Canary Islands to fine negligence that necessitates emergency rescues

The Government of the Canary Islands is preparing a legal change so that people who cause a rescue through reckless behavior will have to bear the cost of the operation.

The new Civil Protection Law will incorporate a sanction regime for cases of negligence or temerity, such as bypassing a barrier, ignoring a bad‑sea alert, or venturing into hazardous zones.

“The objective, according to Emergencias, is clear: anyone who acts recklessly and puts their own life and that of rescue teams at risk must assume the consequences.”

Key points:

• Rescue fee in place since 2012 – a tax on rescues has existed for more than a decade, but it has never been applied.
• Why it wasn’t enforced – proving negligence and processing the charge is difficult, especially when the individuals involved are foreign tourists.
• Cost of a rescue – a helicopter operation can exceed €6,000 in just two hours.
• Scale of operations – in 2025, 216 rescue missions were coordinated across the Canary Islands.
• Enforcement – future sanctions will be handled by the Canary Police.

The upcoming legislation aims to make imprudent behavior financially accountable, reducing unnecessary emergency interventions and protecting rescue personnel.