SPOT = "Yuppie 911"

[Ex-Member]

Interesting story:


Towards the end it hilights one of the reasons I don't like the SPOT-- lack of communication with rescuers regarding the situation of the emergency. Only report sent out is "Emergency at this lat/lon", and it leaves responders speculating the nature of the emergency.

As with beacons/airbags/etc, don't take additional risks because you have equipment... and learn to use the equipment you have. A big fancy radio and the most expensive GPS does you no good if you don't know how to use them.

 

[UtahEdge]

I think if the button is pushed and its not a life or death situation it should be a $5,000 fine. I bet if those people in the story knew that, they wouldnt have pushed the button.

 

[AndrettiDog]

I need a beer, someone push the button!

Mule, I agree about the limitations of SPOT. I thought that we would see a new generation of devices about this time that would enable us to modify the text prior to it being sent. That way we could at least one-way text the severity of the emergency.

It's a good device, it's been put out there as practically free, so I would expect more issues.

 

[Tree Boss]

I think if the button is pushed and its not a life or death situation it should be a $5,000 fine. I bet if those people in the story knew that, they wouldnt have pushed the button.

Yep, there has to be some kind of responsibility here if you push the button for something as lame as salty water? WTF, someone could have actually needed the chopper while you were busy pushing the button.

 

[togwotee9]

It will be abused just like 911, welfare, food stamps, free health care............

 

[keeton]

lame...

I have a SPOT and its just a really compforting thing to have incase of a life or death situation. It's a shame people use them for room service in the woods. As for pushing the button while in a pack or something that seems hardly possible. You have to push and hold the button down for a long time to get it to go off and you first have to turn it on. I agree there should be a fine for Non-emergecy uses. And no one should ever go into an area they dont have the experience for, just because they have SPOT.

 

[The Fourth Wolf]

SPOT is for fat kids with shelves full of last place trophies

 

[PJ-Hunter]

I would hope that most of us would use our equipment responsibly. And I hope that I don't end up reading about a group of snowmobilers having to be rescued or recovered from the location given from their SPOT device.

 

[PJ-Hunter]

It will be abused just like 911, welfare, food stamps, free health care............

Only by those who are lazy enough or dumb enough to. I more or less have mine so my family has a location on me at all times. I never plan on hitting the 911 button. Now my ex-dipchit boss hit the 911 button 3 times in one day in the oil fields last year just because he wasn't paying attention to which frigging button he was pushing. I thought the guys in the helicopter were going to shoot him the 3rd time. The pilot actually got out of the chopper, took the unit away from him and gave it to me and told him that he wasn't allowed to touch it again.

 

[teeroy]

we had to smash the 911 button last year near Valemount....a friend accidentally drove off a bank into a creek from about 35 feet and broke his back. chopper was there in under 2 hrs, he was ghost white and in shock and only had tingling in his lower extremities. It has been 8 months and he is currently at 60% of movement and muscle strength, no sledding for him this winter.

I think anyone that abuses such an obviously helpful device should be prosecuted, and made to pay for expenses incurred from an invalid emergency call.

 

[togwotee9]

OK when should a sleder push the button?

If they are going to spend the night on the mountain hurt?

Around 6:00 in the morning after they hudled in a tree all night?

noon the next day after they start to walk out

5:00 the next night still walking

When would you hit the button???

just curious guys

 

[V-Man]

OK when should a sled push the button?

If they are going to spend the night on the mountain?

Around 6:00 in the morning after they hudled in a tree all night?

noon the next day after they start to walk out

5:00 the next night still walking

When would you hit the button???

just curious guys

The 911 button is there so you don't die. If you can get out after 4 days in the woods under your own power then do it. Now if your femur is snapped in two, use it.

It has a non-emergency "help" button to email a pre-determined list of friends your GPS coordinates and a pre-defined message. Our SPOT says "We need help, it isn't life threatening".

I think it is a good device. It looks like the new version has a cover over the 911 button to make it even harder to send false messages. Hurt or not, I believe each person should be responsible for rescue costs.

 

[rockdog2112]

OK when should a sled push the button?

If they are going to spend the night on the mountain?

Around 6:00 in the morning after they hudled in a tree all night?

noon the next day after they start to walk out

5:00 the next night still walking

When would you hit the button???

just curious guys

I think it's a tough call. Obviosly if someone is injured. I wouldn't want anyone to risk their life coming to fetch me but if I knew it was going subzero and my wife wife was with me, I would have to think about it. I really hope I never use it. I like the "check in " button. My family really likes hearing from through out the day so it's worth having it.

 

[togwotee9]

I think it's a tough call. Obviosly if someone is injured. I wouldn't want anyone to risk their life coming to fetch me but if I knew it was going subzero and my wife wife was with me, I would have to think about it. I really hope I never use it. I like the "check in " button. My family really likes hearing from through out the day so it's worth having it.

Yes it is, I do like the Toggy is OK feature and the wife and kids can track me on the hill.

Only time I can think of hitting the 911 button is in a life and death emergency, broken back, compound fracture, Even then could you end someone for help faster? I don;t know

 

[rhein1969]

Last winter I was up at a club function. There was a guy who had left the parking lot at 3 in the afternoon, BY HIMSELF (NOT A CLUB MEMBER). We had a club member talk to him, and say "You know, that's NOT a really good idea", but the guy went anyway.

At 11 p.m. he still wasn't back at his truck. Myself and another guy went out looking for him. Had he been hurt badly I wouldn't have hesitated to press the button. Had he been just cold and walking because he had gotten stuck somewhere or broken down? I would have gotten him to the warming hut, and not pushed the button unless it was obvious he was hypothermic. Thankfully we found him riding back. He'd gotten stuck (off trail) and was trying to walk to the warming hut when some people found him, took him to his sled, got him unstuck and sent him on his way. When I ran into him coming the other way, I stopped him and informed him we were out there looking for HIM. I think he realized I was not terribly impressed by his decision making skills.

Now all these "Hikers" that are pushing the buttons? They aren't hikers, they are idiots who think Nature is all fun and games. In otherwords, the ones who think hunting is bad and that the wolves "Just want to be left alone"...

 

[tudizzle]

a poor musician blames his instrument

 

[togwotee9]

I blame God

 

[Snowmark]

spot

seems like all kids should have one........as for me there's no way I'm not gettin out unless i can't move...only then would i use it......being rescued would be so humiliating that i would rather be cold.

 

[eludnu]

I have one. I also give it too my son when he is skiing, with the instructions that if he hits the 911 button, he better be in serious trouble, or he will be by dad.

As the primary snowmobile responder for local S&R I can tell you there are times when the folks we were looking for whould have been much easier to find if they had had one. Mule, you make very valid points. Consider however how much time and resources (often volunteer) are consumed looking for someone who isn't even aware a large group of responders are out looking for them. Often people are humbled by the sheer volume of folks that respond when they are found, and get to base camp. Typically I don't know the real story anyway of what we are responding too, simply that someones in trouble and needs to be located. The quicker the better for everyone. Sure it would be nice if the Spot gave some details, but if you do hit the button, we know right where to go, yank you out, and get back to our daily lives. Oh, and maybe play a little in the snow on the way home.....

Just once were we tempted to bill someone who was just flat stupid, and not appreciative, even though without the sleds we would have never gotten to them, and they never would have made it out of the mountains. If someone hit the button for something stupid, I'd wager it wouldn't go well for them.

 

[Disco Dan Richter]

I bought mine only for the fact that I do most of my hunting on my owm, no partners. I dont want to die out in the sticks and have my family not know where I am, or what may or may not have happened to me. Other than that, doubt I will ever use it.
Feels good to have it though.