(a) The Sheriff of the County has search and rescue responsibility when any person is lost, missing, stranded, or in danger of losing his or her life in any Contract City or unincorporated area of the county, including any wilderness and rural environment.
(b) The Sheriff may transfer all or part of the search and rescue responsibility to another agency or jurisdiction through a written agreement.
(c) Any expense incurred by the Sheriff in performance of search and rescue responsibilities shall be a proper county charge.
(d) As used in this section, "search and rescue" means rescuing, and searching for and rescuing, any person who is lost missing, stranded, or in danger of losing his or her life in incidents including, but not limited to swift-water, flood and underwater rescue, mine and cave rescue, technical rope rescue, and missing or downed aircraft.
(Added by Ord. No. 9492 (N.S.), effective 9-12-02; amended by Ord. No. 10242 (N.S.), effective 2-7-13; amended by Ord. No. 10644 (N.S.), effective 2-13-20)