Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: California (southern)
Well, you know, like man, uhhhh, it's one of those electronic thingies that will solve all of your problems once you hit the button. Like, there's something to learn?
Registered: 10/30/03
Posts: 4963
Loc: Marina del Rey,CA
I went to an in-store demo for avy beacons a while back. They don't look or act like a PLB. How could this guy be this stupid and still be walking around?
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Don't get me started, you know how I get.
Classic story. "Moronics" probably runs in the guy's family though. The first moron was the likely family member that gave him the "avalanche beacon" to begin with. The fruit didn't fall far from the tree.
"He felt terrible. He just didn't know," said Paul "Woody" Woodward of Alpine Rescue Team. "Apparently he received it as a birthday present with a note that said, 'Here's an avalanche beacon. Be safe.' And he never read the back of the box."
Responders were able to trace the distress signals back to the same PLB, but because the unit was not registered, they had no way of contacting the owner.
Why why why oh why do rescue units even *RESPOND* to an unregistered beacon? I don't get it. Why even go?
I'm also seriously annoyed that he faces no charges.
Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: California (southern)
Good question, but I imagine that they preferred to overreact rather than to under react. While unlikely, failure to respond could be tragic, while over reaction becomes training.
Why why why oh why do rescue units even *RESPOND* to an unregistered beacon? I don't get it. Why even go?
I'm also seriously annoyed that he faces no charges.
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One stinking word: LIABILITY. You could be sued by the ambulance chasing crowd if you didn't go looking for the moron and he dies out there. Or God forbid that he had just left the local McDonalds and had spilled his hot coffee on his lap during an avalanche. Luckily he had just activated his "avalanche beacon" but no one would respond and so he sues.
Trust me on this one, as a police officer we respond to every 911 call no matter what. People call 911 for nearly every thing you can think of and most all 911 calls are not even close to being emergencies.
As a retired high school teacher I CAN attest that "the acorn ("fruit") does not fall very far from the tree".
Meet the parents and every question about the kid becomes instantly clear.
And I used to tell PA state troopers at the barracks across the street which students would likely be criminals. Sociopaths and morons are easy to spot.
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"There are no comfortable backpacks. Some are just less uncomfortable than others."
The solution to this problem is so simple: Register the PLB when purchased. Why is this so difficult? Buyer must provide contact info and store must transmit this information. If it's a gift, the buyer must tell the recipient that he/she must re-register in his/her name.
At least this way SAR can contact someone knows who's activating the device.
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