When GPS Leads to S O S

According to David Roberts, well known author and climber:
"The proliferation of cellphones, satellite phones, emergency locator devices, GPS, and similar technology has led to an epidemic of backcountry rescues for people who have called for help they don’t need, risking the lives of rescuers in the process."

My own personal view is that people should try to stay out of trouble in the first place. Failing that, they should attempt to get themselves out of trouble (self rescue). Pushing the button should be a last resort.

To make matters worse, sometimes technology makes the call on it's own, to the comic delight of law enforcement...

http://www.webpronews.com/man-arrested-after-butt-dialing-911-during-drug-deal-2012-08

Like many similar articles others have done, this article really misses the point, although it does at least touch on it. And, it's a point that has been well documented in other SAR areas, particularly WRT maritime SAR.

There will always be occasional outrageous incidents, as noted in the article, because humans are human. And, as we have seen with other advances in safety and technology, there will always be unintended consequences, including lower risk aversion by some individuals and misuse by others. That's just the way it works,

When you do the cost benefit analysis, however, the only salient point is whether more lives are saved and at what risk. Even those who express frustration and annoyance will eventually admit, albeit often grudgingly, that these devices save lives and, moreover, save cost and exposure to danger (lowered risks) many times over compared to the alternatives.

When a device takes the "search" out of Search & Rescue, the savings are substantial and the chances of success are much higher.

Thanks AKSAR for the link.

On a similar note, a SAR search this past Sunday close to my area, highlights the shortcomings of relying on some smartphone GPS apps which can be inaccurate enough to cause people to become even more lost...

Surely Mr. Roberts has been around long enough to know that frivolous calls for assistance are nothing new; responding to unnecessary situations has been going on for a long time.

In the past, it was typically someone back home who could often only state that Johnny was "overdue." Many times we responded to such situations, only to encounter overdue Johnny plugging along as he ended his adventure, not really needing any assistance at all. Had he possessed a PLB, he would probably not have mashed the button, and we would all have gotten a good night's sleep.

The glass is either half full, or half empty. I am impressed by the elegance and speed of many contemporary operations where the PLB is used properly, and [/u]fewer[u]searchers are called upon "to risk their lives" (a bit of shameless hyperbole I rather despise).

Roberts does cite the Grand Canyon incident - three calls for assistance within twenty-four hours. I believe those folks were fined for their antics. Publicity will get the word out and people will learn better behavior.

All of the above can be said of those high-tech 911 systems ...

... but I am happy that such systems are there.

So has anyone pushed their red rescue me button, because they didn't realise that it gets dark when the big fiery ball drops below the horizon?

Looks like some folks were spooked on Ben Macdui once again! and called for rescue with their Smartphones.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-19252949

One important point: While you shouldn't call for help unless you need it, you should call for help without delay if you do. Sometimes people get themselves into deeper trouble by delaying that call.

In that case, you're using too much glass.