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.