Another save for the iphone:

A lost hiker in Maryland first calls for help and then signals to the rescue helicopter with the flashlight on his iphone. Two rescuers rappel down from the chopper to get him and his dog out.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/maryland...-rescued-010212

Interesting story, good ending. I wonder if his mapping problems came from a lack of clear GPS signal, and if he knew what to do to improve that. As no one goes anywhere without their phone these days, and smartphones become more popular, I hope more people learn how to use their features to self-help before calling for help.

Too bad he could not self rescue without requiring helicopter rappels, not the most inherently safe procedures around. Always carry good old paper maps as a backup! They also make good emergency fire starters, especially if waterproofed.

In a similar situation, hikers are better off carrying a paper map, a compass, the knowledge of how to use them, and a better flashlight than the one on the iPhone. Carrying a minimum of gear to stay warm and comfortable in an unplanned overnight would be a good idea as well.

My iPhone does exceptionally well at providing accurate GPS fixes. I wonder what went wrong in his case.

Sometimes phone GPS acts up. In one occasion when I was driving down the highway it showed consistently I was half mile east of it, like I was floating over residential area parallel to the highway.

Roger that!

rapelling = most dangerous maneuver in climbing

helicopter = highly dangerous air vehicle

(rapelling + helicopter) = lots of risk!

Helicpoter operations at night are even more risky, even with night vision gear for the pilot. I'm a bit surprised that the authorities would opt for that procedure, rather than sending in a ground team? Or, assuming no one was injured and conditions weren't severe, why not drop them a sleeping bag and tent from the helo, and have them sit tight until morning?

I've only been hiking once in Maryland, a short hike while visiting a friend years ago, so I certainly don't know anything about the area. But my general impression was that there aren't many places that would be too far from a road or trail. Perhaps one of our members fron that area will fill us in with more details.

I am with you on this one. It seems to me that choppers are used more and more frequently these days, which is often a good thing when appropriate, but often a ground team is just as appropriate and a lot cheaper and generally less risky.

The only SAR related funerals I attended were for two helicopter pilots whose bird crashed as they were returning from their final mission of the day, jsut after dropping off some of our volunteers.

On one occasion, we were working on the ground as a helicopter came into position above us to hoist a litter with an injured victim. One of my companions required, "Are those blades set on puree or blend?" - gallows humor

Agreed. DS and DD both had their cell phone GPS fail at the same time during a family trip outside of Ottawa last year. They were on 2 different major carriers, which added to the mystery. Thankfully we weren't in a situation where it really mattered. That incident reafg8rmed my faith in carrying a paper map and compass.

Smart phones and tablets have nice flashlight features but I'd never want to rely on them, for the same reason I don't rely on those devices to get me out of trouble. (I do use them as preventative tools though. Checking the weather and road reports before trips, for example.)

I once found myself out in the woods in the evening and it got very dark very fast. I was only a few hundred yards from the car but what little light there was dissappeared behind some clouds very quickly.

I had to use the backlight on my cell phone as a flashlight.

Now I have a penlight hooked to my key ring. It stays in my pocket.

The mobile phone carrier has no bearing on GPS accuracy -- only on whether there's connectivity for map data, if you're using Google Maps or a similar app that needs it.

If you had two GPS devices fail in the same way in the same time and place, it makes me wonder if there wasn't some kind of interference preventing the signals from being received correctly.

FYI: The media got this one wrong, they were lowered by hoist.


As things would have it, I was out of town for this event. There was discussion within the team as to the risk/benefit of this operation and I have discussed the operation directly with our Team Leader. We have our monthly drill/meeting this coming Monday and I am sure we will discuss this operation further.

The discussion to lower two rescuers to the lost hiker was made based upon several factors, none in of themselves would normally justify the insertion of the rescuers, but taken together led to the decision. Without going into too much detail, our team trains intensely for these types of events and the insertion itself was typical of our training. The team or member being deployed, the pilot and flight medic run a risk analysis before the hoist deployment and decide if the risk is worth the benefit. As the Frederick County-ATR Team, Assistant Team Leader in charge of MSP-HEAT Team (Maryland State Police-Helicopter Emergency Areal Tactical Team) Operations, I fully support the decision made and based upon the information I was given, I would have made the same decision.

I cannot comment on the preparation or decision making process by the victim, since our team was involved in the operation, it would inappropriate for me to do so.

Pete

Based on what I've read, your team performed admirably. Whatever other insights you can share with us would be greatly appreciated.

It will be refreshing to have some real insight into an operation of this nature. Congratulations to your capable team for a successful performance.

+1 on your team and any other insights you can share.

Also:
I heard an additional interview with the victim (I can't find a link on the net) where he says that he was trying to follow one of the park's color coded marked trails, but somewhere got off the trail he thought he was following and ended up on another different trail, leading him into getting lost. It sounds like he got distracted for a moment---and that is all it takes.

Some general information on the park:

Gambrill State Park Gambrill State Park is one of our favorite places to hike. About 15-20 minutes from our house, it is one of the few MD state parks where you can take leashed dogs. Dogs are not allowed in “developed” areas of many MD state parks, but generally the trails are okay.

The trails (approx. 16 miles) are marked with colored blazes on the trees and a few markers placed at key intersections. Gambrill is not a large park by some standards, but does blend into the Frederick Municipal Forest (Frederick City Watershed), which extends well into the Catoctin Mountains. Several of the trails are maintained/sponsored by volunteer organizations or local businesses like “The Trail House” in Frederick (one of our favorite stores-just a happy customer).

At one of the key parking lots for the trails there used to be a 3-D model of the trail system giving you an idea of the layouts of the trail and terrain features. They also used to have free trail maps (line drawings) showing the general layout of the trail system. The last time my wife and I hiked there, we noticed both the 3-d model and trail maps were no longer present. They now have a link on the park’s web page to purchase a trail map.

Several of the trails are co-linked leading to different offshoots. So the Black Trail may also be the Green Trail for a portion with both black and green blazes until the trails split. Most of the trails loop, so if you stick to one color and follow it you generally will come to a road or improved area (parking lot) of the park.

Cell phone coverage in the park is usually real good, since there are several cell phone towers on the ridge.

Pete

Yeah, the iPhone fails for foot navigation. Whether I'm in the canyon's of NYC or the dwarf pine forests of the NJ Pinelands, it seems the compass never wants to point in the right direction -- even after waving it in a figure 8 for calibration.

The other problem with an iPhone is short battery life. Out in the field using a map/gps app, my battery will be dead in 4 hours.

I'm glad it worked out for this guy, but personally I'd plan on bringing more reliable gear next time around.

I conferenced with the Team Leader and the other Assistant Team Leader last night to discuss the mission.

Both I and the other Assistant Team Leader were out of town, so we were somewhat handicapped in our ability to address certain specifics of the call. The Team Leader said he did not hear the initial dispatch as it first came out as a service call for a nearby fire company to assist in the search. We will be requesting an audio copy of the call for further review.

While I cannot provide certain details, I do feel that there are some lessons to be learned that hopefully will be of benefit to others. I will pass those items along as appropriate. There were some mistakes made in the overall operation, as there are with many calls and we will attempt to address them (some already have) with the various participating groups. The main issues were the dispatch process, accountability and command and control.

Those familiar with fire department operations will recognize this call as a “build a box” assignment, basically an ever increasing dispatch of resources. The analysis will be ongoing and I will attempt to relay the facts and my interpretation of the operation as I learn certain details.

Pete

It's good to hear that even an "uneventful" and successful operation as this is being reviewed. IMO, such "after action" reviews are what allow us to continually improve training and preparation for the next time.

Regretfully, in many places I've seen such efforts dismissed on the assumption that "we know what we are doing" or something like that, treating it as a waste of time. Again, Congrats to the team and many thanks.

And a rhetorical question to the Park; is it really worth not having trail maps available at the trail head or at least available on their website, apparently so they could sell them? (no answer required). (I checked their web site expecting to at least find an overview map of the trails. Nope.)

Just curious, How accurately does the USGS topo for that scale, hopefully 7.5 min variety, depict the trail system. How hilly is the area? I prefer a good topo map anyday if a good one exists.

Agreed! Post-event analysis is crucial for learning and constant improvement. I imagine your thoroughness in this is part of the reason for your success, Pete. What a great example of excellent leadership!

Once a rescuer has determined your “general location”, they still need to locate you exactly, after all you may have moved in between the period you summoned help, and rescue actually arrives.

So having some means to assist a rescuer in precisely locating you, once they are in the vicinity is a good idea. A strobe or strong light would be good (in low light) or a whistle for day time. There are many other options too I’m sure I don’t need to list them all.

I have a free app on my Android (called “Morse SOS” – no affiliation) which will flash SOS with the screen and beep too. Now its not as good as a proper signalling strobe, and not as loud as a whistle, but I (almost) always have my phone with me and if I were “stuck” you can be sure that I’d deploy EVERY thing I had to assist in my rescue, including my smart phone apps !

I think that so often people assume that a smart phone is being used INSTEAD of more rugged safety equipment, personally I use my phone AS WELL as other safety equipment.

If you have a smart phone, why not put useful survival things on it - they cost nothing, take no space and you will never get a funny look if you take it as part of your EDC ?

Most folk who own a smart phone are well aware of its limitations (batteries, ruggedness etc), but it is handy to have none the less.

That’s my 2c

Thanks for the recommendation. Have installed the app. Hope I'll never have to use it.