Coquitlam Search and Rescue is praising a pair of hikers after a rescue mission on Sunday night.
The pair was helped off Burke Mountain after one suffered a lower limb injury.
Because of the nature of the injury, and the onset of darkness, the team carried the subject via stretcher and drove via 4×4.
They then transferred the patient to BC Ambulance.
But SAR says this was a different rescue because both the injured hiker and her friend were well prepared for their hike and the conditions on the trail.
They carried extra clothing, food, and were prepared to wait for rescue.
Most notable was that they had more than 50 per cent battery life on their cellphone.
On its website, Coquitlam SAR notes that cellphones have become the most important safety item people can take into the wilderness.
They say many people feel that if anything goes wrong, the cellphone will allow them to contact help, and be rescued, but that is not always the case.
“In fact, most of the areas Coquitlam SAR responds to are very close to ‘civilization,’ and yet have no cell coverage,” the website says.
“When a mobile phone is turned on it uses power. When you go out of range of a cell tower, it continues to use power, and in some cases uses even more than usual trying to connect to the cellular network.
“In the case of a smartphone, many people believe that if they use Facebook or Twitter this uses less power than placing a call. This is not true because for even the newest smartphones, the biggest use of power is to light the screen. Even typing an SMS or posting to Facebook uses power.”
This wasn’t the case for North Shore Rescue who helped a pair of hikers off Dog Mountain Sunday night.
The two took a wrong turn and got lost in the darkness with only sneakers and a flashlight.
Comments