create a local rescue insurance plan that would fund the HRT, like the private programs in Switzerland?

Charging for rescue - now there is a can of worms discussion.  both sides with so many valid arguments.  My own opinion, not representing anyone else, is that i want to live in a society that has the ability to care for its members, to help the ones in their time of need.  I don't believe in charging for rescue. 

Is the go pro on ???

My point is that helicopters are very expensive pieces of equipment to operate - and they have to be paid for somehow. We could say that it would be great to offer free education, free roads, free police departments, and free Tibet, but in reality it all has to be paid for in one way or another (taxes, fees, fines, etc.).
I think charging 2-5 thousand (or, charge a fraction of DOC to subsidize the operation) for saving someone's life is reasonable, and if it helps you stay in operation and save more lives I would say it is a morally sound option. In addition to a charge per rescue, an insurance policy would be a fantastic way to attract more donations to support operations - as people are going to feel like they're purchasing a service instead of being a one sided transaction.

And it looks as though the GoPro is not on! ;D

The annual insurance tab per person in Europe as I recall was quite affordable--think that would take care of all sorts of rescue issues/costs if implemented here. In the mean time supporting you guys does seem really important!!!

That something like this has to go begging for money while Boeing gets tax breaks and road improvements paid for by a 10 cent/gallon gas tax increase is just utterly depressing.

Somehow our societal priorities have gotten way, way out of whack. Important safety net programs are shuttered or sent begging for money while wildly, almost unimaginably profitable corporations pay little or no income tax and are subsidized by the middle class.

Marcus and Oyvind doing the rescue dance!

imgur.com/gallery/7vdRQ3r

Hell of a first post Miles... thanks.  I think.

when our kids were little, we called that the "hoochie koochie dance" ;D

A question about who benefits occurs. Would a Snohomish county resource come to my aid were I in a circumstance in King county? Or Pierce, etc? I think the very noble and at times very risky work organizations perform is outstanding. The bigger question may be, are emergency support organizations devised such that funding gets spread across tax bases, federal (???) funding and interested user groups/ communities? Not throwing the question out there to undermine, I'll toss a few dollars into this hat but wondered? Europe knows some things the USA could use, rather than a state park user fee, or my fuel costing more, (which looks inevitable) a modest assessment, direct funding to emergency service, pulled from purchases? Much as I hate to say it, free lunches are getting real hard to find. And there will be more individuals requiring rescue. Guess the social agenda in Washington's politics mean more? Camera technology might be (aaarghh!) a possible answer. When your plate reads at a resort access, a sno-park (yes, alter the fee structure/process) or known B.C. access areas with parking, simply document and fee this on a "next years" licensing cost. Just don't doink us for "general budget" crap. Unreasonable? not sure. Difficult? Not absurd. After all, Amazon believes drones will provide direct delivery of product to your doorstep in the future! Ho Ho Hoooah (and a merry Christmas y, all!).

A question about who benefits occurs. Would a Snohomish county resource come to my aid were I in a circumstance in King county? Or Pierce, etc? I think the very noble and at times very risky work organizations perform is outstanding. The bigger question may be, are emergency support organizations devised such that funding gets spread across tax bases, federal (???) funding and interested user groups/ communities? Not throwing the question out there to undermine, I'll toss a few dollars into this hat but wondered?

This is an interesting question, maybe should be in its own thread? I know Fort Lewis helicopters have been used on Rainier, Navy helicopters on Baker, Tony Reece and his helicopter from Darrington have been used in the North Cascade National Park, not sure what helicopters have been used in King or Chelan counties.

busy at work in the source lake valley today.
b

hi Rippy,
Very interesting questions.  Politically charged one too.  All of us on the team wants to be there for people in need and we are trying to do our part to make sure it continuous that way.

I am from Norway and the air ambulance is funded a little differently there, but it is mostly a community/population effort.

Yes, we do fly many missions in other counties in washington and we also receive help from other counties when needed (helicopter receiving maintenance, etc).

time to get your tickets helicopterrescue.org/fundraiser/

All, On Friday we responded to the Mt. Baker area to rescue a snowmobiler. Check out the video here: vimeo.com/89811812
Yesterday and Today (Sat/Sun) we have been doing hoist rescues at Oso: www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=64877080519...58534&type=2&theater

Please consider joining us for our first ever fundraiser on April 19th in Seattle: helicopterrescue.org/fundraiser/

thanks,
miles

Today's Seattle Times has a riveting account of last Saturday's mudslide on the Stilliguamish River:

seattletimes.com/html/localnews/20232592...idenarrativexml.html

A companion story describes the funding shortfall of the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team, the first helicopter team to respond at Oso. The story mentions the April 19 fundraiser to be held at The Mountaineers:

seattletimes.com/html/localnews/20232591...opterfundingxml.html

The paper also includes a list of organizations where you can donate to the Oso relief effort now:

seattletimes.com/html/localnews/20232522...idehowtohelpxml.html

Some friends and I took the day off last Friday to go skiing.  We drove Highway 530 twice just hours before the disaster happened.

It angers me to think that we virtually have to hold a bake sale to support a service like the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team.

But that's the way it is and I'm looking forward to the event on April 19.

Congratulations to HRT and EMRU for a great banquet and auction last night.

I've been to a several auctions over the past few years and I was amazed at how well this one was staged, considering it was the first time you've done it.

The early totals indicated that the auction reached its fund raising goal. I hope the final tally confirmed that and more regular funding can be found for the future.

Worthy cause, great event, generous patrons.  You rock!