Rescues aren't cheap
A subcommittee of the National Boating Safety Advisory Council says the average cost of a Coast Guard search-and-rescue mission when a GPS signal gives the location of the victim is $150,000. That figure jumps to $240,000 without GPS.
Here is a sampling of the hourly costs of operating Coast Guard rescue vessels and aircraft in one 2009 Florida SAR mission.
Platform.........................Hourly cost
41-foot utility boat......... $873
110-foot cutter.............. $1,147
210-foot cutter.............. $1,914
HU-25 jet..................... $5,731
Jayhawk helicopter..... $6,530
C-130 aircraft .............$7,648
See related articles:
- A resolution to require emergency locator beacons
- The push to mandate locator beacons offshore
February 2013 issue
