Satellite phones

Lost and found with satellite technology

Look up, look way up

By Christie Hoskins

Weʼve come a long way in 50 years.

An article by R.K. Gordon in the New turf can mean new problems— June 1953 issue of The Beaver tells it the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) all. “Travelling Through the Canadian Emergency Response Teams handled Wilderness by Paddle Canoe Holds Many 172 Search and Rescue (SAR) calls Joys for the Adventurous,” chronicles last year. Most of the cases involved how campers kept in touch with the people who were lost or overdue at a outside world. checkpoint.

Gordonʼs party met some fellow Sergeant Don Webster, OPP Provincial canoeists headed in the opposite direcSAR Coordinator, has dealt with people tion: “We grasped each otherʼs gunwales. who were fortunate enough (a relative Where were they headed for? Temagami. term) to be lost where Would they take a letter for us? Yes. It there was some cell was quickly scribbled and handed over. phone coverage. In A nod, a wave of the hand, and the swift one case as the cell current whisked them out of sight.” battery was fading,

More than 50 years later, itʼs intriguSgt. Webster was able ing to ponder the contents of that letter. to confirm that the It might have been something mundane; caller was not injured perhaps a necessary matter of resupply. and equipped for a I prefer to imagine that it was addressed night in the woods. to anxious loved ones with a few words The information was to reassure them that the trip is going invaluable to the well, but the return home might be authorities—the SAR delayed by a day or two. I can relate to team narrowed its this version of the hand-carried message. search area and tai

As the adoring wife of a true “nature lored its response by boy,” I understand the attempt at causing putting precious pubminimal worry on the home front. I am lic resources to their most comfortable in an urban environbest use. ment, although I have taken the bow seat Cell phone seron a couple of easy day trips. Itʼs never vice providers may going to be on my “Really fun stuff to be of some help to do” list, but I can appreciate the desire outdoors enthusiasts, for more challenging expeditions to prisbut their service foottine, off-the-beaten-track settings. print tends to cover

This logical pursuit usually means established highway longer trips farther away from civilizacorridors and urban tion. Most people can only take the same areas. Cell phone evening stroll or Sunday drive so many reception depends times before they need to break a new upon the location of trail. For some, this could mean finding towers and the ternew rapids to run, new cliffs to climb, rain, so there is a or new vistas to call oneʼs own for a better solution in the night or two. outback.

VENTURING OUT?

What to take (at a minimum):

q water q food, like energy bars q a means to keep warm (i.e. a space blanket) q a small fl ashlight q waterproof matches or a lighter q a whistle q a tested communications device

What to leave behind:

q an itinerary and/or maps q a description of your vehicle and licence plates q an agreed-upon date and time for contact with someone you trust q a plan of action to be implemented if you fail to make contact

The Telehealth website is searchable for info on dehydration, frostbite and hypothermia: www.HealthyOntario.com

For detailed info on satellite phones and beacons—how they work, where to rent them: www.truenorthsatcomm.ca

Info of Interest:

Because satellite phones work by beaming or bouncing the signal up to an orbiting satellite and down to their specifi c network ground terminals, the usual emergency contact numbers, such as 911 or 1-800 telephone numbers may not work.

Satellite phone users need to research, and pre-identify, the local authority numbers for the area they will be travelling in. For instance, on the Missinaibi trip mentioned in the article, in order to engage a quicker response if it had been required, planning included locating the number for the OPP detachment in Moosonee.

Ottawa Police Service from a satellite Phone is 613.230.6211.

The Satellite Phone Solution The Satellite Phone

SAR Global 1 is an incorporated, charitable organization of trained civilcharitable organization of trained civilians who provide services to local police ians who provide services to local police forces on both sides of the Ontario-Quebec forces on both sides of the Ontario-Quebec border, including Gatineau Park. Since its border, including Gatineau Park. Since its inception in 1996, the group has extended inception in 1996, the group has extended its search capabilities with dogs, fi xed its search capabilities with dogs, fixed wing aircraft support and coordination wing aircraft support and coordination efforts. SAR Global 1 has discovered that efforts. SAR Global 1 has discovered that communications can be a challenge, even communications can be a challenge, even this close to home.this close to home.

“We have had to use satellite phones on a number of searches, in some cases only 25 minutes from downtown Ottawa,” says Nicolas de Breyne, Search Manager in Command. “Paddlers, hikers, winter sports enthusiasts, hunters… when you get into an accident is NOT the time to fi nd out that your cell phone receives no signal, and you donʼt have any other options in mind.”

De Breyne also likes the Globalstar networkʼs ability to determine roughly where a call originates according to longitude and latitude.

Satellite communications can be invaluable even in local areas like Larose Forest, Marlborough Forest or the Mer Bleu Bog. “The quicker we can locate a missing person from both the perspective of safety and health, the better,” explains Ottawa Police Service Staff Sergeant Larry Colotelo. “The longer a search goes on, the more likely it will be that we have to take weather and resource issues into consideration.”

Ontario Search and Rescue Volunteer Association (OSARVA) vice-president Horace Webb says fi nding a satellite phone for recreational use was tough until recently. “We had inquiries on the use of sat-phones from groups venturing out into the wilderness. Most asked if and where they could be rented. A few years ago, our research came up blank. The OSARVA does think these devices are an important component for outdoor enthusiasts and that they sure would help in a lost person(s) situation.”

The Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) is another device that is currently a hot topic of conversation. While it is a plausible alternative to a satellite phone, it is limited to one-way communication and cannot pinpoint the nature of the emergency. It must be used with discretion because PLB activation prompts a full and immediate SAR response. New models can be programmed to transmit detailed information about a group using a particular beacon.

My husband, Michael, headed off by canoe along the remote Missinaibi River toward James Bay in 2000, after a year of detailed planning. The area has been responsible for more than 20 drowning deaths in 15 years and boasts site names like “Hellʼs Gate Canyon” and “Thunderhouse Falls.” With that kind of writing on the wall, you want to pack along a reliable communications device (otherwise you could return home two weeks later to fi nd the locks have been changed by an anxious spouse who hasnʼt had a phone call!).

When the trip took place almost four years ago, satellite phones were diffi cult to fi nd, prohibitively expensive and somewhat bulky. So, my husband packed his only option: a PLB. It is no coincidence that Michael returned to start a business renting sat-phones and beacons. Nowadays, both devices are smaller and much more affordable.

Sgt. Webster is enthusiastic about the interest people have in taking these tools into the outdoors: “Iʼm impressed with the queries weʼre getting about this additional layer of safety. It demonstrates a proactive measure on the part of the public to try to assist with their own rescue, should the need arise.”

Some of us comprise the “sandwich generation”—we have simultaneous responsibilities to both our children and aging parents. Itʼs not surprising then, that more of us are seeking self-renewal in the great outdoors. Now we can meet the challenge of keeping this commitment to ourselves, as well as offer peace of mind to those we leave behind at home.

—Christie Hoskins is a local researcher and freelance writer with a background in communications. As a former Girl Guide, her favourite motto is “Be Prepared.” Her husband, Mike Disley, owns True North Satellite Communications, (613-796-3874) which rents equipment to niche markets that include outdoor enthusiasts.