Activating a device that sends an emergency signal can mean the difference between a search that takes a few hours or a search that could take days, if it's successful at all.
Of the 397 rescues in the nation last year, 275 were water-related, while 42 were from downed aircraft. Personal locator beacons were used in 80 land rescues.
The 106 rescues in Florida were the most of any state. Fifty-six were in Alaska and 20 in Utah. The rescues included: A group of 17 hikers who were lifted to safety after being stranded on a backcountry hike in Sandthrax Canyon, Utah, thanks to a personal beacon. Seven rescued in November near Bethel, Alaska, after the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center got the coordinates of a commercial plane forced to land on a frozen lake when its engine failed.
A man who grabbed his life raft and activated a beacon in August when his boat capsized and sank off the coast of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. He was lifted to safety by a Coast Guard helicopter.Emergency transmitters and beacons, which unlike your mobile phone don't rely on cellular networks, range in price and are sold online and at outdoor stores. Registering a beacon with NOAA is required by law and it may help them to find you faster.
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