F &Jetsam SAF E TY | PEOP LE | HE R I TAGE | ROCK THE BOAT lotsam
We’re OK ✔. PHOTO: VIRGINIA MARSHALL
SAFETY CONOR MIHELL NEWS FROM THE PADDLING WORLD Nowadays, there’s a good chance partici-
pants on guided trips and kids at summer camps are packing their own SPOT devices. If the technology is used properly, it can
increase the safety of these backcountry ad- ventures and complement existing risk man- agement strategies, says Matt Cruchet, owner of Direct Bearing, an outdoor risk consulting company. But the trouble is, a misused SPOT has significant consequences: worried fam- ily and friends, awkward group dynamics and costly, potentially unwarranted evacuations. The newest SPOT DeLorme communi-
cator featuring type-and-send messaging is a “game changer,” says Cruchet. “It means you can actually describe your problem and what you need.” But since it also enables Facebook updating, the potential circle of contacts—and danger of misuse—grows exponentially. Imagine the hysteria spreading like wildfire
among 275 panicked Facebook acquaintances in response to a melodramatic post from a teenaged camper. And then there are the ethi- cal implications of kids Facebooking in the wil- derness with a device putatively designed for personal safety.
Making the most of SPOT technology demands proper planning
Both Cruchet and Michael Pardy, the direc- SAFETY BY CONOR MIHELL SPOT Check ARE SATELLITE MESSENGERS MORE TROUBLE THAN THEY’RE WORTH?
Last summer, when sea kayaker Joe O’Blenis set a new speed record for circumnavigating Vancouver Island, he did so in the company of hundreds of paddling enthusiasts around the world. O’Blenis’ web updates through his SPOT GPS satellite messenger made his whereabouts known to the world in real time—even though he made the 1,150-kilo- meter expedition solo. SPOT upped O’Blenis’ notoriety, improved
his safety and was surely valued by his spon- sors. The same cheap, accessible technology is
20 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SPRING 2011
also becoming a staple of weekend warriors— but at what greater cost? The palm-sized orange and black SPOT de-
vice allows registered users to relay geographic coordinate-based “Check-in/OK” and “Help” messages to selected family and friends, and SOS messages to a general incident response unit. Since its launch in 2007, SPOT has be- come nearly ubiquitous—yet another indicator of our increasing attraction to social media, de- creasing tolerance to risk and growing reliance on quick-fix solutions should something go wrong.
tor of SKILS, a B.C.-based leadership train- ing company, insist that making the most of SPOT technology demands proper planning. SPOT adds a large, remote network of non- paddlers to your group, explains Pardy. This increases your safety net but complicates com- munication and emergency strategies. With SPOT, says Pardy, “You need to work all of these people into the communication and [emergency] response strategies.” Pardy advises paddlers to come up with
an agreed upon protocol for SPOT usage as part of a pre-trip contract and float plan. This would outline the protocol for missed daily check-ins, define contingency plans for a help message and clearly delineate the thresholds of an SOS emergency. As for outfitters and summer camps, Cru-
chet says SPOT’s potential headaches are the new realities of our increasingly networked world. This isn’t a bad thing, he says. “It’s an ex- cellent tool in your risk management toolbox, but you still need a plan and you must under- stand how it works.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56