SPOT LLC, a provider of satellite messaging technology and a subsidiary of Globalstar (News - Alert), has said that a Mount Hood Boy Scout Leader, an Arkansas photographer and a Norwegian back country skier are just three of more than 2,000 outdoor adventurers who were brought to safety by dedicated Search and Rescue Teams aided by SPOT devices.

The SPOT devices helped detect these individuals upon encountering life threatening situations. Gordon Vaughan, for instance, used SPOT to send for help when his hiking buddy collapsed from heat exhaustion in the Grand Canyon. He said, “There is no doubt in my mind that SPOT saved my friend's life.”

Noting that SPOT devices take the search out of search and rescue, Russell Gubele, president and command officer of Mountain Wave Search and Rescue near Mount Hood, Oregon, said that SPOT sends location coordinates which allows them to conduct their rescue efforts extremely efficiently.

“As a result, more people are rescued from often life-threatening situations - saving lives, time and money."

During life-threatening emergencies, users of SPOT devices can send SOS (News - Alert) messages with their GPS location to the International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC). Once the SOS message is received, IERCC quickly verifies the incident and notifies the appropriate local authorities, according to company officials.

The SPOT family of products includes the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger and SPOT Connect. With these products, users can send custom messages by email or sms text, as well set their messages to update popularly used social media sites such as Facebook (News - Alert) and Twitter.

This year in June, the United States Forest Service purchased 6,000 SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger devices – commonly referred to as SEND units – for the purpose of employee safety from In the Zone Communications. In addition to the devices, the U.S. Forest Service purchased a year of service provided by the Globalstar satellite network.

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