Dear Reader,

A series of incidents marked this past year’s end involving people who lost their lives in the American backcountry. The tragedies were, in large part, due to bad weather, life threatening situations and their lack of ability to get out a timely alert to and provide their location to Search and Rescue. The US media coverage surrounding the lost climbers and the lost family was extensive. These events underscored the weaknesses of cell phones and GPS receivers as last-resort devices in life threatening situations. The obvious lesson learned is to use your cell phone if it works, but carry a PLB that will work when your life is on the line.

A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) communicates through two separate SARSAT (Search And Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking) systems. This technology has led to the rescue of tens of thousands of lives worldwide. Activate your PLB and within minutes Search and Rescue (SAR) can know who you are and that you are in trouble.

So the logical question is why doesn’t everyone who knowingly puts his life at risk in the great outdoors carry a PLB? The answers are many. They range from, “It won’t happen to me” to “They are too expensive.” Every accident happened to someone who did not believe it would happen to him or her. The cost of PLBs is coming down and there are now companies offering rental PLBs. There is no subscriber fee for the use of the satellite system and a PLB should only be serviced once every five years. The cost of ownership is minimal. Accidents happen and PLBs are affordable.

ACR is committed to manufacturing life saving products that work when needed. Our mission statement is “We build quality products knowing they are used to save lives.” We take that statement and the responsibility it implies very seriously. You owe it to yourself, your loved ones and the men and women of Search and Rescue who may be asked to risk their life to save yours to take your safety as seriously as we do. We make a broad range of PLBs and I suggest that you consider if one might be appropriate for your lifestyle.

Paul M. Frank
President