The large number of search-and-rescue missions this summer has not translated into a major expense for the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, officials said.
That’s because Mountain Rescue Aspen — whose members head out into the backcountry to search for or retrieve missing, injured or dead hikers and climbers — is made up of volunteers, said Alex Burchetta, director of operations for the Sheriff’s Office.
In addition, CareFlight Colorado and Flight for Life Colorado — the two medical helicopter services most often used in connection with search-and-rescue operations in the Aspen area — do not charge sheriff’s departments for search-and-rescue missions, he said.
Finally, the Colorado National Guard’s helicopters associated with the High Altitude Aviation Training Site in Gypsum also do not charge, Burchetta said.
That leaves food for Mountain Rescue volunteers and any equipment they might break or lose as the main expense for the department’s search-and-rescue operations, he said. Depending on the length of the mission, that bill can come to $500 to $700 per operation, Burchetta said.
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