personal locator beacons

[meganursula]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2010171491_trhikingemergency01.html?cmpid=2628

This article discusses one of the side-effects of having working and affordable beacons on the market. I linked to one of these beacons a couple of weeks ago, and Saska pointed out that she'd actually gotten on for her father, who likes to spend time alone in the wilderness. Basically, the beacons allow for easy call for help, and they are occasionally misused by someone who wants comfort, but isn't in an emergency situation.

Honestly, the article sort of annoys me. The problems isn't the beacons. The beacons are a tool, and, i think, really can serve a valuable function. I like the one i linked to that had an 'i'm okay' function - mostly because i have spent a few evenings wondering when my friends are late enough in returning to merit a phone call to the ranger service. Also because when Josh or i are traveling, we use text messaging for that purpose just checking in, and its a really nice thing to be able to do. I can see valuable uses for these things in both emergent and non-emergent situations. (An 'i'm okay' call might actually prevent an un-necessary rescue.)

Like most tools, though, they can be abused, and it sounds like they are. But i don't think its fair to blame the tool for people being idiots. I don't really know how to solve the problem - idiots have been going into the woods for a long time. Their chances of survival have increased (along with those of the non-idiots), but they are still idiots. Short of somehow eliminating idiots, i'm not sure we can eliminate the kind of problems that this article is citing.

Don't be idiots, folks. I like you all too much.

Comments

[ef2p.livejournal.com]

Being on a search and rescue team, this is something we discuss at length.

The problem isn't the beacon itself. The problem is that the beacon makes people feel safe. They then go beyond their limits because they can always just 'call for help'. When you have no communication with the outside world, you tend to ask 'can I get out of this myself' a lot more. In my opinion the family in this story should be banned from Grand Canyon for a year and banned from going more than 1 mile from an open road in any national park for 2 years in addition to paying expenses of 'rescuing' them all three times.

The other problem is that the beacon does not convey very much information. It gives location and that there is a problem. It's very much like responding to a 911 hang up.

On a recent trip with my SAR team we activated a beacon for a real emergency. We also sent a team down 5 miles of rough terrain and another 15 miles of driving to cell coverage to follow up on the beacon. When I spoke with sheriff's dispatch, they pretty much admitted to having no clue how to respond to the beacon. In the end we were able to resolve what happened without outside help between the beacon activation and the phone call. The issue was a lost hiker on a 13,500 foot mountain, after dark with no light and a storm moving in. Had we not found her, she would have been in a life or death situation.

It also worth noting that out east they have the same problem with 911 calls from wilderness. Our urban EMS systems have similar problems with 'frequent fliers'.