Emergency Communication

Regardless of how prepared we are for fieldwork, accidents can happen and we may enter emergency situations. It is imperative for the survival and safety of our crews that we know the chain of communication in an emergency, what communication options are available in your location, how to alert Search and Rescue (SAR), and ways to signal your location with limited resources.

Immediate Actions

When you enter into an emergency situation, whether that be an injury, natural disaster, or interpersonal threat, it is important to stay calm. You want to STOP before taking action: Stop, Think, Observe, and Plan.

First actions should include stabilizing any medical patients and getting to a safe location. If there are multiple team members, designate one to contact emergency services and one to start first aid. Once you are out of immediate danger, you should work to make sure rescue is on the way. If possible, do NOT leave your location and do whatever possible to make yourself visible to SAR. Consider all of your communication options (cell phones, satellite phones, emergency signalling).

Establishing a Chain of Communication

Prior to any fieldwork, you should complete a Field Safety Plan that includes information about a chain of communcation and a list of nearby accessible emergency services.

Chain of Communcation

When we plan for an emergency, we want to plan how we will react in an emergency. However, it is equally important to have a check-in plan so someone who is not on the trip can alert emergency services for you when a check-in is missed. This allows for emergency services to be deployed even if you are unconscious, incapacitated, disoriented, or unable to contact someone yourself.

Your FSP should include

local contacts that can assist in an emergency or can get help for you
check-in contact and contact protocol
- when are you expected to check-in with the contact?
- what do they do if you miss a check-in?
- when do they contact emergency services?
how to contact SAR teams and emergency services (if 911 is not available where you are)
who becomes the leader if the crew lead becomes incapacitated

Nearby Services

Identifying the nearest services to your field locations is important for emergency preparation and response.

For each field site, even in urban areas, include the location of your nearest hospital or medical service provider. To prepare for situations where you may not have access to mapping software, include general instructions to drive or travel to those locations in the FSP. You want anyone on the team to be able to get the team to this location in an emergency, not just the crew lead. It can be helpful to also note how long the drive is expected to be.

Once you have identified the nearest medical services, you can plan for your own emergency response. Build your first aid kit around how quickly you may be reached by EMS or how long it would take you to reach the hospital. If rescue is not easy or fast, ensure that your team is properly trained in wilderness first aid and has an appropriate first aid kit.

Finally, depending on the risks you are experiencing in your work, you may need to have a list of multiple hospitals to utilize in different emergencies. For example, if you are working in a rattlesnake area, you need to know which hopsitals have anti-venom. This may not be your closest hospital. If you have a chance of getting rabies, you need to know what hospitals treat rabies, which may be outside of the country you are currently in. Depending on what risks you will encounter, write different plans of action for different emergencies.

Emergency Signalling

If you are working in a location where communication may be limited or you may be hard to find in an emergency, it is imperative that you have materials to keep you alive and a way to signal your location to SAR. These resources may include a fire making kit, a reflective signaling device, or a whistle. The following text is partially taken from AdventureSmartCA.

Signal Fires

A fire can serve many purposes while in the great outdoors, such as cooking and warmth, as well as your emergency signal, if prepared properly. It’s critical to understand the basics of building this ‘flame signal’ or ‘smoke signal’ fire designed to summon help and ensure you are rescued quickly.

A simple guide is to remember the number 3. The universal signal for help is 3 fires, built in either a triangular pattern or if space doesn’t allow, set 3 fires the same distance apart in a straight line for easy spotting at night. In daylight however, you can create the smoke by putting lots of green vegetation on top of the existing flames. This vegetation won’t burn but will create a lot of smoke to alert potential searchers in the air, on land or water. Always remain as close to your signal source as possible. Ensure that your fires don't get out of control.

Prior to remote fieldwork, you should become familiar with a way to make a fire, either using an emergency fire making kit or from the natural resources you may find nearby and a form of fire starter. You can find education resources here.

Signal Mirror and Whistle

Of the essentials you should be carrying in your safety kit, the whistle and mirror signaling devices are great tools to have, as long as you know how to use them properly. Using the mirror or other reflective items such as a knife, belt buckle, sunglasses or watches can be an effective way to get the attention of searchers in aircraft, on top of a ridge, hillside or clearing.

Consider where you want your signal to go by practicing reflecting the sun’s rays off a nearby object in the line of sight of where you want your signal to be seen.

Use your free hand as a sight line and create the 3 short, then 3 long, then 3 short signals, which is the internationally recognized SOS signal for help. Don’t forget to keep adjusting your position as the sun moves across the sky. Signaling using a mirror can take some practice, but it could save your life!

Many searches take place on the ground, with dedicated searchers hiking through the bush trying to find you. If you have an emergency signaling whistle, you can blast it 3 times, take a break, blast 3 times again and continue to do this. If there are ground search and rescue members within hearing distance, they will locate you. Remember, to stop blasting occasionally, so you can hear the searchers responding to your calls. Prioritize whistling over yelling; whistles are louder than your voice and cost less energy.

You can find additional training and resources on signaling mirrors at the following websites (1, 2, 3).

Stay Visible!

While waiting for emergency services, you should try to stay as visible as possible. This includes making your emergency shelter out of bright orange tarps or blankets. You may want to carry a bright orange vest or choose a bright colored PFD (in water situations) to make yourself easy to spot. You can write out SOS or an X or an arrow in rocks, sticks, etc pointing towards your location to help aerial help find you. If that is not possible, laying on the ground with your arms and legs outstretched to look larger can help.

Satellite Communication Devices

There are a variety of devices that you can use to reach contacts and emergency services when you are outside of cell service. The following text is partially taken from AdventureSmartCA.

Cell Phones

Some newer cell phones have become equipped with SOS Satellite Communication abilities. iPhones 14 and newer have become equipped with satellite connectivity. To learn how to connect to a satellite with an iPhone, explore this page. Google Pixel 9 series and the Samsung Galaxy S25 phones seem to have similar services. If you choose to utilize a cell phone as your sole satellite device, which is not always recommended, always practice connecting prior to entering remote areas.

Questions to consider before planning to rely on cell phones in remote locations:

Is there cellular coverage in the area you will be traveling? Check with your service provider before you go. Most publish their coverage maps online. Even in an area with good coverage, physical obstacles like steep terrain can block the signal. A cell phone may not be a suitable primary emergency alerting device.
Is “911” service available? In certain regions of Canada and the USA, 911 service is not available to landline or cellular users. Ensure you carry direct-dial numbers for the emergency services in your travel area.
Will your cell encounter environmental extremes (e.g. very hot or very cold temperatures, dust, high humidity)? Is there a risk of dropping it into water, or onto rocks? Most cell phones are not designed for rugged outdoor use. It is advisable to keep the phone in a waterproof bag. If there is an emergency, your phone will be dry.
How long do the batteries typically last, considering the temperatures you are likely to encounter? It is advisable to keep the phone turned off, If there is an emergency, your phone will have a full charge.
Is the cell phone equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) chip, and is it activated? If so, you should know how to get GPS coordinates off of it to give to search and rescue if you become lost or injured. Cellular companies may also be able to determine your approximate location by the cellular towers that are receiving your signal. However, don’t rely upon these features as the sole means of determining your location.

Depending on the terrain and difficulty of your excursion, it may also be worth considering satellite based communications devices.

Satellite Phones

Sat phones are usually more versatile than cell phones, since they are not limited by the availability of ground-based cellular networks. They are also particularly useful in that they permit real-time, two-way communication.

To ensure they perform as expected, consider:

Is there good satellite coverage in the area you will be traveling? Check with your service provider before you go. Unlike cell phones, most sat phones require the user to be outside, or somewhere with a clear view of the sky.
How does your sat phone engage SOS reponses? What is the usual timeline for response? Do you receive updates from emergency services in the interim?
Calls placed from a sat phone must include an area code, so “911” services cannot be reached. You must carry direct-dial numbers for emergency and SAR services for the region of travel. Also, toll-free numbers may not be compatible with some sat phone services. Check in advance.
Is the model of satellite telephone designed for a rugged environment? Some handsets are more robustly constructed than others, and may be water, dust, and shock resistant.
Battery life should also be carefully researched, and spares carried.
What other potentially useful features does the sat phone have? Can it calculate or display your position, or send and receive data? Check with your service provider.

The ESPM Field Safety Gear Sharing Program does offer Garmin inReach Mini satelite communication devices. If you choose to purchase your own, some popular options include:

Garmin Devices – inReach, GPSMAP, eTrek
Zoleo – Satellite Communicator
SPOT (Globalstar Canada) – SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker

Note that some countries have banned the use and import of satellite communciation devices. Check your fieldwork location prior to bringing these devices to the field.

406 MHz Emergency Beacons

Since its inception in 1982, the International Satellite System for Search and Rescue, COSPAS-SARSAT, has been linking those in distress with search and rescue responders around the world.

The COSPAS-SARSAT system has three key components:

the emergency beacons that transmit a distress signal;
the satellites that capture and calculate the location of the distress signals ; and
the ground stations and data distribution network that relays the distress alerts to the appropriate rescue coordination centres worldwide.

Registration

The key attribute for modern COSPAS-SARSAT beacons is their ability to transmit a digitally-encoded signal on 406 MHz. When properly registered with NOAA (https://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/beaconregistration.pdf) or the Canadian Beacon Registry (www.cbr-rcb.ca), SAR authorities will also know who is in distress, in addition to their location. 406 MHz beacon registration is therefore a critical step in getting the most out of the COSPAS-SARSAT system.

Aside from the initial cost to purchase a 406 MHz emergency beacon, there is no subscription fee for COSPAS-SARSAT monitoring, nor is there any fee for registering it.

Types of Beacons

There are three types of COSPAS-SARSAT emergency beacons, each designed for a specific purpose. All 406 MHz emergency beacons are also equipped with a secondary homing signal on 121.5 MHz, which helps rescuers locate the beacon in conditions of darkness or reduced visibility. Many 406 MHz beacons are also capable of transmitting GPS coordinates along with the distress signal, which truly takes the “search” out of “search and rescue”.

Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs)—Personal Use

specifically designed to be light-weight, portable, and to withstand the elements
triggered manually using a simple two-step process, which helps prevent accidental activations.
while intended primarily for use by those working and recreating on the ground or inland waters (e.g. hiking, canoeing), pilots and mariners are also using PLBs on board aircraft and boats as personal distress alerting devices. Sometimes these PLBs are marketed as “Survival ELTs” or “Survival EPIRBs”.

Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) – Maritime Use

required on ships, fishing vessels and tugboats above a certain size and weight
Class 1 EPIRBs may be activated manually, or automatically when they come in contact with water
- designed to float free from a sinking ship
Class 2 EPIRBs can only be activated manually
- Vessels are not required by law to carry an EPIRB (e.g. small pleasure craft) are encouraged to do so voluntarily.

Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) – Aviation Use

purpose-built for aviation use
fixed to an aircraft’s structure, usually near the tail, and is automatically activated by the force of a crash
can be manually activated, including a cockpit-mounted switch required for a 406 MHz installation

For more information on utilizing these beacons in the US, see NOAA's page.

Related Technology that is NOT for Distress Signaling

Avalanche transceivers (sometimes mistakenly called beacons) are critical safety devices that should be worn by people working, traveling, or recreating in avalanche-prone areas. Since survival after being buried in an avalanche is usually measured in minutes, rescue must be carried out by other people close by who are not buried. By homing in on the signal transmitted by an avalanche transceiver, those who are buried can hopefully be located and dug out, before they run short of breathable air.

These transceivers should not be confused, however, with 406 MHz COSPAS-SARSAT beacons like PLBs, ELTs, and EPIRBs, or any of the alternative locating devices currently on the market. Avalanche transceivers cannot be detected by COSPAS-SARSAT satellites, overflying aircraft, or even heard by the human ear. They are not designed, nor are they suitable for distress alerting.

Maritime Survivor Locator Devices, or MSLDs, are short-range beacons most commonly used by personnel working on ships or offshore oil and gas platforms. They are compact beacons worn on a life-vest or floatation suit, and may be manually or water-activated. Transmitting a low-powered radio signal (e.g. 121.5 MHz), MSLDs are intended for short-range homing. Frequently called “man overboard” beacons, they indicate the direction towards a person who has fallen into the water, which is particularly useful during rescue operations in heavy seas or darkness. MSLDs are not, however, designed or intended to be a primary distress alerting device, nor are they required to meet the minimum standards for a COSPAS-SARSAT PLB or EPIRB.

See the pamphlet below for more information on the variety of communication devices you may want to consider:

Making-the-right-call_SOS_Communication.pdf

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