New technology could help find missing people in minutes | Western Colorado

A Durango-based helicopter company is testing a new tool that could help helicopter search and rescue teams detect and communicate with missing or distressed people in Colorado's backcountry in minutes, even if they are stuck in an area without cell phone service.

The technology, similar to a miniature cell phone tower, attaches to the outside of a helicopter and allows researchers to locate any cell phone within a 3-mile radius using a map on a tablet, said Dr. Tim Durkin, a search and rescue program. coordinator for Colorado Highland Helicopters.

“As we detect the phone, a spot appears on the map and as we hover over that area, that spot gets smaller and smaller until we can see exactly where they are,” Durkin said.

“This process of detecting, focusing on a specific location, takes about a minute, not really very long at all.”

Depending on the situation, search and rescue teams can then send ground crews with the person's location or land the helicopter if there is a clearing nearby and conditions allow for a safe landing , Durkin said.

During a test mission in La Plata Canyon, northwest of Durango, search teams found the two people they were looking for in two minutes and 14 seconds, Durkin said.

The technology, called Lifeseeker, was developed by Spanish company CENTUM Research & Technology and is in the process of being approved by the Federal Communications Commission before it can be sold to the state or counties hoping to use it for their SAR efforts , did he declare. said.

La Plata Canyon is bordered on either side by several 12,000 and 13,000 foot peaks with dense forest at the bottom. Several large-scale search and rescue missions have been carried out to search for missing hikers and ultra runners in this remote mountainous region.

The rugged terrain, similar to many areas of Colorado, makes it extremely difficult for searchers to spot people from the air or on the ground. Some past missions lasted for weeks before researchers canceled ground missions without finding the person they were looking for.

“Even two adults standing under the cover of trees, even if we can look on the screen and say, 'we know exactly where they are,' and we're orbiting 100 feet from the trees in a helicopter, you don't “Can’t see them because the tree cover is so dense,” said Durkin, an emergency room doctor.

“Trying to find a person without additional technology to see them is really quite difficult, if not almost impossible.”

Radio technology requires a clear view of the terrain without interference to pick up the cell phone signal. If conditions and terrain are favorable, it can detect a cell phone up to nearly 20 miles away.

It takes about three minutes to attach the Lifeseeker unit inside a helicopter when needed for a search and rescue mission, Durkin said.

SAR can also use the tool to send text messages to the missing person, such as advising them to stay in an area if they are injured or to move to a clearing for a helicopter to pick them up.

The tool also has a broadcast feature that allows the SAR to send a message to a group of people within a certain range, similar to an Amber Alert for a missing child, to warn them of a wildfire or of flooding, Durkin said.

ANOTHER RESCUE TOOL

The new technology could be another lifesaving tool for the roughly 2,500 search and rescue volunteers statewide who respond to calls from people in distress in the backcountry, said Jeff Sparhawk, executive director of the Colorado Search and Rescue Association, which represents the Colorado Search and Rescue Association. state teams that operate under the direction of county sheriffs.

Finding a person with dementia or a missing child without a cell phone, for example, may require a different approach than searching for a missing hiker last seen on the windy summit of a 14,000-foot peak.

Airborne rescuers use a variety of technologies to search for people, such as high-resolution video filtered by software that can identify colors not typically seen in nature, such as royal blue. SAR also has access to state aircraft that use infrared sensors to detect temperature differences on the ground.

Despite this, the success rate of search and rescue teams in their visual searches from helicopters is not very high, Sparhawk said.

“Searching in our valleys, in our mountains, it’s very, very difficult. It’s also difficult when people wear muted colors – finding someone wearing gray among 10 billion gray stones is really difficult,” he said.

Lifeseeker technology could make a huge difference for searchers searching for a person in an area out of cellphone range, but only if the person's phone has power, Sparhawk said.

“It’s a balancing act. From our perspective, cell phone batteries are a concern: if someone is going hiking, we've taught people to turn off their phone, put it in airplane mode, or conserve battery life as much as possible. This usually means disconnecting from the grid,” Sparhawk said.

“So if they conserve their cell phone battery and they don't hear a helicopter and they don't turn it back on, it's not going to make any difference to them. But obviously if they get lost, they have to turn on their cell phone and try to access coverage,” he said.

A task force designed to better support search and rescue operations statewide has cited improved field communications as a way to keep rescuers in the backcountry without passing any costs on to those who are calling for help.

The 111-page report released in 2022 recommended providing sheriffs and backcountry search and rescue teams with funding to purchase and improve communications technology, as well as studying the value of dedicated helicopters for the needs safety. been overwhelmed by a dramatic increase in calls in recent years.

“The success of our tourism industry is a blessing and a curse for us,” Sparhawk said. “We support the tourism economy as much as we can and don't want to hurt it at all, but I think the increase in population and increase in tourism is making us really busy.”

Most calls come in during the summer, while winter missions typically require more energy, forcing searchers into precarious, avalanche-prone terrain, he said.

Colorado Search and Rescue advises people to recreate in the backcountry as safely as possible, following the three Ts: plan the trip, train and pack the essentials.

“Most people go on an adventure without expecting to need help, of course, and so they'll enjoy their day. They should do it,” Sparhawk said. “It’s a hypothetical situation that not everyone thinks about.”