It sounds like the “emergency beacon device” Neils Vinter used might have been a
SPOT Satellite Messenger, which Doug Ritter has given us a great synopsis of. According to their own website,
here:
ALERT 9-1-1: Use this function In the event of a life threatening or other critical emergency to notify emergency services of your exact location and that you need assistance. The GEOS International Emergency Response Center alerts the appropriate agencies worldwide – for example contacting 9-1-1 responders in North America and 1-1-2 responders in Europe.
Doug Ritter also noted in his
“First Look” Review that:
Your distress alert with a GPS derived location is sent to the "GEOS Global Command and Control Center" in Houston, Texas, operated by SPOT's partner,
GEOS Alliance Travel Safety Group.