Rescue bill for lost adventurers could top NT$1 million

Under measures released by the Ministry of the Interior yesterday adventurous citizens who wander off the beaten track into territory officially designated as off-limits and require rescuing will face fines of up to NT$250,000 plus the full cost of their rescue.

The measures follow amendments passed in May to the Disaster Prevention and Rescue Law (災害防救法) introduced in a bid to encourage people to heed warnings against hiking in the mountains or fishing at sea during the typhoon season.

Article 31 of the Disaster Prevention and Rescue Law -- one of its recent amendments -- requires local governments to declare dangerous areas within their jurisdiction off-limits to individuals, vehicles, aircraft, and vessels during typhoon season and in the event of any natural disaster affecting the area. If citizens enter these declared dangerous areas without permission from the government, they would risk a fine of between NT$50,000 and NT$250,000. And if citizens enter those dangerous areas and have to be rescued, they will be charged by the local government for the full cost of the rescue.

The bill will include overtime pay, insurance premiums, transportation of officials and rescuers dealing with the incidents and the costs of running vehicles and aircraft used in the rescue.

The insurance premium for each rescuer and official is NT$500 per day. The temporary hiring of professional rescuers from non-government organizations costs NT$2,500 per person per day. Helicopters cost between NT$24,500 and NT$72,000 per hour, depending on the type. The Sea Gull Helicopter Rescue Team, meanwhile, charges NT$360,000 per hour in the event of a sea rescue.

The National Fire Administration, under the Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for search and rescue operations, said that a rescue involving 50 officials, two telecommunications specialists, five UH-1H helicopters, 10 B234 helicopters and a 27 hours of search time would cost NT$1.01 million.

The measure states that the government would charge violators for rescue services within three months after they were rescued.

There are 1,390 areas around the nation that would be listed as dangerous during the typhoon season.