Palisades Hiker Rescues Cost At Least $100K

Palisadians living near State parkland are likely as familiar with the sight of palm trees swaying in the breeze and the scent of cool ocean air as they are with the sound of rescue helicopters helping hikers in distress.

Between Will Rogers, Topanga and Temescal Gateway State parks and nearby wilderness areas, there were a total of 14 helicopter rescues last year, which combined with ground response and search efforts cost taxpayers at least $100K, according to an analysis by the Palisadian-Post.
The bulk of the money went to cover the cost of the County’s AgustaWestland AW139, a 15-seat twin-engine helicopter, which is the aircraft most often used in rescues, according to Phil Clark, an LAFD pilot.
The helicopter costs about $5,500 an hour to operate, according to LAFD officials.
Clark said helicopter rescues can take anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes, depending on weather conditions and the hiker’s location. This means the price for operating the helicopter during a rescue can range from $1,800 to $8,250.
LAFD helicopters and ground units will be the first called when there is an injured or lost hiker in Topanga State Park, said David Katz, reserve captain and public information officer with the Malibu Search and Rescue Team.
Since LA City and LA County overlap in Topanga State Park, either jurisdiction, or sometimes both, responds depending on the caller’s location or which cell tower the call hits, according to officials.

Topanga State Park is one of the largest pieces of state parkland in Southern California and its boundaries encompass Will Rogers State Historic and Temescal Gateway parks.
Katz said this is the only park where LA City and County share jurisdictions based on where people begin their trek on the trail.
“Sometimes you’ll get both LA County and City fire helicopters on a rescue in Topanga because both jurisdictions may get called,” Katz said.
The Post analysis included a conservative estimate of $30,000 for the cost of dispatch services, an extra helicopter and ground units responding to the 14 rescues in 2014.
Nearly half of the rescues last year required injured hikers to be taken to nearby hospitals, and if each rescue had taken 90 minutes or more, the cost would have been more than $115,500 for the aircraft alone.

Who Pays the Bills?

Peter Benesch, LAFD battalion chief and section commander for the agency’s air operations division, said hikers are not charged for air rescues.
Patients, however, who are given medical treatment on board a helicopter can be billed for medical procedures, Katz said.
“I have been at the unit for 22 years, and the last five to eight years there has not been billing to the patient for the helicopter use,” Clark said. “There could be charges for paramedic rendering but not the aircraft itself.”
But there are exceptions, Katz said.
For example, two hikers, who had gone off trail earlier this month at Malibu Creek State Park were cited by authorities for “unsafe recreation,” after being airlifted from a cliff, he explained.
Still, Katz said that Malibu SAR doesn’t want to “charge for rescues because then you discourage people from calling out and asking for help.”
Fire Station 69 Captain Dan Rodriguez echoed Katz’s sentiment, saying that, “If you’re in need, don’t delay calling.”

Who is Rescued?

LAFD Spokesman Erik Scott said there have been countless hikers that have been rescued as a result of either an injury or getting lost. And many of the 9-1-1 calls that result in a hiker rescue are because the person went off the trail, Scott added.
“When people get off of the designated trails and get into rough and rugged terrain beyond their capabilities, this increases their chance of getting injured and the length of time to exit before sunset,” Scott said.
Scott added that State park rangers, who have in-depth knowledge of the terrain and trails, often help in locating lost or injured hikers.
“We work closely with our friends, the park rangers, who frequently assist us in the locating and rescuing of hikers in need.”
If the terrain is rugged or the hiker is lost, LAFD may call Malibu SAR for help.
Topanga Sector Superintendent Stephen Bylin, who oversees Will Rogers and Topanga State parks, said hikers are not currently charged for air rescues.
According to Rodriguez, a majority of hikers, including people who become lost or injured on the trail, is made up of fit and health-conscious individuals.
But not all of the rescues are the result of injuries, Bylin said, adding that some hikers take advantage of the situation and call 911 for “rescue” when they get tired on the trail.
While hikers on the trail are not cited, Bylin said park officials are working to have hikers who venture off trail cited.
Off-trail hikers can cause damage to natural resources in the park and harm vegetation that has not had time to recover from the drought, he said.
Sierra Davis contributed to this article.