The rescue helicopter crew have lost count of the number of times they have saved a life thanks to the use of a personal locator beacon (PLB).
But a recent mission was trickier than it needed to be as the patient had turned off his PLB.
“He saw us overhead so he turned off his beacon, but while he had seen us the problem was, we hadn’t seen him!” says Courtney, a Flight Crew Medic on the rescue helicopter.
While this job had a happy ending, it made us think – what are Courtney’s top tips for using personal locator beacons? We asked her!
Tip One: Don’t turn it off! Let the crew do it for you.
A personal locator beacon transmits a signal which is sent via satellites to the receiver in the rescue helicopter. If you turn off your beacon, it stops transmitting that signal.
“The sounds we hear from the receiver change as we get closer to the location of the beacon. When a patient is in dense bush or under a canopy, it can be tricky to see them from the air, so we rely on these sounds to pinpoint their location,” Courtney says.
Luckily in the recent mission where the patient had turned off his beacon, he turned it back on later. That meant when the helicopter returned to the scene after refuelling, they found him and winched him to safety.
“We’re a very big bird in the sky but to us, you’re a tiny dot. So, leave your beacon on and we will turn it off for you once we have you on board.”
Tip Two: Keep your PLB high in the sky
A personal locator beacon has a built-in GPS which transmits a distress signal to a network of satellites orbiting the Earth. These satellites then pass the information on to a ground station, which sends it to the nearest search and rescue authorities.
To send the strongest signal, your beacon should be in view of the sky.
“Don’t put yourself in danger, but if you and your beacon can be up higher, it helps. Don’t put it in your backpack or amongst rocks, it needs to be out in the open so it can keep transmitting the signal.”
Tip Three: Leave the beacon with the injured party
There have been times when the crew has been sent to the healthy party, rather than the patient.
Why? Because the uninjured people took the beacon with them!
“Some people climb up a hill with a beacon thinking they’re being helpful, but that just leads us to the uninjured parties. We need the beacon to be left with the patient, so we’re sent directly to where they are,” Courtney says.
Tip Four (and perhaps the most important): Heading outdoors? Take a beacon!
While cellphone technology is rapidly improving, nothing beats a personal locator beacon.
“New Zealand’s terrain is challenging. Don’t rely on your cellphone. A personal locator beacon is the most reliable way to access emergency services when you’re in the outdoors.
“We hope you won’t have to use it but, if you do, we’ll do all we can to reach you and get you out and back home to your family safe and sound.”
