As warming temperatures continue to lure more boaters, campers and hikers to the great outdoors this summer, N.O.A.A. satellites are ready to capture distress signals from emergency beacons.
Additionally, officials with NOAA's Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System (COSPAS-SARSAT) are urging beacon owners to review the registration and identification numbers for their devices before their excursions.
"It's critical for beacon owners to check this information and make sure their phone numbers and an emergency point of contact are included, so 1st responders can act without delay," said Chris O'Connors, NOAA's SARSAT plan manager.
By law, all emergency locator beacons must be registered with NOAA. To register or update a registration, visit http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/beacon.html.
O'Connors added that beacon owners planning a trip can provide their itinerary in the additional data field of the registration information. "Having this knowledge is invaluable for rescuers and can drastically cut down the time it takes to save a life."
SARSAT is a high-tech system that uses a network of satellites to quickly detect and locate distress signals from emergency beacons onboard aircraft, boats and from handheld personal locator beacons. When a satellite pinpoints a distress signal within the United States, or its surrounding waters, the information is relayed to the SARSAT Mission Control Center, at NOAA's Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Md. The information is then sent to a Rescue Coordination Center, operated by either the U.S. Air Force, for land rescues, or the U.S. Coast Guard, for maritime rescues.
Now in its 30th year of operation, SARSAT has been credited with in excess of 30,000 rescues worldwide, including in excess of 6,830 in the U.S. and its surrounding waters.
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