|
FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION April 23, 2007
Personal Locator
Beacon Guides Rescuers to FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. – April 23, 2007 – Three men riding ATVs in rugged terrain in southwest Oregon activated a satellite-detectable Personal Locator Beacon when an ATV flipped over and snapped both bones in the lower leg of their riding companion, John Johnson.
The men were experienced in search and rescue (SAR) operations and were able to assess Johnson’s situation as grave and life threatening. He was in severe pain and they knew they could not carry him to civilization. It was getting late in the day, temperatures were dropping and it wouldn’t be long before Johnson would begin showing symptoms of shock. Within minutes, John Rachor decided to activate his AeroFix™ 406 GPS PLB. He left the beacon with Johnson and their friend and rode six miles to call 911 on his cell phone and to look for help. Curry County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Coordinator Sergeant John Ward received the phone call and sent a SAR team to respond to the area. He also requested air assistance from Oregon Emergency Management. At the same time, the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system detected the beacon’s 406 MHz distress signal in Curry County, Oregon. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center received the SARSAT alert and contacted the Coast Guard Station North Bend. The Coast Guard accepted the mission and launched a helicopter, which arrived on scene in just over an hour. A rescuer was lowered down to assess Johnson’s condition and air lifted him out for further medical care.
Sgt. Ward said having a satellite-detectable emergency beacon was “absolutely good equipment to have. If everyone had one of these, we could zero right in on those in distress.” Rachor said he purchased the ACR AeroFix™ PLB recently after assisting in the search for the Kim family last December. The Kim family took a wrong turn and found themselves stranded in snow and lost with their two young daughters on one of Oregon's treacherous backroads. The father, James Kim, perished when he attempted to hike out for help. The mother and children were found alive after nine days. Rachor, who usually hikes alone in remote areas, said being involved in that rescue made him realize that an AeroFix™ would be the best lifesaving device he could buy. As a longtime pilot, Rachor said he values the accuracy of the AeroFix™. “The latitude/longitude coordinates got the Coast Guard close in a real hurry. Johnson was not in good shape” he said. “I also like that it fits easily in my backpack.” A PLB is a satellite-signaling device of last resort, for use when all other means of self-rescue have been exhausted and where the situation is deemed to be grave and imminent, and the loss of life, limb, eyesight or valuable property will occur without assistance. All beacons must be registered following purchase. Simply go online to www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov. Note to Editors: By coincidence, the owner of the PLB used in the rescue described below, assisted in the highly publicized search for the Kim family that gripped the nation for nine days last December. I can provide a PLB rescue involving a backwoods Jeep enthusiast as well. Images available upon request.
Contact: ACR Electronics, Inc., part of Cobham’s Avionics and Surveillance Division, designs and manufactures a complete line of safety and survival products including EPIRBs, PLBs, AIS, SARTs and safety accessories. The quality systems of this facility have been registered by UL to the ISO 9001:2000 Series Standards. Recognized as the world leader in safety and survival technologies, ACR has provided safety equipment to the aviation and marine industries as well as to the military since 1956. |
