The Personal Locator Beacon PLB Guide

After years working in the technology field, I’ve come up with a saying. Though the specific words may or may not be original (my apologies if somebody deserves a quote) the message is nothing new to anybody else who has worked in the field. The saying is simply this – you can do a lot to make the technology user friendly, but you can’t do a damn thing to make the users tech-friendly. The message simply means that all the quality coding and simplicity of hardware design can’t stand up against the astounding lack of common sense it will find itself up against in the hands of some users.

I’ve alluded repeatedly to the fact that personal locator beacons suffer from one uncontrollable variable; the user. This post aims to address and elaborate a bit on that problem and what it means to us as users of PLB technology. Or, more specifically, what it means to be a responsible personal locator beacon user. Because, like it or not, there’s a very real possibility that repeated misuse of personal locator beacons could come back to hurt all of us in terms of tighter restrictions, fines or an unacceptable risk of response-hesitancy. We’ll come back to that last one later. First let’s get to the heart of the problem.

Unlike most technology with user-to-tech translation problems, the personal locator beacon does not suffer from a lack of simplicity. Though they often include additional buttons for testing or battery life analysis, PLBs are generally either dormant in an off position or turned on and actively transmitting an emergency distress signal. There isn’t a lot to be confused by. And, in truth, it isn’t confusion that leads to misuse of PLBs. The real culprit is the lack of responsibility and forward thinking evident in those responsible for the growing trend in personal locator beacon abuse. More specifically, some who purchase personal locator beacons suffer from a lack of responsibility for their own safety due to an inflated and misguided dependency on the PLB to get them out of trouble.

To outline the problems with personal locator beacons specifically, too many owners either:

• Tackle outings for which they are not properly equipped
• Assume they can use their PLB whenever they want
• Fail to develop self-rescue skills.

Do You Belong? Are You Ready?

Any wilderness setting can offer up a sobering dish of trouble. It’s right there in the name, folks; wilderness. These environments are wild. That means a significant absence of the conveniences we’ve become accustomed to in our civilized lives. As a responsible outdoorsman, you need to really consider what that entails before you set off for a particular destination because it means a heck of a lot more than just an inconvenient lack of a nearby Starbucks.

There are a myriad number of ways you can get hurt or die in wilderness settings. The threat isn’t just from such obvious things as bear or mountain lion attack but the more subtle reality that any injury, regardless of severity, incurred from any source will not be immediately treatable. The smallest injury can become infected. A serious sprain can severely hamper your ability to get back to safety. Even things that have nothing to do with the environment, such as appendicitis, can kill you in the wilderness because help isn’t right around the corner.

While there are things beyond your control, it’s the simple common sense things that really anger the search and rescue crowd. Specifically, if you are a casual outdoorsman, there are environments in which you simply do not belong. A perfect example of this can be found in the events of September 2007 where a group of men and their teenage sons tackled one of the most unforgiving summertime hikes, the Grand Canyon’s Royal Arch Loop. This group of novice hikers, who had no business undertaking this challenge in the first place, triggered their personal locator beacon 3 times over 3 days. All three calls were due to water problems (lack of water, salty water found, etc). Each time, rescuers mobilized but were turned away by the hikers until SAR insisted they evacuate on the final call.

By the hiker’s own admission, they would have never undertaken the grueling hike were it not for the personal locator beacon they carried. While journalistic practices dictate I should leave my opinion out of my writing, I can honestly say the fathers responsible for planning that hike should each be soundly smacked upside the head. Simply put, if you can’t handle the challenges of the terrain, you shouldn’t be there (regardless of whether or not you have a PLB in your pack). Professional search and rescue teams agree with my assessment. It was the story above that lead one SAR coordinator to coin the term “yuppie 911.”

So how can you stay of Search-and-Rescue-Santa’s naughty list? Know what you’re getting into before you go. Study your destination, review the ratings others have assigned it, understand the risks, plan accordingly and ensure you are adequately supplied AND skilled for the undertaking. Again, by their admission, the Royal Arches Loop was outside their skill level. It is your responsibility as a citizen to not bite off more than you can chew because every time you call out search and rescue crews, you are putting their lives in jeopardy.

Is Your Emergency Really a PLB Emergency?

Of course, even if you are selective and responsible in choosing your outings, there’s no guarantee you won’t find yourself in trouble. Accidents happen and it is the wild, after all. Assuming you have chosen a hike or activity within your skill range but have found yourself in a bind, the first thing you do should NOT be to reach for your personal locator beacon. Again, every time search and rescue crews mobilize their safety is at risk. So what should you do first?

Your first act in any emergency should be to stop, calm down and assess the situation. What may feel like a crisis at first blush may be a perfectly survivable situation given a cooler head. In terms of PLB use, you should define an emergency warranting activation of search and rescue crews as an inextricable situation from which loss of life or serious or permanent injury could result. For example, a boulder has just rolled of the mountain and crushed your leg. You are alone and immobilized, pinned in place by the boulder. You can’t extricate yourself to begin self-rescue. That’s a reasonable emergency warranting the use of a personal locator beacon.

Of course, it also helps to have an example of what ISN’T an emergency. Running out of water one day’s hike from your car is not an emergency (you can survive 3 days without water in average conditions). Being cold and uncomfortable with plenty of shelter-making materials handy is NOT an emergency. Bottom line, just because it is seriously uncomfortable or inconvenient does not make it an emergency.

Develop Self-Rescue and Survival Skills

The final point I made centered on self-rescue. Any expedition into the wilderness absent the development of basic survival and self-rescue skills is a foolhardy one. No, you don’t have to be Bear Grylls, though there’s certainly nothing wrong with developing an over-the-top survival skill set, but you should learn fundamental survival and self-rescue skills. Not only will this reduce your dependency on your personal locator beacon, it will greatly improve your odds of survival even if you find you must use it.

In the Royal Arches Loop example, the hikers activated their beacon on their first night after running out of water. Rescuers didn’t have night-time rescue options available so the rescue attempt wasn’t launched until the following morning. Had their emergency been severe and legitimate, those hours could well have meant death. Everything you can do to prolong your survival will greatly improve your odds of either getting out on your own or making it until rescuers can reach you. So what serves as a bare minimum survival set?

1)      Always carry a wilderness knife or multitool when hiking

2)      Know how to make fire

3)      Know how to find and purify water

4)      Have a strong understanding of wilderness navigation

5)      Know how to build shelter

6)      Know how to perform basic first aid (and have a kit with you)

7)      Know how to signal rescuers

The list above could definitely be expanded. For example, I didn’t mention foraging or trapping game for food at all. That’s simply because you can survive a long time without eating, but it certainly would be a nice tool to have at your disposal. But this blog isn’t about wilderness survival so an in-depth review of survival methods and techniques isn’t called for here. Perhaps I’ll go into greater detail in a subsequent post or develop another blog. Just know that you shouldn’t undertake any wilderness outing without at least rudimentary survival and self-rescue skills.

At the end of the day, your personal locator beacon is no different than any other tool in your outdoor arsenal. It has a specific purpose. There is a time to use it and a time to leave it packed away. Preparing adequately, being a responsible citizen, staying within your limits and knowing when it is appropriate to hit that bail-me-out button isn’t just a courtesy but an obligation. Failing in the above, hikers find themselves at increasing risk for fines from rescue agencies tired of being called out every time somebody stubs their toes.

My greatest concern is that, inundated with false or inappropriate alarms, rescuers may find themselves succumbing to the “cry wolf” mindset. Or, more likely, be preoccupied rescuing somebody who didn’t really need it while I’m suffering from a very real and very desperate emergency. By using your personal locator beacon responsibly, you help ensure that rescuers remain available, adequately staffed, sharp and properly motivated for the heroic and critical job they do. God bless each and every one of them.

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