At the urging of a close friend, hunter Russ Morrison accepted the loan
of a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) for a hunting trip on Kodiak Island,
Alaska. It was a decision that saved his life.
Morrison, 53, and his son, Kevin, 28, are both avid outdoorsmen well
versed in survival skills. Kevin is a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Search and
Rescue (SAR) helicopter crewman based on Kodiak Island.
On October 25th, the men had to put their safety skills to the test on
their first day out when frigid hurricane-force winds whipped up. They
were planning to camp and hunt from their 23-foot boat anchored in
Sheridan Bay on Kodiak Island. The island, known as “The Rock”, has few
roads crossing the remote, rugged terrain. Hunters frequently use boats
or float planes to access the island’s many coves.
The fierce winds would not let up and kept pounding the small craft into
the shallow bay bottom. Fearing for their safety in the boat, they tied
it off, waded to shore and huddled, soaking wet, under a life raft. The
sun was setting and temperatures were quickly dropping below 30 degrees.
The winds and blowing snow made it impossible to start a fire. They
faced a severe threat of suffering from hypothermia.
At 8 p.m., they concluded their circumstances were dire and they needed
rescue. Russ activated his friend Bill Vogel’s TerraFix™ 406 GPS PLB.
Around 8:30 p.m. at home in Soldotna, Alaska, Vogel received a phone
call from the USCG Station Juneau saying they just received a satellite
emergency distress signal from a beacon registered to his name. He
verified that his friends were carrying his PLB on a backcountry hunt.
The USCG contacted the Morrison family for more specifics, and then
launched a search.
Just after 10 p.m., the Morrisons heard a helicopter overhead. They
watched as a USCG Jayhawk attempted to maneuver for a landing. The
raging winds blew the chopper sideways up the bay. It came back around
and skillfully landed on the beach 200 yards from the survivors. The SAR
team greeted their fellow crewmember Kevin Morrison and his father, and
evacuated them to the USCG Station Kodiak, where they were met by their
wives.
Two days later, the hunters returned to the bay and retrieved their
boat. Russ said he was glad Vogel loaned him the beacon. “The Coast
Guard was able to exactly pinpoint our location even before we popped
flares. Time is pretty important when you’re in those kinds of
conditions. I was real impressed by the accuracy of the PLB,” he said.
“It was nice and compact, and easy to carry and turn on. I plan to get
one for myself.”
Vogel, 65, said he purchased the TerraFix™ PLB after seeing news stories
about protracted searches for climbers who disappeared and later were
found dead. He researched PLBs and chose an ACR Electronics’ TerraFix™
because he has owned an ACR strobe light for 25 years and knew the
company made quality products. Also, Vogel said he did not want to pay
an annual subscription fee.
Vogel said a PLB is the best insurance policy one can have. “As outdoors
people, we have a responsibility too. Having a PLB gives the SAR teams
an edge in finding you. It really levels the playing field. It’s the
only way to get help in a life-threatening situation.”