If you find yourself in trouble, and public safety agencies have to rescue you, well, that's what they're there for. But what if your peril is the result of acting like a damn fool?
Those who trigger such responses should be held to account if they knowingly create the circumstances from which they must be rescued.
[. . .]
If people will persist in these unwise actions, it only seems appropriate that they be charged for any expenses incurred in rescuing them.
Take stupid risks, pay the price. That sounds reasonable, especially considering the examples given in the editorial: the happenstance of unforeseen circumstances -- getting caught in a flash flood or being involved in a traffic accident; a stupid choice that puts both the perpetrators and rescuers in jeopardy -- videotaping each other jumping from a bridge into fast-moving currents. Those are clear, easily understood extremes. But I can see a lot of cases where there is more grey than black or white and the degree of irresponsibility is hard to determine. How do you know if someone who is in a car crash was just in the wrong place at the wrong time or wasn't paying attention because he was worrying about making his mortgage payment? The more subjectivity called for, the greater the risk of unfairly penalizing someone.
