Distress Beacon registrations increase dramatically

The number of registered distress beacons in New Zealand increased sharply to 59,812 in December 2015, up 20% on the previous year.

“More beacons means more lives saved, and fewer serious injuries,” the Manager of the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ), Mike Hill said.

“If you can’t make contact when you are in trouble, then no one will know you need to be rescued, and carrying the right communications equipment is at the core of being well prepared for an emergency – whether at sea, on land or in the air.

Next year the number of SAR satellites will increase from five to 18, and there will be more than 50 SAR satellites in five years’ time.

A key part of the system is registering your distress beacon and keeping your details up to date. This is free and simple, and can be done at www.beacons.org.nz. Registering a beacon makes a response faster and more effective.

The key points to remember when you obtain a distress beacon are:
•    register your beacon free with RCCNZ
•    keep contact details up to date
•    understand how to use the beacon before you leave home
•    check the battery expiry date
•    a distress beacon with inbuilt GPS will provide a more accurate position, faster to RCCNZ
•    do not buy a distress beacon from overseas (unless it is New Zealand-coded) as it may result in delays to the rescue.

Read the full story in the March 2016 issue of New Zealand's leading fishing publication NZ Fishing News magazine.