Satellite Gear Given to Search Team
Search-and-rescue efforts in Ventura County’s rugged back country got a boost Wednesday with the donation of $17,252 in satellite navigation equipment.
The equipment uses U.S. global positioning satellites to pinpoint within a few yards the exact location of search team members.
The donation from San Dimas-based Magellan Systems Corp. includes 30 hand-held satellite navigation units, navigational computer software and five aviation receivers with map displays.
“They won’t completely replace maps and compasses, but it’s a big step forward as far as being able to locate yourself in remote areas,” said Ted Powers, one of 200 search-and-rescue volunteers in the Sheriff’s Department.
Magellan President Randy Hoffman, a resident of Thousand Oaks, presented the equipment to Sheriff Larry Carpenter during a news conference at Camarillo Airport.
Hoffman said he hopes the equipment will demonstrate the key role such technology can play in public safety and spur other companies to donate to local law enforcement agencies.
Sheriff’s officials said the global positioning equipment will also help in SWAT exercises and efforts to eradicate illegal marijuana plantations throughout the county’s 1,200 square miles of back country.
“For us, it’s a godsend,” said Deputy Tim Hagel, a helicopter crew chief.
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