Safety and how we manage it are important when snowmobiling. The stories of Ron and Greg below show the difference these safety decisions can make.
RON’S STORY
Ron has been going on a specific trail for almost seven years now and prefers this trail because very few snowmobilers know about the route. Some days, Ron can sled for an entire afternoon without seeing anyone.
One day, after a fresh snowfall, Ron hits the trail. It’s sunny out and quiet except for the hum of the engine in his sled. Halfway down the trail, Ron stops to take a sip of coffee when he feels tightness and a sharp pain in his chest. He fumbles for the safety device he purchased, a satellite beacon device. When he finally manages to reach it, he tries to press the panic button but his gloves prevent it from working. He whips off the gloves but is losing consciousness. He manages to press the panic button just an instant before it slips from his hand as he falls unconscious. The device ends up falling face-down into the snow.
Two hours later, Ron’s wife notices that he is running late for dinner. She tries to call him on his cellphone, but there is no answer. She is beginning to get worried as she knows Ron is aware of her high anxiety and as such he has always made it a point to never be late. An hour later she finally decides to call 911.
Two hours later Ron is found on the trail; he has suffered a fatal heart attack. Unfortunately, the satellite beacon he and his family relied on was unable to transmit the emergency because it had accidentally fallen face-down.
GREG’S STORY
Greg decides to go out riding on a beautiful January day. In addition to the standard equipment, he places a magnetically mounted satellite base station on the back of his sled and puts on a personal monitoring device in his pocket. During the ride, one of his sled’s skis gets snagged and he is thrown from the sled. His leg is broken in two places. Greg is still conscious but in extreme pain. Automatically, a beeping sound comes from his monitoring device. The device has detected the impact of his fall. After a moment, the beeping speeds up. Greg knows this sound means that the alert has been automatically sent on to a monitoring centre via satellite uplink and that someone has been made aware he is in trouble. Greg is confident that help is on its way.
Fifteen minutes later, a response team arrives to pick up Greg and take him to the closest hospital where his leg is re-set and he is given a cast. His family arrives at the hospital 20 minutes later, thankful that he was found in time.
LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT—THE DIFFERENCE?
While both Ron and Greg went onto the trails with GPS safety equipment designed to help in the event of an emergency, there was a key difference between the two that resulted in the survival or death of the rider.
Ron, unlike Greg, did not make use of technology that automatically identifies an emergency and notifies responders. Ron made use of a technology that requires the driver to physically request aid using a device that only transmits data if the device is oriented in the correct manner. On the other hand, Greg made use of newer technologies that can automatically detect emergencies such as an impact or no movement and automatically transmit the information to recipients. This is independent of the rider’s physical orientation or capabilities.
The device used by Greg is developed by a Canadian company, Blackline GPS. This device is offered as a member benefit for members of Snoman, through Snoman’s affiliation with Hub International Strata Benefits Consulting. For preferred pricing, contact Steven Benzelock at 1-877-869-7212 extension 308 or by email at sbenzelock@ blacklinegps.com.
Garrett Genest is the content director at Blackline GPS and has been writing about safety and technology topics for almost three years. He has previously been published in Occupational Health & Safety Magazine (USA), Advisor Magazine, and Health & Safety International Magazine, as well as on Safety and Health Practitioner Online.
