Tramping author sets off PLB 'cause he was late...

[Wollemi]

LOL... I'll leave the whole story here, hoping that people new to this site and bushwalking, sorry - tramping - can read about what is acceptable.

An experienced New Zealand hiker activated a personal locator beacon because he was running late and wanted a ride to his car.

The 67-year-old was tramping in the headwaters of the Otoko River area, on the west coast of the country's south island, when he activated the beacon about 4.30pm Thursday.

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand sent the Solid Energy Rescue Helicopter from Greymouth which located the man, only to find he was uninjured.
Pilot Martin Shaw said the man had told the crew he had significantly underestimated the amount of time to get out of the area and was struggling with the challenging terrain. Shaw understood he was due out of the area either today or tomorrow.

He said the man was an experienced tramper, who had even written books on the subject.


Maritime New Zealand's general manager of rescue and response services Nigel Clifford said if the beacon activation was simply because the man was late, then it was entirely inappropriate, potentially dangerous, and a clear breach of the radio regulations that apply to emergency distress beacons.

"The incident tied up a helicopter for around two-and-a-half hours, at a cost of around $10,000 to taxpayers, and more importantly meant that aircraft was unavailable for any other genuine emergency that may have arisen," he said.

"Yesterday there were two other beacon activations - one by a tramper injured in the Olivine River area, near Glenorchy, and the other by a tramper who had fallen ill just north of Glentanner, near Lake Pukaki.

"Both these activations were by people who were debilitated and at risk - it was entirely appropriate that they activated their beacons."
Clifford said everyone going tramping should carry, and register, a beacon.

"While the decision to activate a beacon is one that only the person carrying it can make... it is not a decision that should be taken lightly. It is certainly not a taxi service."

Radio regulations permit the use of emergency distress beacons by general users but state they should only be used in an emergency.
Penalties for a misuse range from a formal warning to a prosecution with a maximum fine of $30,000.

Maritime New Zealand is considering what action to take over the Nelson tramper.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-new ... z2KHNUGtVu

[ryantmalone]

Wow.

Maybe they should start installing Taxi Meters in the rescue choppers for people like these?

[neilmny]

Book him Danno! Clearly not experienced in all aspects of tramping (ie. use of PLB's).
He should pay the costs (10K not the 30K fine) He's basically used the emergency sevices to get a lift
not save a life.

[stepbystep]

Hehe tell you what, on a recent very challenging walk there was 1 day when I was still at least 6 days from civilisation I was looking at my walking buddies( style) in a twisted hope one of them would break an ankle so I could get the hell out of there!

The mind is a funny animal!

[stu]

Hehe tell you what, on a recent very challenging walk there was 1 day when I was still at least 6 days from civilisation I was looking at my walking buddies( style) in a twisted hope one of them would break an ankle so I could get the hell out of there!

The mind is a funny animal!

I did tear the hell out of my ankle on morning of day 5 if you remember SBS...7.5 more days after this on a torn ankle was at times very challenging physically & mentally...but sorry, no chopper ride...just lots of gnashing of teeth

The sort of behaviour shown by this bloke is inexcusable & he should be instantly fined...I mean come on, it's not like he's inexperienced by the sounds of it...or is he truly an armchair adventurer?
There was a 'similar' case down here a couple of years ago where a party got to the base of the Ironbounds on the South Coast Track & one member decided it looked like a lot of sweaty wetty...gnawwww...
Why should the taxpayer have to fork out for these occasions? Pretty pathetic.

[wander]

It was really only a matter of time before such and event.

[stepbystep]

Hehe tell you what, on a recent very challenging walk there was 1 day when I was still at least 6 days from civilisation I was looking at my walking buddies( style) in a twisted hope one of them would break an ankle so I could get the hell out of there!

The mind is a funny animal!

I did tear the hell out of my ankle on morning of day 5 if you remember SBS...7.5 more days after this on a torn ankle was at times very challenging physically & mentally...but sorry, no chopper ride...just lots of gnashing of teeth

Did you notice me giving you the odd shove Stu Just kidding of course, I'm too stubbon' to hit the button!

We will hear more of this no doubt.

[maddog]

Why are people living in Australia getting indignant over the spending of taxation revenue in New Zealand? A more important consideration was whether or not the rescue service was diverted from more pressing need. If not, what harm was done?

Most amusing in my opinion.

[Strider]

[Un]believeable. I hope they fine the stupid prick.

[Turfa]

Why are people living in Australia getting indignant over the spending of taxation revenue in New Zealand? A more important consideration was whether or not the rescue service was diverted from more pressing need. If not, what harm was done?

Most amusing in my opinion.

Waste is waste...no matter where it is...why should they not comment on someone wasting time & money, putting other people at risk, wasting resources & causing unnecessary pollution no matter where in the world it is ....????????

[north-north-west]

Why are people living in Australia getting indignant over the spending of taxation revenue in New Zealand? A more important consideration was whether or not the rescue service was diverted from more pressing need. If not, what harm was done?

Most amusing in my opinion.

Yeah, I'm sure the chopper crew was giggling all the way back to their base.

[forest]

Why are people living in Australia getting indignant over the spending of taxation revenue in New Zealand? A more important consideration was whether or not the rescue service was diverted from more pressing need. If not, what harm was done?

Most amusing in my opinion.

Yeh it's heaps funny. Not.
What a stupid thing to say.

[Rob A]

Shrugsies . Hes a kiwi. Allowed to shampoo in the creeks *&^%$#! in the lakes trudge mud through the hut and leave the door open for the sandflies. Taxi costs? Whats the publicity worth.

[Strider]

Shrugsies . Hes a kiwi. Allowed to shampoo in the creeks *&^%$#! in the lakes trudge mud through the hut and leave the door open for the sandflies.

Not quite sure what all that is about? Bad personal experience?

[Rob A]

Nope, why suggest that?

[maddog]

Yeh it's heaps funny. Not.
What a stupid thing to say.

The gist of the story is that a silly old coot misused a PLB to hitch a ride, when he found the walk too arduous. Given the sheer gall of the man, I am amused. He was not injured but:

The 67-year-old...told the crew he had significantly underestimated the amount of time to get out of the area and was struggling with the challenging terrain.

So he may have just found he had bitten off more than he could chew, but many people do stupid things and then require assistance. Should they all be condemned, subjected to routine humiliation, and be made to pay for their stupidity in not choosing to stay in a nice safe place?

What a glum and sterile world you wish for - the world of the kill-joy, the accountant, and the debt collector.

And despite the tabloid sensationally of PLB misuse reports, and the banal chorus of righteous indignation, we strangely ignore the fact that the cost of rescue services is largely a fixed one.

Cheers

[Rob A]

"Story is he had not set his MY SKY for Shortland Street hey fare enough give him some slack..." Fushnhunt dot kiwi

Still the guys 67 and no one yet knows how stalked he was at the time and no ones saying.
You can get eight very p issed people Friday night ute surfing till the thing rolls requiring multiple Westpac evacs trauma head trauma long term rehab morgue and inquest time and no one bats an eyelid. One apparently dozy old coot goes almost viral in Aus .

I ike how the herald news services had to find it from stuff dot co dot kiwi (who reference fairfax kiwi) because none of them could find the article to plagirise at Maritime NZ press releases .

Out of interest you guys know where he was on the Otoko? I mean, theres a walkway too?

Screen shot 2013-02-08 at 11.39.33 PM.png (889.64 KiB) Viewed 8808 times

[madmacca]

Rob A,

"The Valley of Darkness"???

Is this a topo map, or something from a Hobbit fan site?

[Strider]

I ike how the herald news services had to find it from stuff dot co dot kiwi (who reference fairfax kiwi) because none of them could find the article to plagirise at Maritime NZ press releases

Stuff is the major news service for NZ

[Rob A]

Yea yea, hobbit country. Ten click grids.
Heres teh bit I dont get. They tasked the solid energy helicopter from Greymouth at 4:30? Good thing they didnt task a helicopter from Aukland it woudl have cost even more and involved customs and immigration. That last bits ... humour. Ohhhh. Maybe his car was still parked at Nelson.
By 7pm they decided island long jaunts to incident were just a wee bit too much and sent the Southern Lakes Helicopter, and spendthrift DOCs using Helicopter Line for the Mt Cook one.

[colinm]

This isn't new. There was a gang of (I suppose) Duke of Ed kids hiking somewhere north of Sydney a couple of years back, they set off the emergency beacon (indicating they were incapable of getting themselves out) and were then found 5km from the point they'd triggered it. There was no outcry then - 'cos they were kids? 'cos they were kids from a private school?

I first saw this story linked from the Blue Mountains Local Area Command Facebook page. Not the S&R guys, but the plain old plods (the same plods who decided to charge the Victorian spud-guy.)

I smell ideology brewing: selectively beat up some stories, rinse and repeat, get the public indoctrinated that these damn bushwalkers are a drain on society. Cue the "user pays!" chant, and the government, due to public pressure, deeply regretfully, will have to institute fee for service. With a bit of luck, Cabcharge can run the S&R service, 'cos they are terrific party donors.

Having said that ... this guy should be hit with the bill because he's an idiot.

[wobbly]

First thought - idiot.
Second thought - how many days should he have spent trying to walk out before setting off the PLB and how many people might have had to go searching for him in the meantime.
Not sure which thought is right

[maddog]

On the subject of bushwalking geriatrics requiring rescue, in a regular column within the Nimbin Good Times newspaper Catherine Baker and Michael Smith of the Nimbin Bushwalking Club recently wrote:

Just recently somebody...towards the end of the walk, sat down, legs gone to jelly, could not walk further. With one of us angels supporting either side, they managed to walk to the finish. Another time someone felt so unwell they lay on the ground, a gum leaf over each closed eye, seemingly to await death. We sat with them until the crisis was past. Occasionally we witness someone strain their ancient body and go near to collapse. I have watched older members slowing down over time, as they age, becoming more timid when rock-hopping, and dropping back as the hills become steeper.

Luckily, the Nimbin Bushwalker's are obviously a sympathetic bunch. One can only imagine the scorn that would be heaped on on of these senior citizens had they been foolish enough to walk alone, and used a PLB to for the purpose it was purchased and carried for - rescue.

Cheers

[Chuck]

I think there’s a few critical points here, which are relevant to the apparent ‘negligent misuse’ (for want of a better word) of the PLB in this case, assuming the reports are correct.
- The guys was an experienced hiker, having written books on the subject. You would assume he would have told someone where he was going and when he was due out... Maybe.
- He wasn’t actually overdue at the time he activated the beacon, saying he was expected to be out “today or tomorrow” (so a SAR was not likely to have been instigated at the time).
- He wasn’t lost and was apparently uninjured.
- He activated the beacon at 4.30pm. A PLB activated late in the day is likely to expose SAR resources to greater risk (Helicopters operating in low light / last-light conditions. Ground resources being required to walk in in during the hours of darkness, should a helicopter not be able to complete the job.)

Should he be fined etc? For me, it totally depends on the circumstances and the finer details of the incident, much of which we don’t know. If it turns out he was not in immediate danger (and did not think he was), I think he should be!!! The problem with a PLB is that the only message it sends out is that someone needs immediate help. It doesn’t say what is wrong with them. It doesn’t communicate whether the person in distress is going to last the night. Rescue crews have to make an assessment based on worst case scenario.

I first saw this story linked from the Blue Mountains Local Area Command Facebook page. Not the S&R guys, but the plain old plods (the same plods who decided to charge the Victorian spud-guy.)

I think you will find it was actually the S&R cops that fined the Naan and spuds guy, not the "plain old plods".

[Lindsay]

If you have reached the stage where you are losing your physical ability then you should not be walking alone. The elderly Nimbin bushwalkers obviously realise their limitations and walk with sympathetic companions whos assistance enables them to continue enjoying bushwalking in spite of advancing years. This is entrely different to activating a PLB beacuse you are running late. However to refer to the OP, if the man was an expreienced walker then there may be more to the story than the newspaper report suggests.

[colinm]

I first saw this story linked from the Blue Mountains Local Area Command Facebook page. Not the S&R guys, but the plain old plods (the same plods who decided to charge the Victorian spud-guy.)

I think you will find it was actually the S&R cops that fined the Naan and spuds guy, not the "plain old plods".

That's disturbing.

Bureacrtic Paperwork Alert: As I understand it, the volunteer bushwalking rescue guys (who have been doing it for the best part of 100 years without state supervision) were placed under the NSW Police Force because the Commonwealth signed an international treaty which was originally designed for search and rescue at sea, but extended to terrestrial S&R. This treaty entailed the nomination of some 'authority' to be responsible for terrestrial S&R in each locale. Commonwealth+NSW nominated NSW Police.

So now, having taken control, it seems they want to exert power.

I just read http://www.rockymountainrescue.org/3rd-Flatiron-1-16-13.php where this paragraph leapt out:

RMRG and the overwhelming majority of mountain rescue teams in the United States are comprised entirely of volunteers. Volunteer rescuers enjoy using their skills and experience to help others in need.

My feelings on this are really divided, but I don't like the idea that the police are first foisted on S&R as a side-effect, and then over time extend their influence to the point where they are beginning to dictate.

[Rob A]

You have to have something formal in place. Some guy in The Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority recieves an epirb alert from his national abroad and contacts ... who? I mean jesus.

Ok it will never happen.

Edit; Some guy in Agence Nationale des Frequences (ANFR) recieves an alert from his national in the southern ocean and he contacts ... whom? Im mean Jesus.

[Chuck]

That's disturbing.

Bureacrtic Paperwork Alert: As I understand it, the volunteer bushwalking rescue guys (who have been doing it for the best part of 100 years without state supervision) were placed under the NSW Police Force because the Commonwealth signed an international treaty which was originally designed for search and rescue at sea, but extended to terrestrial S&R. This treaty entailed the nomination of some 'authority' to be responsible for terrestrial S&R in each locale. Commonwealth+NSW nominated NSW Police.

So now, having taken control, it seems they want to exert power.

I just read http://www.rockymountainrescue.org/3rd-Flatiron-1-16-13.php where this paragraph leapt out:

RMRG and the overwhelming majority of mountain rescue teams in the United States are comprised entirely of volunteers. Volunteer rescuers enjoy using their skills and experience to help others in need.

My feelings on this are really divided, but I don't like the idea that the police are first foisted on S&R as a side-effect, and then over time extend their influence to the point where they are beginning to dictate.

Colin, I don't think that is entirely correct. The volunteer bushwalking rescue guys that I think youre referring to (Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad) have been providing a search and rescue service to NSW since the late 30's and continue to provide this service today. Police have always been responsible for the investigation of missing people. Over the years the whole process has been formalised through relevant legislation and policies. This is just a sign of the times. Volunteer organisations, including the likes of BWRS and SES continue to provide a support role to the police in S&R. Obviously, police also have a law enforcement role, but not a "dictating" role. The dictating is done by the legislators (you know, those wonderful people we elect to lead our State/Country!!!), who make the laws we have to live by. If the cops are going to take action against someone under a particular law, they have to be able to prove the offence. If the person chooses to contest it, it's then the job of the court to referee. In the case of the Naan guy, he was fined under NSW National Parks laws. To my knowledge it is very rare for the cops to take action for these types of offences. I think there has to be pretty extreme circumstances for it to happen, particularly when it involves bushwalkers. As for the S&R cops being the ones that investigate and, if appropriate take action in these types of cases.... I think it is fairly common sense. They are usually the ones running the search effort, and would therefore gain a thorough knowledge of the case. And you would think they are the "expert" section of the police in such cases.

[corvus]

He need the Maximum fine or even the total cost of the "rescue"
corvus

[colinm]

Thank you for a very thoughtful response.

Obviously, police also have a law enforcement role, but not a "dictating" role. The dictating is done by the legislators (you know, those wonderful people we elect to lead our State/Country!!!), who make the laws we have to live by. If the cops are going to take action against someone under a particular law, they have to be able to prove the offence.

If it were not for selective enforcement, you'd be right.

Since the regulation is impossibly broad (such that any person in any park could be charged) it's bad law, and it is dictatorial in nature: leaving it up to the executive to determine the nature of the offence, and then to determine when it might be applied.

The Naan+Spuds guy was charged under the national parks regulations - see the thread http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11960. In this case, the charge arose from a regulation, not directly from a statute.

The regulation in question was created after a spate of base-jumping incidents in National Parks - base jumping is in fact one of the activities specified in the regulations as examples. One of the defences against the charge is that the activity in question is compassed by the NP Plan of Management ... Bushwalking certainly is, in the case in question. I think the charges couldn't have resulted in a conviction.

If the person chooses to contest it, it's then the job of the court to referee. In the case of the Naan guy, he was fined under NSW National Parks laws.

In the event, the person charged was from Victoria (and hence highly unlikely to contest) so we will never know whether the charges were appropriate because they won't be heard in open court. The S&R guys publicised the charges, but not enough details to really know whether they were justified.

To my knowledge it is very rare for the cops to take action for these types of offences. I think there has to be pretty extreme circumstances for it to happen, particularly when it involves bushwalkers. As for the S&R cops being the ones that investigate and, if appropriate take action in these types of cases.... I think it is fairly common sense. They are usually the ones running the search effort, and would therefore gain a thorough knowledge of the case. And you would think they are the "expert" section of the police in such cases.

I also think it's pretty rare for that regulation to be acted upon - that is precisely what the S&R police said in their press release. I'm not sure whether we should feel grateful for that, or what we're intended to take from it.

As every bushwalker can be charged under the regulation, and it's entirely up to the discretion of the rescuers to charge a bushwalker, and those same people chose a particularly soft target, and used the media to publicise that, and this more recent event ... I do think it's dictatorial, and I think we're collectively being waltzed into a situation that I don't want to be in.