Why aren’t they considered “volunteer search and rescue” people by the police?
Strange.
Often S& R volunteers are in fact trained at their own expense and form a team under teh auspices of the local SD or county etc.
I agree that if these S&R folks were spinning around being worthless, then any able-bodied stalwart should be immediateley mtoiviated to “do right” and perform within the limits of reasonable capabilities.
Of course, often the “government” knows “best”, as we all know and they are never wrong.
Why shouldn’t they be considered the most qualified rescuers by police?
One would think that of all people, rafting guides would be the most qualified to jump into the rapids to rescue someone. That is part of their extensive training, and it’s highly probable that these two guides have already done that a couple times this summer.