Hunters use satellite messenger to call for help

Distress signal picked up by emergency response centre in Texas

Having a satellite messenger may have saved the life of a 69year-old Burgeo man hunting in a remote area north of the town on Tuesday.

The man, who suffered an undisclosed medical emergency, and his 44-year-old son were picked up by a Cormorant helicopter and crew from CFB Gander Wednesday morning and taken to Sir Thomas Roddick Hospital in Stephenville.

Cpl. Dave Cooper of the Burgeo RCMP said Wednesday af- ternoon the man was in stable condition and undergoing tests.

The two men had been dropped off on a hunting trip by a Universal helicopter Monday morning.

“That area is pretty good for partridge hunting and there’s a few local guys that have hunting camps out that way for that purpose,” said Cooper.

The pair had planned to hunt until Friday, when the helicopter was scheduled to pick them up.

But Tuesday night the device the men had with them was activated and at 10:20 p.m. the International Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre in Texas notified the Burgeo RCMP of the distress signal originating from the handheld device.

The RCMP made contact with the family members of the device’s owner and learned the father and son were hunting in the area.

After arriving in the area the Cormorant was unable to land due to fog.

Luckily, the two men also had a radio they could use when a helicopter was overhead to contact a pilot. That information was passed on to the rescue centre.

The helicopter was able to land and pick up the men at 8:30 a.m.

Cooper has used a satellite messenger, which are well known for use in the outdoors.

“They’re not uncommon, but they’re not common,” he said, adding that not a lot of people have them due to the price.

But having one certainly paid off in this case.

“With that area, obviously there’s no cellphone coverage, (satellite) phone spotty coverage at best, but with a device like this, they could send out that signal,” he said.