Group of hikers saved from wildfires by Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite on iPhone
Users are prompted to complete a short questionnaire designed in partnership with emergency experts to quickly communicate their situation and location to emergency services dispatchers, or to relay centres that will contact a dispatcher on the user’s behalf.
A group of four women was successfully rescued from a B.C. glacier last week after a daring helicopter operation. The rescue took place amidst a challenging wildfire season. The stranded women were able to utilize Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite feature on their iPhone to send a text message, triggering the rescue effort.
As wildfires continue to burn across the Kootenay region, a group of four women were helicoptered off a glacier in B.C.’s West Kootenay region last week.
The dramatic rescue, amidst a challenging wildfire season, has officials warning people to be careful.
A search and rescue team flew through thick smoke, near an approaching wildfire to find the hikers, who were stranded on the Macbeth Ice Fields, northeast of Kaslo, about 390 kilometres east of Kelowna.
The four women, who all live in British Columbia, had been camping when the wind picked up, said Mark Jennings-Bates, the Kaslo Search and Rescue manager, who led the rescue.
“Embers were falling on their tent so they ran for their lives,” Jennings-Bates told CBC’s Daybreak South.
The rescue was especially challenging with smoke making visibility difficult for the helicopter pilot, he said.
Jennings-Bates said the stranded women were able to send a text message via satellite through Apple’s emergency SOS function, and that ultimately made the rescue possible.
“We were just able to sneak over a ridge and found them exactly where the cellphone ping said they were, which is really unusual and very satisfying,” he said.
“In this instance, their cellphone literally saved their lives.”
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MacDailyNews Take: Another four lives saved, thanks to iPhone and Emergency SOS via Satellite! (Also sounds like it would make for a great iPhone commercial!)
How to use Emergency SOS via satellite on your iPhone here.
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