iPhone Emergency SOS via Satelite

[Mountain high]

Hate to have tourists die out in our neck of the woods. There was a rescue close to our home last year during extremely cold temperatures. Below negative 20F. It's lucky that a rescue team didn't die.

“The cold has an effect on you, too, psychologically. Your brain doesn’t think as well,” Acree said."

"But it was during that final push that the cold took out one of the teams. Their snowmobiles, GPS devices, and phones began to fail.

Now one of the rescue teams needed to be rescued, too. The stranded team built a fire and waited for one of the other crews to reach them. They were lucky. Before the subzero temperatures zapped their phones, a compass app pinged their location."

Lost on the Grand Mesa: Inside the Daring Drive To Find Skier and Dog

When emergency dispatchers radioed deputies patrolling Colorado’s Mesa and Delta counties on Feb. 1, all they knew was that a 61-year-old skier and “Poppy,” her cousin’s 40-pound short-haired mutt, were lost on the Grand Mesa.

coffeeordie.com

 

[garyb1st]

We bought an InReach about a year ago. While the wife always carries it with her, she's rarely in areas where her cell phone doesn't have a connection. While the wife might not agree, if we could access satellites during an emergency I'd be in favor of replacing it.

 

[DonTom]

We bought an InReach about a year ago. While the wife always carries it with her, she's rarely in areas where her cell phone doesn't have a connection. While the wife might not agree, if we could access satellites during an emergency I'd be in favor of replacing it.

I rarely use mine, but I would rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it.

I have been to a few places where it was the only two-way communications I had, such as in the big Bend of Texas.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Mountain high]

We live in a small area with cellphone service. Within 2 to 3 miles in any direction the service is spotty then becomes non-existent quickly. It's better than it was just 5 years ago of which it was spotty at home. We had a land-line telephone until this year. Due to the improvement in cellphone service we canceled the service. We don't have emergency SOS.

 

[Kevin Means]

I have an InReach too, and I've used it to check in during overnight Jeep trips in isolated areas. Fortunately, I have never had to use it in an emergency.

A former crewmember of mine, however, who was our aviation unit's safety officer, also has an InReach. He was on a solo Jeep trip (1st mistake) in the mountains east of San Diego about a year ago, when he got out of his Jeep to look at the steep path in front of him. When he got to the edge of the hill, he slipped and fell, then slid down the hill until he was finally able to stop himself. During the fall, he broke his left Fibula. Unfortunately, his InReach was laying on the front passenger seat next to his iPhone (2nd mistake) - about 150 feet away - up hill.

He said he laid there awhile, hoping a Border Patrol agent would happen by, but finally decided that if he wanted to make it to the Jeep by dark, he'd have to start crawling. He made it, and was able to drive to an ER.

We both kind of chuckled about the fact that he was a well trained and very conscientious safety officer. His reply/excuse was that he was only walking a short distance away - what could possibly go wrong?