There's hardly a spot, even in the Last Frontier, that hasn't been charted, plotted or mapped. But that doesn't mean it's been tamed. And while someone may be aware of their location, their friends and family may not.
In a life or death situation it can be tough to know how to effectively communicate to get help. Just six months ago, options would have been limited, but a new piece of technology puts a digital 9-1-1 call in the palm of any user, anytime, and nearly anywhere. Although the technology is still relatively new, a couple of Alaskans say they may very well owe their lives to the device that's not much bigger than a deck of cards.
That was the case for Alaskan Mike Brady, when in January he flew into the heart of the Wrangell Saint Elias National Park to keep an eye on the Ultima Thule Lodge. Included in his provisions for the weeks alone was the SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker, a gift from his brother. Although he wasn't expecting to use it, he took it anyway. "I kind of pride myself in not having problems in the first place and being able to live out in the woods, in the bush like that so I didn't appreciate it. Let's put it that way, ha." Days later he'd be very grateful he had it.
With temperatures hovering at 30-below, Brady was about to do some quick chores, but walked right into trouble - overcome by the exhaust from a lodge generator. Within seconds, he passed out falling off the porch. He awoke to find himself to find himself in a desperate situation. With an injured and useless right hand and his back in considerable pain - Brady sent a message the only way he could.
Within an hour a military helicopter would be landing to pick him up - the first confirmed rescue since SPOT went on the market.
The company claims Brady is exactly the customer it's targeting, "Anyone who spends time in the outdoors, especially if they're putting themselves in a situation where they're outside of cell phone coverage." Derek Moore tells us from the company's headquarters in California.
As two Kenai snowmachiners can attest, it doesn't take being 100-miles from the nearest road to need it. At the end of March the two were snowmachining near Nellie Juan Lake, a ride they'd done numerous times. "Starts off great, nice beautiful clear day. Just good spring ridin'," said Bill Hanson. His friend Roger Phillips headed back to refuel and was t-boned by a sled coming at him 40-miles an hour.
Hanson was first on the scene, "When I got there, people were lyin' in the snow, and snowmachines in a big mess." As he saw, steel and chrome-moly parts were sheared... Phillips's helmet in pieces... and he can't communicate. For Hanson it was a no-brainer, he grabbed his SPOT unit, hit the 9-1-1 button and waited.
Within an hour Phillips was on his way to Providence Hospital with a broken and dislocated Clavicle, as well as five separated ribs. Phillips knew it was the only call to make, "Oh definitely, especially when I didn't have any cognitive ability. That was definitely the right call."
One of the latest SPOT rescues took place Monday morning, from a man who was trying to trek coast to coast in Scotland. This was the first SPOT rescue in Europe.
To find out just how well this unit actually worked, ABC Alaska's Superstation took the opportunity to test one. The unit was taken to just about 10-miles inside Portage Glacier Valley, where cell phone coverage is historically spotty at best. After pressing the button, an "OK" message, with a link displaying the sender's location shows up in our inbox within a few minutes. If were would have needed a rescue - that message would have gone to the authorities.
While it's best to pack along a dose of common sense, we found the unit to do what it's advertised to do - take the "search" out of search & rescue.
The unit itself retails for about $150 with an annual service fee of $99.
