Latest Outdoor Rescue
Raises Plea to Use PLB
By Fred Delkin
We've spent a goodly portion of our life cavorting in the great outdoors and to date have never needed rescue. However, as we Oregon residents know from perusing the local news, there are frequent instances of people losing their way when climbing, hiking, boating or driving in the wild and courting death or injury. A friend and veteran of outdoor adventure, John
Brody, just wrote the following reaction to a sailing misadventure recently reported:
What started me on this post was an article...about six men whose boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico. ...a gentleman who was one of the 'safety officers' designated by the group to be in charge of insuring the safety of the crew (he was a former Coast Guardsman). After the boat capsized, five of the six were in the water...they used flashlights and a whistle to try and get noticed...they were 20 miles offshore and only four of the five could get to their lifejackets...where was the sixth man? He apparently was another 'safety officer' who could not get out of the cabin and drowned!
Where was the one piece of equipment that could have put an end to this ordeal within hours, not days? Why were 'safety officers' selected who were either not aware of the types of Personal Locating Beacons available or chose not to use them?
We hear horror stories every week about lost hikers, hunters, boaters ...who either refuse to use or are unaware of this miraculous advance in locating victims...some of the newer...devices can be purchased for under $150.
I know I'll get respondents who will try to make an argument for NOT carrying such a unit. You are not only being foolish, you are placing the lives of your rescuers in real jeopardy an time you are lost, hurt or ...unable to save yourself from harm.
Shame on you! You ...are costing me money! Who pays for the personnel and equipment to find you or your body? Me and all others who read this...I can't afford to pay for my fuel to get to the outdoors, let alone pay to retrieve your sorry butt!
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Yes, John, we've seen the newest PLB's, no bigger than a pack of cigarettes, and
communicate with satellites, overcoming the unreliability of transmitting a cell phone signal.
The new PLB received federal approval in 2003, with a Coast Guardsman, Lieutenant
Commander Paul Stewart, paving the path. As a Coast Guard veteran myself, I cannot
imagine why the aforementioned 'safety officer' failed to have a proper communications device
to protect his sail racing crew.
© 2008 Oregon Magazine
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