JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - An anonymous Wyoming resident has given more than $100,000 to Teton County Search and Rescue to help purchase a system to help find people lost or injured in remote areas with no cellphone service.
The device, Lifeseeker, attaches to a helicopter or plane and allows rescuers to locate people where there is no cell signal as long as their cellphone is turned on, the Jackson Hole News and Guide reported last week.
The device allows rescuers to locate any type of cellphone if the phone is turned on in a non-coverage or low-coverage area. It won’t work if a cellphone is on “airplane mode.” The phone has to be on and attempting to reach a cell tower.
Lifeseeker, which was developed by Spain-based Centum Research and Technology, has never been used in the United States, according to former Search and Rescue adviser Tim Ciocarlan.
Search and Rescue Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart and Ciocarlan learned about the technology about three years ago while in Bulgaria at an International Commission for Alpine Rescue convention.
There have been a series of tests with the equipment over the last few years.
The anonymous donor was involved with the testing from the beginning, Ciocarlan said.
Search and Rescue personnel hope the technology will shave hours or even days off rescues, in turn saving lives and money.
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Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, http://www.jhnewsandguide.com
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