Signaling a new era in safety

A camper lost in the Adirondack Mountains earlier this month may have signaled a new era in wilderness safety when he activated his personal locator beacon.

With the help of the device, he was rescued within hours. It marked the first rescue in the United States involving a PLB, as they are called, since the devices became available in July.

After the PLB was activated, the signal was picked up at the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. The camper, Carl Skalak, 55, of Cleveland, realized he was in danger when he couldn’t find his camp and had few supplies to sustain him through a freezing night.

Until July, PLBs had been available only in Alaska, where they were being tested for their usefulness in search and rescue operations. The beacons send distress signals that are picked up by satellites, which track the signal’s location and identify the owner.

-- J. Michael Kennedy