[DRAFT]Does Search and Rescue Need Rescuing?

[Southern Edristan]

Following a recent revelation that a group of lost hikers had to wait two weeks to be rescued, many within @@NAME@@ are wondering if the @@NAME@@ Rescue Service has had its day.

Validity - as option 3 posits a military, this issue is presumably limited to those nations with militaries

Options
[option]"Everyone knows that things work more efficiently when released from the grip of the public sector," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, in his column in 'Privatisation Weekly'. "Think of the savings that the government could make if they simply contracted out search and rescue operations to corporations! It's the obvious choice!"
[effect] stranded mountaineers calling for rescue are asked to input their payment details
[stats] government size decreases, tax decreases, economy increases, compassion decreases, unexpected death rate increases

[option]"We're only struggling now because of the legacy of decades of underfunding!" shouts @@RANDOMNAME@@, president of the @@NAME@@ Rescue Service. "Every day, we rescue tens of people from life-or-death situations, and on a shoestring budget! It's time for the government to recognise the vital work we do, and maybe give us a pay rise!"
[effect] search and rescue pilots are paid more than doctors in @@NAME@@
[stats] tax increases, safety increases, happiness increases, unexpected death rate decreases


[option]"The obvious people to rescuing those in perilous situations is those who face danger as part of their jobs," comments Squadron Leader @RANDOMNAME@ of the @@NAME@@ Air Force. "Just give us the funding for some new helicopters - and we can always strap some missiles to them if it ever comes to war!"
[effect] lost hikers are regularly rescued by helicopter gunships
[stats] defence forces increases, Industry:Arms Manufacturing increases, government size increases, law enforcement increases

[Panageadom]

Faintly relevant, is that, as far as I'm aware, these organisations save a very small number of people a year, most of whom had the information to chose whether to expose themselves to the danger they faced. I remember being at a charity selection event, and lines like "£100 could get 40 children reading", or "£100 could save 80 children's eye-sight" - the Royal Naval Lifeboat Institute, the closest the UK has to a Search and Rescue thing I would guess, had a pitch along the lines of "£10,000 could buy us a new boat that wouldn't be our best one, and contribute a bit to the 17 lives we save a year".

[Luna Amore]

You're going to want to avoid overlap with Issue #341: Where In The Woods Is Cindy SanFrancisco?

[Southern Edristan]

Faintly relevant, is that, as far as I'm aware, these organisations save a very small number of people a year, most of whom had the information to chose whether to expose themselves to the danger they faced. I remember being at a charity selection event, and lines like "£100 could get 40 children reading", or "£100 could save 80 children's eye-sight" - the Royal Naval Lifeboat Institute, the closest the UK has to a Search and Rescue thing I would guess, had a pitch along the lines of "£10,000 could buy us a new boat that wouldn't be our best one, and contribute a bit to the 17 lives we save a year".

I'm in the UK myself - this issue was partly inspired by the government's decision to move helicopter SAR operations away from the military and the MCA as they currently are to a private company: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/ ... copters--5