I remember reading on one of these boards that SAR deliberately does not charge for their services. They do not want people in real trouble avoiding asking for help due to fear of receiving a big bill. The cost of rescues is not the first consideration. Every time that a SAR crew goes out, they are putting their own lives at risk.
If there was a reliable way to distinguish between people who fell victim to bad circumstances versus people who went out unprepared, I would say bill the unprepared.
