View topic - emergency rescue

Does anyone know if the OPP charges for emergency rescues from remote rivers?

In most cases no at least not for Canadian citizens.

Presuming you are not doing something illegal at the time of your "issue".

Illegal would be using the wrong type of emergency signalling device (such as one intended for aircraft), being in a place you are not permitted to be in (such as the army base on the Petawawa) or breaking your leg while servicing your remote grow-op.

Of course declaring an emergency because your car broke down and you didn't feel like walking 2 miles down the road might not be welcomed!

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"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

Had to fly an injured person out by medivac helicopter...no charge. Two local anglers last week had a boat break down in the middle of a big lake. Drifting till two in the morning, dialed 911 on the cell phone, even though there was no signal. Apparently 911 boosts the signal, cause the OPP came in with a boat and rescued them. No fees.

Thanks!

Here in Manitoba and NW Ontario you are more likely to have a C 130 out of Winnipeg orbiting over you. It is free. In fact it is the only reason these guys come to work. We cover from NW ontario west to Alberta and North into the arctic. The guys did a rescue in James Bay last year with a hunter stranded and frozen on an ice floe. As they were orbiting him there was a polar bear sniffing around. They jumped from the Herc and treated the casualty whilst deterring the bear ( shotgun). Then waited for pickup. All in a days work and glad to be of service.

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Federal & Provincial SAR almost always is no charge, however I do know that if you run your PWC out of gas on Lake Ontario the Toronto Police harbour unit will charge you a few c-notes for a tow.

Not sure if water rescue is entirely free? I believe rescuing YOU is covered, but your vessel isn't. Even if intact, they won't tow it, or even you in it. I believe they grab you and leave your boat adrift. Then a local "outfitter" (lets call them) gets called and you pay them to retrieve your vessel. I THINK!!

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"That's all I have to say about that..." (Forest Gump)

Yes Swift is correct. You will be rescued, but your equipment will not. That is why I always suggest people get the phone numbers for local outfitters if they have a Sat phone. If the situation in non-life threatening, you may as well call in an outfitter. They will take you and your gear. Calling in the rescue team for a spurious reason will only get you out, you will still have to return somehow to get your boat and gear.

There are also several ground to air signals that can be used to flag a floatplane down. And they will come down too, I've seen it happen twice.