As a 35 year rescuer both urban and wildland helicopter search and rescuer, your breakdown is pretty solid. The biggest take away here is that if you are going in the back country you’re going there for a reason, because it’s sparsely populated. This means that ultimately your rescue is up to you. Tools like the inreach are there help if things go bad. It’s not a guarantee and “timely” rescue has nothing to do with your physical condition but only on the resources, if any to get to you.

Great information! As someone that does deep wilderness solo backpacking, i now carry an inReach after a trip years back when i chose to "take a shortcut" and go up and over Red Rock Ridge in the Marble Mountains on my way back, and fell on the way down a large creek, wedging my right leg between two boulders and spraining my leg. Could barely walk and was now off trail and more than 7 miles from my vehicle. Also, now I was in a different location than the paper i left on my vehicle seat so if someone came looking, they wouldn't have found me. Luckily i had about 6 days of food left, my water filter, a gun, and lots and lots of knowledge of the area. Made it back three days late with the Sheriff's department looking for me and my family fearing the worst. My friend, who is part of both the local Cal-fire/Forest Service was due to go out the following morning with 4 other guys on their own time (AND took off work to do so) to search for me as they knew the land even better than me, but luckily i finally made it back to my vehicle. I had to drive down the mountain with only my left leg and ran into the sheriff's department on the way down, who were coming to check if my vehicle was still there...i remember all of this like it was yesterday. My wife at the time then made a rule that i could only go out on another trip if i bought an inReach, which i did... It gives peace of mind and it's worth every penny. Now after watching these videos, I'm realizing it's not as simple as i was thinking (being rescued). Now I'm just much more careful...Thanks for reading my novel! KEEP ON HIKING!!!

If you’re in Colorado and an avid hiker you should consider getting a CORSAR card and keep it on you. It’s $3yr and helps fund search and rescue so that volunteers get reimbursed for coming to save your butt. Also consider taking some courses from the Colorado Mountain Club like bbwilderness first aid.

My garmin sent a false sos signal somehow when I was riding my moto to Argentina. This happened in Colombia and the garmin people called my emergency contacts etc but they didn’t call 911 as they could see I was still moving . They were waiting for me to stop and called my number. I was impressed

I snapped a leg bone when I was solo backpacking in Desolation Wilderness but was able to self-rescue. That experience increased my focus on understanding more of the SAR process and I appreciate your insight. Jon's video intrigued me and I actually shared it with the IERCC center and asked them some questions about it. The two issues I saw in Jon's video were 1) that he had unrealistic expectations of what happens in a SOS and 2) he felt (rightly or wrongly) that he was being given instructions that could lead him into danger. I asked the IERCC for their perspective on what to do if someone feels the initial SAR group is providing them dangerous instructions and if one should dialog with the IERCC in that case. Their response was a bit ambiguous saying that the first SAR group resolves the issue but that they still monitor it. My takeaway from that is that if one feels the SAR team is giving instructions that I feel could endanger me that I need to be very explicit about that when talking with IERCC. Instead of saying "that looks like a bad route" one should say "I believe the current instructions will put me in a dangerous situation." One tip is to put into your Inreach account any relevant information about medical conditions, prescriptions you are taking, etc. In the event you are not conscious during a SAR that information can be provided by IERCC to any SAR/medical team involved.

Depending on where you get lost in Australia, it's pretty common for us to head straight out on dirtbikes to find you and then organise an airlift if 'actually' necessary...

Keep in mind there are major differences between the Garmin-like devices (“SEND”), and Personal Locator Beacons. PLBs operate on the COSPAS-SARSAT global network and have an actual homing beacon.

Often out west if it’s not a national park it’s going to be a group of volunteers. I was part of the volunteer group in Nye County NV. We often helped out in neighboring CA areas from Dumont to Bodie and all over NV, Southern UT and Northern AZ. Most of us were just simple experienced 4x4 and outdoors people. I had training to use FLIR and other equipment (AWS the Navy) so I was one of the few that sometimes went up in aircraft when the professionals weren’t available.

For me, I have my own personal rule for hiking: Day hike: pack as though I’m going for 3-5 days. Overnight hike (under 3 days): pack as though I’m going for 1-2 weeks. Etc. By this I don’t mean that amount of extra food water but more First Aid items, life straw/water purification, extra batteries/chargers for things like headlamp, flashlight, phone, fire making items. I could be fine but if I come across someone who is injured, I may need to stay with them, help, and keep them stable and safe until rescue can get to us. I’d rather carry the extra bit of weight and be prepared for a bad situation than end up in a bad situation and struggle.

I recently scheduled with the IERCC and performed an SOS test of my Garmin device. At the end of the test, as part of the normal test procedure, they called my cell phone to answer any questions. He was very professional and helpful. I mentioned that I also had a 406 MHz PLB as a backup and he said depending on the circumstances of a particular emergency, if the victim has a PLB they will occasionally ask for it to be activated to aid the SAR team in homing in on the location.

This is a great video, thanks for doing the hard work. I am a NOLS wilderness med instructor and highly recommend if you are active in the back country you should take at least a 2 day wilderness first aid course. Also, be prepared that a helicopter probably isn’t coming to get you. It is much safer to carry someone out than to bring in a helicopter.

These devices aren’t just valuable for backpackers and campers. They are valuable to off road overland 4x4 trips too. As well as kayakers as well. Good for anyone who goes out in the back country as well. I worked for New Mexico S&R and it can take a few hours to get to you depending on what part of the state your located in. Many of the areas have volunteers only except for those in charge.

I wish Garmen (and other companies) would publish who they contact for the different areas and countries. I live and hike in Costa Rica and our trails are not well marked. I was thinking of buying an inreach but when I contacted them about who they would contact, the only answer I got is "local authorities" which tells me nothing. So I decided not to purchase one. Potential buyers have a right to know who it is that would be contacted. Your video confirms my fears - without knowing who will be contacted, the results could be very variable. Thanks for this video!

Conversely, I watched a rescue where someone was having a health issue that could have been fatal, and the helicopter rescue crew said they'd much rather be called then have someone die because they were afraid to push the button.

Appreciate this…and timing for rescue can vary. I was on a local mountain within a 30 minute drive of Vancouver BC. Someone fell off a cliff, we phoned 911 right away and it took roughly 2 hrs to get a long line rescue from a helicopter in place, and this was in winter with temperatures around freezing. Great team of well trained rescue folks close to a major city, but it still took 2 hrs and maybe an hour more to get the person out. I think in more remote areas (not that far away) 8 hours may be a best case scenario and 2-3 days in a worst case dependent on weather, though less likely I suspect.

You always note "bail out" points in your hikes, which is great.

Thanks, fantastic info presented with some great example and things to do beforehand. Much appreciated.

Very helpful video. In Colorado, it is useful to have a fishing license (even if you don’t fish) and/or a Colorado Search and Rescue card. Support the volunteers!

Thank you Chris - your excellent posts are always helpful, well presented and balanced. Now that you've piqued my interest, of the four types of SAR, us backpackers would be requesting ground wilderness (lowland or mountain) SAR. Lowland is typically handed by local law enforcement while mountain scenarios are more complex, potentially utilizing horses, helicopters, dogs, planes (Civil Air Patrol), drones, listening devices, FLIR camera, etc. Training consists of: search, rescue, technical (safety of rescuers) and medical. Assuming the injured person remained stationary, having the "LKP" (Last Known Position or PLS - Point Last Seen) is very helpful for State and Local folks assigned, potentially a hasty search team forking through the sheriff's department or SAR citizens who begin scanning high-probability areas using PoD - Probability of Detection (as opposed to slower grid search teams). The NFS spends $3M annually and NPS $4M on SAR operations with expenses passed to US taxpayers as is cooperative US military SAR. States that currently may charge for SAR include Oregon, Colorado and Utah (but rarely do so unless extreme adventurers willingly put themselves in harm's way). Practically speaking, SAR is typically initially assigned to "local chief law enforcement officer," often the County Sheriff who may then involve local specialized well trained SAR teams of volunteers who are ready to go. That said Chris, excellent job contrasting two SAR jurisdictions in Texas with one based on isolated, rural wilderness.

I just purchased the InReach Mini 2. I hope I never need to use the SOS, but your videos on this are invaluable. Thank you so much 🙏

A big part of backpacking is preparation. It is incumbent upon each individual to have a plan for emergencies. One should KNOW what the SAR policy/laws/protocol is for the areas you will visit. No matter if you’re on well-traveled train or deep backcountry, you need to be ready for basic survival-even on a day hike.🌿

Good video. I'm another retired wilderness SAR guy, which means volunteer "mostly". A few points. In the American West it is mostly county Sheriff's with the legal requirement to conduct SAR. Typically they work with a volunteer group or operate their own as a civilian element of the Sheriff' Volunteer SAR teams are often members of such national organizations as "Mountain Rescue Association" and the "National Association for Search And Rescue". Those organizations provide team certification and training, hold annual conferences and numerous training exercises. About helicopters, many are county, state or federal government. Some are private. If an injured hiker is going to get a bill that is where it will come from, as helicopters are expensive to buy,, staff, equip, maintain and fly. Helo's are a blessing and a curse for Wilderness SAR. Yes they can and do save lives. Sadly, they can be ruinous for volunteer ground teams by taking away ground-based rescues and leaving the SAR volunteers little to do. Adds massive cost on the victim for the helo ride, removes incentive for volunteers to stay on the team. It can be pretty discouraging to volunteers when the chopper swoops in for something truly minor that should have been handled by the ground pounders. Last point: Do not ever hesitate to call for SAR! The truth is SAR people flat our LOVE what they do. You are not wasting their time, they want to head out into wild places on a moments notice!

Great video, thx so much. Well I’m in Canada an I’m sure it would work the same here. I have an inreach and also an ACR personal locator beacon. The ACR is a one way only device and in Canada it sends a distress signal through a different satellite group to Trenton airforce base in Ontario. Anyway I talked to them there and basically it’s just like the service you described, they use your gps location to find the closest and best choice based on what they feel is adequate for your location, and of course with the ACR it’s only a distress signal so they don’t know how serious your situation is either. So like you said, be as prepared for the worst as you can be at all times.

For the most part you are very correct. A couple of other notes: 1) in the US there is a National Response Framework, but for SAR there are no actual Standards. 2) in almost all states (outside of National Parks - DOI), the legal responsibility for SAR is the county Sheriff except a few states like New Mexico and I think Hawaii and Alaska where it is the responsibility of the State Police. Interestingly, National Forests (USDA) usually also default to the county Sheriff. But of course you are correct that each county may have different capabilities for SAR response. 3) the vast, vast, VAST majority of all SAR response in the US is done by (but in many cases WELL TRAINED) volunteers. But again, a lot of good information in your video. Edit: after watching Jon's video, I think part of it is a problem with some Agencies in charge. There is probably a good well trained team available to actually get to the person. But many agencies have a problem with 'turf' and often do not want to call the 'volunteer' team for help. This happens all the time where the sheriff or whoever is in charge doesn't realize or isn't willing to call on all available resources to actually get to the subject. This is definitely an issue/failing with the SAR system in the US.

Great information. Thanks

Thanks for sharing that information with us. I opted for a PLB instead because I don't need to text and am counting on the 5 watt signal getting out quickly in any type of weather. 😊

When I hiked, there wasn't all this technology, but I was part of search and rescue and always told people ,included local search and rescue, where and when and what I was taking with me, which included a two-way radio . Even if it was a 5-hour hike, I always took survival gear.

I’ll add a few other things too: * There are a lot of scenarios where the same circumstances that led to you hitting the button may also be impeding a rescue team. Lots of times people get into trouble at least in part due to weather or things like landslides, so you have to expect that progress of that rescue may be quite slow. * Also, resources may be coming from pretty far away. You may have searchers who are driving six hours before even reaching the trailhead, depending on where you are and what type of search or rescue is anticipated. * Even in cases where you are getting a prepared, trained, and experienced team, that team might still be dedicated volunteers, not getting a paycheck for this (and likely missing their paying job to be there). * Remember that you got into this situation in a recreational context - you chose to take on a particular level of risk for fun. The combination of volunteers and your choice to be out there means the level of risk rescuers are willing to take on themselves may be more conservative than you think. This isn’t going to be like a firefighter rushing into a burning building at extreme risk to themself to try to reach you. If there’s a snowstorm raging that makes it unsafe for them to attempt a search, they are likely going to be ordered to wait until conditions improve. That combined with the pure logistics of wilderness search and rescue boil down to the one common theme: Be prepared to wait. They’ll get you out, but it very often will not be fast. Obviously there will be more urgency when your medical condition requires it, and gathering details of your situation is a huge way a two-way messenger like InReach shines, but if you are unable to self-extract yet still safe where you are for the moment, plan on staying put for potentially several days.

Very informative

Very informative.

5:26 Dr. Ben Shifren Doctors Medical Center Modesto, CA. Greatest ER doc ever

One good thing to keep note of if your out in the middle of nowhere is if your useing a gps navigator get your latitude and longitude position and text that out after hitting the SOS button that way if someone is sent out on backpack to get you they and use that to get a exact fixon your location

That all seems like common sense to me. When I go out I often think about who the IERCC could/would call and luckily where I tend to go it is multiple different groups from the police and coast guard to SAR.

Thanks for your info very informative. Do you know about the personal locator beacon if u hit SOS will be the same kind of rescue? I have both mini garmin and PLB.

This might be a good reason to have a true personal locator beacon, and not a satellite communicator and personal locator beacons the entire system from the ground up with design for search and rescue worldwide. The one that I use made by ACR has a five-year battery and uses three different satellite constellations further it has a full 5 W of power so your signal will get out if you’re deep in the canyon or under a snow covered tree canopy. Finally, there’s no monthly fee this system is subscribed to by most government of the world. There’s a difference, a real difference in a true personal locator beacon and a satellite communicator. They both are useful and they both have their positives and negatives. When I’ve seen those so many people are not doing the real research and just going with the satellite communicator, assuming because it has an SOS button everything will be OK. Do your research

Interesting. A potentially meaningful expansion on the topic, might be a have a look at what a rescue might look like, outside of the USA. Like Sierra-Leone or some other random country?

Getting your tracks off the garmin can be super challenging.

Thanks for the info. The Conti story is interesting and worth the view as there is a lot more in there than just the questionable tactics of this particular rescue team. Regardless, glad it all worked out and I will still be carrying my Garmin inReach when hiking.

It would have been helpful to cover what may happen in foreign countries.

Really helpful video! thaks a lot! I have a question regarding the laguage of SOS service. For example, if you're US citizen, english speaking person and you've got into SOS situation, while traveling to Spain. Which language will SOS service use to speak to you?

I know personally of three instances where a SPOT Communicator sent an SOS. In all three instances, rescue of some sort showed up within a couple of hours. Better to have than to not have. There's also the option of sending a text with details. Or you can send the text directly to someone on your message list. Two-way text communication is great. It is important not to take risks just because if you get in trouble, you can press the SOS button. Irresponsible and stupid.

Can't believe it. Absolutely no mention of Superman.

Can we request Garmin or program it to text a person we choose when we press SOS?

Be prepared - Be prepared to stay the night - It may take us a day or two to get to you and another day to get you out - longer without a good GPS location. Support your local SAR group.

What is that device on your right shoulder strap? Is it a mount to carry a Garmin device?

As a 40 year SAR TECH , every thing said in this vid is TRUE. YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR THE WORST. It may hours or days

Thanks!

Its time people took more responsibility for their own safety - it seems people expect to be rescued at the press of a button and because of that they seem to think they are "safe" where ever they are . We as wilderness users took considerably more care and thought about our "plan B" before heading out when there was not mobile phones and sat communicators to call for help. (I have 30 years full time service as a rescuer)

I am super new to this. But when I looked at getting a garmin with the expensive subscription my assumption was that the money I pay to have the subscription is used to pay for the actual rescue… now it seems more like the $50 a month is just for garmin forwarding my cry for help to some random entity… lol that is just mind boggling… especially if you compare that to actual insurances… for like $600 (=12x$50) you get the very best world wide health insurance that actually pays for medical stuff… is garmin just a total rip off?

I’ve moved to rumble not much on your page over there.

In Jon’s video it seemed clear the people he was dealing with are just local police in that area. Which is why he was treated like he was as they had no proper training or incentive to help. Really unfortunate that any police officer would have that type of attitude but small detachments are well known for being outside the lines. Which just rolls into the hazing after the rescue as this spotlights the people he was dealing with. I live in west coast of canada and our search rescue is “ no charge” but search rescue is funded by donations, government grants etc. Couple years back a communication issue between the police and search rescue cost a ski couples wife’s life. As you pointed out in your video the area the SOS is initiated makes a huge difference. If its a well visited area or park that has a dedicated SAR team its a way different experience. You could make a whole series just on the new hiking culture with clubs and Meetup’s. People having lost all common sense and expecting to call 911 and be rescued. Not for accidents but just complete break down in common sense.

I watched his video. And I read what the rescue team said about him. Notice though that there isn't a single negative comment about him and his experience on his YT page, but there are dozens and dozens of them on FB? I'm not sure who is right or wrong here, but I do think Conti is filtering the responses to his video. If the rescue team are right though, why did he refuse to follow instructions? It does kinda smell a little bit like a setup for the cameras , but , if I were in the rescue team I wouldn't be making any comments on FB about it. So I don't know what to think, but I think there are 3 stories. Conti's , the rescue team, and the truth.

if it was so easy for them, next time do it without the snowmobiles

I watched Conti's video and was disgusted. When you subscribe to a service like Inreach YOU ARE NOT PAYING FOR YOUR RESCUE. You are paying for satellite access and the ability to be connected to SAR. People who, as you mentioned, are mostly volunteers. Volunteers who are pretty overwhelmed these days trying to get a lot people out of situations they should have never gotten themselves into in the first place. Volunteers who are putting themselves at risk to do so. Had Conti not had an inreach you know what he would have done? Found a way to get himself out.

My takeaway is If you get hurt in the back country Good Luck!

Hello, this is not the place for this topic, but something came to my mind. I cannot load more than 3 maps at the same time on etrex devices. Other maps in the same format that I put in the device's memory do not appear. How is this situation on GPSmap devices? Is there a limitation?

Buy a 406mhz based ELT/EPIRB/PLB. Don’t rely on private industry.

I never rely on someone to come rescue me. I'm carrying it just to stay in touch with my wife. just so she knows where my whereabouts are.

In Johns story, I believe the InReach did exactly what it intended to do. The appropriate agency for SAR was notified. I think but do not know, that local SAR looked at the terrain and distances and after asking john some questions decided that this was probably not life or death and proceeded to deploy what they thought was appropriate . Personally, as an experienced, year round back country traveler I watched the video with some shock. John seems to be completely inexperienced and ill-equipped for winter travel. . Who goes backpacking in snow without snow shoes? At the point where he hit the SOS button, all he needed to do was turn around and walk the relatively shirt distance back out. Its the InReach users responsibility to evaluate if a situation is a true emergency. As for the LE guys who responded, clearly they were not a good choice for first responders in this situation. Though John was clearly out of his league, he apparently thought he was in a dangerous situation. Regular SAR should have been deployed and given the situation John should have paid the bill. Just my 2 cents!

Im wondering if the US people get charged a cost for the rescue service additional to the membership? If not… then it’s crazy to think your relative small membership fee of the Garmin can activate such teams of specialists and resources like helicopters etc… yet if in suburbia and you require medical attention, it can cost you thousands and thousands of dollars for treatment…

Lucky I live in a civilized country where search and rescue is well organized and educated, unlike the USA! That said, we also have a huge problem with tourists very I’ll equipped and uneducated venturing out into the wild. Your video should be looped and running at any tourist information centre! Plus people getting themselves in trouble due to I’ll preparation should be forced to repay all expenses for search and rescue or carry an insurance covering the rescue! We have also be aware of the fact that rescuers often set their lives at risk to safe those people, and life’s are lost way too many times! It also is good to create awareness of what GARMIN in reach can offer and what not!

I’m going alone. Better no

Conti did it for views and begged for a helicopter. He still filmed himself while being directed to meet SAR🤔. He had water, shelter, food, and was mobile. Even managed to film himself filling water after pushing the SOS. Life in peril?? If my life was in danger I wouldn’t be filming, just saying. Good video about the InReach. I personally carry a PLB for “emergencies”. If I have to spend an extra day in the backcountry I’m prepared to do so. Personally I don’t believe the post was shaming, but a generalization of the rescue. If we ignore mistakes and sweep them under the rug, how are we to learn from them? Especially if the lesson can save lives in the future. Take for instance the Emily Sotelo incident on the Franconia Ridge. I commend her parents for responding the way they did and being proactive about a horribly sad situation. I also really like how New Hampshire charges “negligent” hikers for a rescue and think this should be implemented elsewhere. I understand accidents happen but if you go into the wilderness unprepared, you’re putting others at risk too. #bepreparednotscared #staysafeoutthere #expecttoselfrescue Highly recommend everyone to take a Wilderness First Aid class as well. Stay safe and hike on!

What about the utube clowns that record their entire incident/episode and post it? Viewers gotta realize its probably a stunt and waste of rescue resources. If yer recording it, you're probably not really in bad shape.

Hey, if you go hiking in the middle of nowhere and you decide you've had enough and want a helicopter ride back home then you better pay for it.

People need to spend more time and money on gear thar prevents need of rescue. Gps are nice but they are just navigation tools.

I can't really believe that any LEO's, sheriff's, or any kind of state troopers would be willing or able to help with most SAR missions. Search & Rescue personnel obviously have special training where as the typical sheriff in Texas, especially in small jurisdictions are unfortunately morbidly obese and barely have the breath or sweat to don the obnoxious cowboy hats. Also, does the typical sheriff have any significant medical training? Really?

Here we go with the “expert” comments. All the rugged extreme S&R backcountry trekkers and medics. Why does everyone in hiking forums talk helicopters and medics like taking a walk in the woods is a doggone military operation? Plan right, understand personal limitations, equip yourself with the applicable gear/clothing, GET IN EXCELLENT PHYSICAL SHAPE, learn how to navigate, understand the land, and educate yourself on how to stay safe. If you approach it in an intelligent manner, you probably won’t need to call S&R and you’ll enjoy your time in the outdoors.

Very unfortunate experience for that young man. Very unprofessional of them. Unfortunately there are lots of this type out there. Sad but true in todays environment.

In the end you're dependent on a) yourself and those with you, and b) Local Search and Rescue. As you mentioned, in some places that's awesome (national park where they expect to deal with missing persons on adventrures and the IERCC. It sounds like John got the local keystone cops, who were pissed and felt he wasted their time or put them at risk or inconvenience. The right question there is why is your local sheriff's office so badly run that you are understaffed, under prepared, have out of shape staff, or feel put out by having to walk down a trail to help someone (and why are they so unprofessional as to post about it on social media, good lord).

Conti needs to get a grip on reality if hasn’t yet.

The police which responded to Jon is a horrible bunch of right-wing nuts.

Don't trust your life to "wanna be" devices like this. Get a genuine rescue device: PLB Period; end of story. If a PLB doesn't work, this junk won't work either.

And you americans claim your country is the best in the world. Wow!