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PLB FAQ regarding Mt
Hood:
In the wake of the recent tragedy of lost climbers on Mount Hood
in Oregon, public interest in safety and survival has focused on
technological advances that may have assisted in the location
and rescue efforts. This FAQ should answers many of the
questions that we have received over the last month.
QUESTION:
Could a PLB have
made a difference on Mt. Hood?
ANSWER:
There is no definitive way to know if a
PLB could have resulted in lives being saved on Mt. Hood or
not. Weather played such a factor in hampering rescuers. We
don’t know why they waited so long before placing a call. It is
possible that they had tried to place a call for hours before
finally getting through. If this is true, then YES, a PLB would
have reliably notified authorities that there was an emergency
AND the location of the emergency within minutes. Further, with
a PLB the group would have most likely stayed together, rather
than splitting up. Had they stayed together, there is a much
greater chance that some of them, if not all would have
survived.
QUESTION:
Do climbers like those lost at Hood
typically carry a PLB? Why? Why not?
ANSWER:
Climbers, like the experienced winter
mountaineers on Mt. Hood, have not typically carried a PLB in
the past because the technology has only been made available to
the outdoor community within the last three years. But this
unfortunate fact is changing rapidly as outdoor enthusiasts
become aware of this new satellite based technology. Also, the
size and weight of PLBs has come down over the last three years
with the most recent models weighing a mere 10 ounces.
QUESTION:
How much did the gear cost the Mt. Hood climbers were packing?
ANSWER:
A typical pack can cost several
hundred dollars. A lightweight stove, pot and fuel can cost a
hundred. A winter sleeping bag and tent can cost several
hundred each. When you consider climbing equipment, boots,
ropes and protective outerwear, they each could have $1,200 -
$2,000 worth of personal equipment. Reports have them packing
light, so it is possible that they were carrying much less. The
real question is, what is your life worth? To your family?
QUESTION:
How much did it weigh?
ANSWER:
A typical winter pack fully loaded
with bag, tent, stove, food and fuel will weigh in excess of 40
pounds. Since they were traveling “light”, it is possible that
they were only carrying 15 pounds of gear. A PLB would have
added approximately 1% weight to a typical winter pack and about
the same to their collective load.
QUESTION:
We saw the demise of the climber’s
cell phone. What about a sat phone?
ANSWER:
Sat phones work great…when they work. The batteries are designed to work at temperatures above
freezing. Sat phones are fragile. Sat phones are definitely
affected by atmospheric conditions. Sat phones are not water
proof or even water resistant. Sat phones are heavy and bulky. Sat phones are great. You should carry one if you can afford
it. But, sat phones are NOT emergency devices.
QUESTION:
Which is better the sat phone or a
PLB?
ANSWER:
Only the PLB is designed to work when
all other means of self rescue has been exhausted. Often time’s
situations become life threatening because of a sat phone or
cell phone failure. Only a PLB is a dedicated piece of emergency
equipment. Carry both a PLB and a Sat Phone, or just carry a
PLB, but by all means carry a PLB if you want a reliable means
of signaling for help when a life is on the line.
QUESTION:
We witnessed two SAR events heavily
covered by the media. Each featured any number of experts. Why
don’t the media SAR experts ever mention PLBs?
ANSWER:
Some SAR experts interviewed by the
media did mention PLBs. However, the technology has only been
available to the outdoor community for three years. Many
“experts” still do not know about PLBs. Many are still
advocating the same techniques that have been taught for
decades, even centuries. These techniques are designed to help
you survive long enough for someone to miss you and then to come
looking for you. Embracing PLBs involves making a major
paradigm shift in your SAR thought processes. With a PLB you
need only survive long enough for someone to get to you once
you’ve told them you are in trouble and where you are located. Some times, old dogs take a while to learn a new trick.
QUESTION:
It seems a stretch to carry a PLB on
road trips; or is it? Under what conditions should one consider
a PLB as SOP when traveling or recreational driving?
ANSWER:
The rules are the same for
recreational travelers as they are for outdoor enthusiasts. If
your travel takes you off the beaten path and away from
civilization and other travelers then you should seriously
consider carrying a PLB. You should also take the weather, the
time of year, the terrain and your personal condition into
consideration. It isn’t just travelers in mountainous regions
that might consider PLBs, a few years ago an elderly couple was
found trapped near Highway 70 in Kansas following a bad snow
storm.
QUESTION:
Shouldn’t it be mandatory to pack a
PLB in public areas where a SAR might be necessary?
ANSWER:
You can’t legislate common sense. However, there are some areas where the risk of enjoying the
back country carries a higher degree of risk. It makes good
sense if people enjoying these areas were all carrying PLBs.
QUESTION:
Can you rent PLBs? How much do they
rent for?
ANSWER:
You can rent PLBs at G.I. Joes and
R.E.I and from PLB Rentals.com. They are relatively
inexpensive. Jason Perkisas’ father rented a PLB for him the
night before he and friends went backpacking in Olympic National
Park. Jason and another backpacker were saved after falling in
a recently thawed stream.
QUESTION:
What is ACR doing to promote PLB use?
Do you guys have any canned ready to run PLB TV footage
available?
ANSWER:
ACR has numerous press releases, still
photography and some B roll footage of the PLB available. We
advertise in outdoor and hunting publications and we ran a TV
commercial on the Weather Channel last fall. Contact ACR at
John Bell, (954)970-3394 to find out if we’ve got what you need.
QUESTION:
What can the working press do to
promote PLB use?
ANSWER:
Virtually every article on emergency
preparedness prescribes carrying the same list of equipment and
advocating the same precautions. All of which are good and
appropriate. But, if your goal is to educate and inform, then
give the public information that includes the latest in
emergency preparedness technology; the PLB. Who knows, you
could actually be responsible for saving a life some day.
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