Old Beacons Create Havock

Rescue agencies are urging people dumping their old emergency beacons to remove the batteries first, after two active beacons left at rubbish tips in Wellington and Queenstown sparked costly helicopter searches over the weekend.

As of February 1, old emergency locator beacons operating on the 121.5 and 243 Megahertz (MHz) frequencies ceased being detected by satellite – however, they can still be picked up by aircraft, which use the frequencies for emergency communication.  Satellites now only detect the more modern 406MHz type of beacon.

Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) Search and Rescue Officer John Ashby said two helicopter searches had been launched at the weekend, after aircraft reported hearing active 121.5MHz emergency beacon signals – which were later traced to rubbish dumps.

“In the first incident, reports were received from aircraft around the Wellington area hearing a 121.5MHz beacon.  The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was sent to locate the source of the signal, which was eventually traced to the Wainuiomata landfill, where the beacon was found under a pile of rubbish.  In the second incident, a signal from another old 121.5MHz distress beacon was heard and eventually traced to the Queenstown refuse centre and disabled.”

Mr Ashby said combined, the incidents had taken up more than 30 hours of coordination and search time, and cost thousands of dollars in helicopter flight time.

“Both incidents serve as a reminder that old beacons must be deactivated before being dumped. This means disconnecting the battery prior to disposal or taking the beacon to an approved place to be disposed of, such as a local police station, the Rescue Coordination Centre, or a beacon retailer,” Mr Ashby said. “As these two incidents highlight, if the beacon is not properly disposed of, this can lead to a costly and time-consuming search, tying up resources that maybe needed to respond to a genuine emergency.”

More information on beacon disposal is available by visiting www.beacons.org.nz or by contacting the Rescue Coordination Centre on freephone 0800 406 111 or 0508 406 111.

For further information contact:
RCCNZ Media Line
Phone 04 499 7318

Source Maritime NZ