April 13, 2006

Contact:
John Bell, 954-970-3394, prseitz@bellsouth.net
Leslie Sheffield, 954-970-3394,  prseitz2@bellsouth.net

NEWS FLASH

On March 22, 2006, the first land-based activation, outside of Alaska, of a TerraFix™ 406 MHz GPS Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) resulted in the rescue four teenage hikers in need of aid. While there have been numerous 406 MHz beacon-initiated saves at sea, PLB rescues on land have only become available since a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) waiver ruling went into effect July, 2003 approving the sale and use of PLBs for land use in the United States. For images of Jason Perkizas, one of the rescued teenagers, please call John Bell or Leslie Sheffield at 954-970-3394.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL ­ APRIL 13, 2006 ­ Four 19-year-old hikers became the first people to be rescued on land, outside of Alaska, by ACR Electronics’ TerraFix™ 406 MHz GPS PLB. Three of the hikers had fallen into a creek while on a six-day backcountry hike in Olympic National Park in Washington State.

After pulling their companions out of the swift moving water, all four youth were wet, had damp gear and had no means to build a fire. Weather conditions were deteriorating: 45-degree temperatures, non-stop rain and gale winds.

Later that day when two in the party showed signs of hypothermia, the group assessed their situation as grave with imminent danger, and set off their TerraFix™ PLB. Within minutes an orbiting satellite picked up their distress signal. Vital information, pinpointing the hikers’ location, was relayed to the U.S. Coast Guard District 13 Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) in Seattle, Washington.

Since the PLB was registered, the rescue center was able to contact the parents, who had rented the beacon for their son, and confirmed that four teens (three boys and a girl) were on a 17-mile trek along the western coast of Washington. Steve Perkizas, the father who initially leased the TerraFix™, praised the park employees. “The forest rangers were great, they kept us informed,” he said.

Once identification was confirmed, the RCC in Seattle launched a HH-65 helicopter from Port Angeles, which arrived on scene and located the group who had set up camp near the ocean’s edge. The helicopter could not land on the beach or drop a swimmer because of high tide, high winds and heavy rains, according to Officer Larry Nickey, Fire and Aviation Management, Olympic National Park. Park rangers were dispatched and eventually met up with the hiking party. They found that two teens were suffering from mild hypothermia and took them in to be treated.

In this new era of technology, Nickey said PLBs are great tools. “The park service is all for these beacons. The first thing people need to do in an emergency is to try and rescue themselves, and only utilize PLBs when there’s a real situation,” he said. “This was a happy ending. The four young adults learned a valuable lesson and the PLB put rescuers less than 100 yards of where they (the teenagers) were.”

Having critical knowledge of the teens’ location minimized the expense of operating the helicopter and the efforts of the park rangers. Alternative scenarios to the outcome of this accident include the possibility of a multi-day, large-scale search at significant expense to the public. The beacons must be registered with NOAA and they must be used responsibly.

Perkizas said he and his wife rented the PLB because they wanted some kind of protection for their son and they realized a GPS alone would not alert someone if help was needed. He was assured that his son knew how to operate the PLB in case of an emergency because they had reviewed the operating procedures together. “It was easy to teach Jason. The instructions were very specific: push two buttons simultaneously,” said Perkizas. It was a lesson Jason no doubt learned. “I was really happy with the PLB. It was a good idea,” Jason said. “It’s designed to not go off accidentally and it’s easy to use.”

All in all, it was a situation that Jason doesn’t want to happen again. “The beacon is an important thing to have with you. It helps in a dire situation. Streams might not be a good thing to cross,” he said. Chances are his mother, Etel, would agree. When she first greeted her son after his rescue, she hugged him and said she hadn’t slept at all that night.

On behalf of ACR Electronics, Inc., left to right, Kevin Stoltz, president of PLB Rentals, presents a TerraFix™ 406 GPS PLB to Steve and Jason Perkizas.

Kevin Stoltz, president of PLB Rentals, LLC, credits a cautious father and a great working relationship with REI and G.I. Joe’s outdoors stores with getting a PLB in the hands of the teenagers. “Our partnership with REI and G.I. Joe's provides for the on-line rental of the same ACR PLBs they sell. The father of one of the teens learned about our on-line PLB rental service from the informational rack cards in the stores. Little did we know at the time that this would be the first activation of a rented PLB,” Stoltz said.