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April 21, 2008

Stay on the alert

By DENNIS APRILL

It was last summer at a remote waterfall in Northern British Columbia near the Yukon border when I fell.

I was photographing the cascading water, but I got too close to the high water and went crashing down on the wet rocks. I slipped about 12 feet, finally stopping with a thud, a brief blackout, and then the realization that I was banged up.

As the kids would say, it was "my bad," and they would be correct. My carelessness thankfully didn't amount to any worse than some bruises and a left side of my face that looked like I had sparred with a prize fighter -- and lost!

I did get up out of the rocks on my own and back to my rental vehicle to finish the trip days later, favoring my left side in conversations with other people.

A similar accident could happen to anyone in some remote area of the Adirondacks. What if you were injured and couldn't get out? Are there options besides a $600 personal locater beacon (PLB) that are affordable and protective as well to use in dire emergency situations?

Last Christmas, my family, realizing I'm not getting any younger nor am I forgoing any future out-of-the-way trips, gave me a device called a Spot as a present. The Spot just might be the affordable answer to these emergency situations.

The Spot works via satellite technology. Like a GPS, it can pinpoint your location, but the Spot can also transmit that information to chosen recipients by e-mail or text messaging. A "Check-in/OK" prompt button lets pre-chosen contacts know you are okay and allows your location to be tracked by Google Maps on a computer. An "Ask For Help" button requests aid from these contacts and again shows your exact location. Most importantly, there is a "911" button that, according to Spot Manufacturers, "dispatches emergency responders to your location."

I wondered who those responders would be if I were in, say, Alaska. The Spot owner's booklet says they may include, "local police, the highway patrol, the Coast Guard, your country's embassy or consulate, or any other emergency responders or search & rescue teams available." Spot personnel will also notify your designated normal response contacts.

I spoke on the phone with one Spot representative, a company based in Canada, and asked him how help could come so fast worldwide. He told me that with computers, the potential rescue organizations are available instantly, so they all can be notified at once.

Thankfully, I have not had to use my Spot for an emergency yet and hope to never have to utilize it, but I have tried sending the "OK" message from my front lawn, a place which is out of cell phone range. It worked! The e-mail message went to my wife's e-mail almost instantly, and through the Google Map, she could see exactly where I was (I'm not sure I like that!).

The Spot costs $149. To make it operable, a minimum one-year activation coverage charge of $99.99 is required. That is a lot cheaper than a PLB. The Spot must be used with the utmost discretion in the "911" or "Ask For Help" modes. In the "Check-in/OK" mode it is a convenient way to tell family and friends almost anywhere in the world that you are well.

On my next adventure somewhere in the wild, I'll try to be careful and not do anything that could lead to an accident, but if the unexpected does happen, my family can rest assured help should be on the way.

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