Dear Sir:
Certainly this is not the season to be mean-spirited.
Mrs. Sandecki concludes her Dec. 19, 2012 column about an irresponsible, unprepared and out of bounds lost snowboarder with the statement that Search and Rescue should wait 72 hours before initiating a search.
Seventy-two hours for many of these under-prepared individuals can be a death sentence. Lamentably, Mrs. Sandecki goes on to say that if these irresponsible snowboarders don’t survive, “oh well, at least no one would have to search for them a second time.”
There are many people that make bad choices taking them out of bounds in some aspect of life and making them a burden to others. Many make choices that take them out of health or out of the job market. The beautiful thing about our wonderful country is that we, for the most part, do not abandon these people.
The sound of those search helicopters and the lights of those rescue teams blinking on the side of a dark mountain slope are the wonderful reassurances that our society reaches out for one in need.
Let indulgent and irresponsible people face some consequences for their poor judgement. That’s fair.
But should we abandon them to a fate of desperation, agony and possible death? No. Canada is better than that and every brave search and rescue worker understands that, and so should we all.
Campbell Stewart,
Terrace, BC
