Proposal Would Bill Urban Explorers For Rescues

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis council member wants to bill urban explorers who end up needing rescue.

Minneapolis City Council President Barbara Johnson is proposing the fee. She tells Minnesota Public Radio News (http://bit.ly/1gTiqQf) the person is choosing to participate in an illegal activity and put rescuers at risk as well. She says it's not fair to make taxpayers cover all the cost.

In June, it took 35 Minneapolis firefighters more than three hours to rescue an injured man who fell four stories inside an abandoned grain elevator.

Under a draft version of Johnson's ordinance, the city could have charged the man about $1,000 for the service.

The fire department already bills motorists for the cost of extricating them from their vehicles following a car accident.