A new state law may force people who cross storm-swollen creeks or kayak during floods to foot the bill if their excursions end in an emergency rescue.
San Luis Obispo Battalion Chief Tom Zeulner said city officials haven't decided whether kayaker Ethan Donahue should pay about $4,500 for his rescue Sunday, when city firefighters hauled him out of a downtown creek.
But such incidents potentially carry a high price.
"Not only do they endanger themselves, they endanger the rescuers," Zeulner said.
Under a law that took effect Jan. 1, any person saved from an area that a "reasonable person ... should have known is closed to the public" could be liable for the cost of the rescue.
With eight water rescues in San Luis Obispo County in the past 11 days, no one has been charged for getting stuck while crossing creeks, kayaking or driving in flooded areas.
In fact, no bills have ever been sent out for such emergency rescues.
Two people in the county already have died in storms this winter. David Calvin Finley of Arroyo Grande drowned trying to cross a creek, and Audrey Richards died when the sailboat she was in ran aground north of San Simeon.
The bill for storm-related rescues, excluding the boat accident near San Simeon, is about $8,163 this season.
County officials said sending out a specialized crew and regular rescue staff generally costs county taxpayers less than $500. A normal Coast Guard rescue costs an estimated $8,500, according to Guard accountant Marques Johnson.
When people are pulled from dangerous -- and officials say often avoidable -- high water situations it traditionally has been the taxpayer who pays the bill.
For Sunday's rescue, the San Luis Obispo Fire Department figures the bill is at least $4,563. That does not include county expenses or the use of city police for crowd and traffic control.
Donahue -- the kayaker -- could not be reached for comment about the possibility of being billed for his rescue.
Police spokesman Rob Bryn said Donahue wasn't violating any laws.
For rescue teams, it's not really about the money.
"There is a tremendous risk to the firefighter," said CDF/County Fire Battalion Chief Michael Harkness, who is based in Pismo Beach. "Money is always an issue, but the main issue is firefighter risk."
Most of all, emergency workers want people to be safe during the wet season.
"(Rescues are) part of the job when it rains around here," Zeulner said. "But please stay out of the creek. Don't use kayaks. Don't use inner tubes. This is not the ocean. This is not a mountain stream. It is dangerous."
