How Old Technology is Reinventing Extreme Search and Rescue
Recent headlines are riddled with tales of lost travelers and hikers thrown into vast, unforgiving, and perhaps unfamiliar backcountry environments, only to find themselves in seemingly hopeless rescue situations. Now a Virgina-based tech company known for developing portable radio transmitters for tracking hospital patients and autistic and special needs children is tasking the U.S. National Park Service to outfit hikers and forest rangers with this same tracking technology.
In 1999, Project Lifesaver International began providing such transmitters to first responders - emergency units and police departments in the Chesapeake area in Virginia. In the past eight years, demand has exploded and the technology is now provided to over 500 agencies in some 40 states and Canada.
Although this technology has existed for several years, only recently has it been touted as an aid for wilderness search and rescue efforts. KathrynHealey -Flores, programs development officer at Project Lifesaver, notes that: "The dollars spent on search and rescue can be prohibitive." These technological advancements would undoubtedly help save lives, as well as public money.
Mountain climbers, hikers and other backcountry enthusiasts - particularly those setting out for extreme terrain - could be required to outfit themselves by renting such equipment from the National Park Service at designated trail heads. In the event they are lost or lose radio contact for a set period of time, these beacons could help rescuers narrow down their search area.
The beacons transmit signals which can be read from over 2,400 feet in the air; don't require satellites or GPS technology; and can run for 45 days on a single battery charge.
The Park Service is set to begin field-testing the transmitters, however there are significant concerns over whether the technology will providebackcountry travelers with a false sense of security. The tragedy that occurred last month on Mount Hood in Oregon for example, in which one hiker died and another two were rescued on the peak's north side only after a week of intense search, would not likely have been prevented by this technology alone.
Dan Portbriand, branch chief for the U.S. Park Service's emergency unit, explains, "This is not a stand-alone device. Should this be used in place of a radio? Not a good idea." He goes on to say theNPS has agreed to allow only forest rangers to test the devices, and that they should complement other emergency electronic devices since blackout spots in reception can crop up at critical, life-or-death moments.
He's further concerned that new advents in technology are pushing many back country enthusiasts to take increasingly extreme risks.
Last month, a backcountry hiker in Texas relied on an electronic locator beacon for help, Portbriand said. Unfortunately, "people get this false sense of security that all you have to do is push a button. But it should not replace common sense." Though the hikers on Mount Hood had cell phones which aided in their being found by rescuers, "they still couldn't get up there for five days because of the weather."