A SPOT user recently activated the SOS function on their satellite messenger upon encountering a group of hikers in distress. SPOT partner, FocusPoint International received the emergency message with coordinates that placed the user on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The SPOT owner also had opted in to our Overwatch & Rescue plan and was requesting aide for the nearby hikers that were possibly lost. The device user had no visuals of the individuals, only screams for help in the distance. Rescue response partner, FocusPoint coordinated with RCMP Campbell River and escalated the alert based on agreed protocols with the local search and rescue agency.
FocusPoint provided the SAR Agency with the device owners GPS coordinates for further action. RCMP Campbell River dispatched a military helicopter to the area, along with four search and rescue personnel. The SAR unit located 4 civilians on the side of the mountain, one of which had fallen off the cliff. The SAR unit was able to recover all 4 civilians and transport them to a local medical facility for treatment and release. In the end an effort by a good Samaritan who put his SPOT Messenger product to good use, paid off.