Rescue Profile: Ed and Elias Stratton
Case #: 17111
On August 12, 2016, father and son, Ed and Elias Stratton, were making a normal trip to the local lodge to get some groceries that were being delivered to the area with a friend. Traveling down the Skwentna River was a trip they had made countless times in their airboat. This particular day, they decided to visit with friends at the lodge after picking up their supplies before heading home.
Elias Stratton, a college student and avid outdoorsman, recalls it being a pretty foggy and a rather chilly evening.
Rescue Profile: Deb Fuller
Case #: 16786
Conquering the mountainous North American Pacific Crest Trail is no walk in the park, but that never stopped Deb Fuller, a 63-year-old great-grandmother of six, and her husband Rick from taking on the trek.
The seasoned outdoor enthusiasts were determined to scratch the 2,650 mile trail off their bucket list. Luckily, with experience comes safety-consciousness, so the couple brought their SPOT GEN3® Satellite Messenger along for their adventure.
Team “Nova Scotia” captain Adam Cruikshank and his riding partner had just completed the first 5 routes
of the Fundy Adventure Rally, a 400+ km motorcycle adventure riding event, when late in the day, along a
remote section of the course, the team experienced a flat tire.
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Two years ago Laura Jones bought her first motorcycle, a Suzuki GS500, on Mother's Day. She says "on a whim" last May she decided to venture out on her first month-long solo motorcycle adventure starting with a 4-day journey that would take her from Calgary, Alberta to meet friends in Buena Vista, Colorado. For safety, and given that most of the trip was along routes that were remote where she wouldn't have access to cell phone networks, her Dad loaned her a SPOT GPS Satellite Messenger which he used frequently on their sailing & flying trips. Laura says that SPOT would also help "to keep my mom's blood pressure down from worry". In Laura's words, her mom wasn't exactly "stoked" about the solo trip, but with SPOT at least she'd have peace of mind knowing that Laura would be able to stay in touch, sending regular check-in/OK messages.
Rescue Profile: Han
Case #: 15918
While on a seven day hiking trip in Tasmania, Australia, Han Strating and his girlfriend were near New Pelion when they came across another hiker experiencing heart problems. Realizing the man was in need of serious medical attention; Han quickly pulled out his SPOT GEN3® and pressed the S.O.S. button. Luckily, there was a nurse with the individual who was already providing first aid to keep him stable while they waited for help.
Since the SPOT GEN3 belonged to Han, GEOS, reached out to his mother who happened to be his primary point of contact. Han’s mother, who happened to be on the other side of the world and with no prior knowledge of his whereabouts, became very wary upon receiving the call from GEOS. Han says that his mom was “stressed for a few hours, but ultimately was happy and proud of what I did…” Within 2 ½ hours from when Han pressed the S.O.S button on his SPOT device to aid the fellow hiker, the Westpac Rescue helicopter arrived at their location to take the patient and his wife to Hobart Hospital. As soon as the helicopter took off, Han began notifying his friends and emergency contacts that he was indeed okay and not in danger.
