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Family safety plan

6185593
over 2 years ago

I have a new Garmin Inreach mini 2. I recently returned home from a trip and my wife commented we didn’t have a plan in case you went missing for a certain amount of time. Does anyone have a copy of a safety plan that they share with their family and friends e.g. codewords and if there is no contact over certain period of time what should they do  and when they should reply etc.. any advice would be much appreciated.

  • 0 over 2 years ago

    Much as I hate to say this, the ONLY plan for "you are missing" is to dispatch SAR. 

    There are three major inReach features which you should use: tracking, messaging, and SOS. Tracking gives the folks at home an idea of your location. (Also gives SAR a starting place if you are unable to send an SOS.) Messaging allows you to update others on your status. SOS allows you to summon emergency assistance.

    Loss of tracking data or missing an expected status message is a reason for the folks at home to contact emergency services on your behalf. Anything less than that is literally risking your life. Yes, there are a lot of innocent reasons for failures - oops, I forgot; my battery died; and on and on. But you might also be disabled and unable to communicate. Caution dictates that the folks at home assume the worst.

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to twolpert

    I would add that your family should learn to use the inReach “Locate” function on MapShare. Then, if they do need to contact the local Search and Rescue (SAR) organization, a ‘last known position’ could be provided. The Garmin IERCC can (and should) do the same thing, but there will be a delay as they must first obtain authorization from the SAR unit involved.

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to 1874793

    Locate can take a very long time to register your location on the map. And if the device is off, or has a poor sky view, it will literally never complete. This is why you should be tracking whenever you are in the back country. The most recent track point is the best you have as a SAR starting point.

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to twolpert

    Sorry to learn about the time lag involving use of “Locate”, still hope it might (eventually) prove useful for SAR purposes. And emphatically yes, notification of ‘overdue/missing’ status to first responders should never be delayed.

  • 0 over 2 years ago

    I have an outline from a document I got online that I could not re-locate, but here is an outline of a document I fill out to give to my inreach contacts of information collated that they could share with SAR as well. 

    Trip Plan, Tracking, and Communications Document
    Description of participants (name, gender, age, allergies)
    General itinerary
    Links to Maps of Route
    Ranger Station Emergency Numbers
    Emergency Contacts of participants
    Notable Gear carried
    Meaning of Inreach Messages - What to do with them
    What to do if inreach doesn't move >24 hours/no reply