Save Our Selves: A guide to getting help in remote areas

By Phil Gaden

This ebook shows you how to get help if you’re stranded or injured when travelling. It explains how the search and rescue system in Australia works, and also examines the common distress alerting tools that are available. Perfect for those thinking of heading off on the adventure of a lifetime into the Australian Outback.

It is based on the authors many years experience coordiating search and rescue in Australia.

This book provides practical advice on:
* How to prepare for your trip
* How to raise the alarm if you need assistance
* What alerting tools are out there and how they work

This means that you can head off on your trip confident that if something goes wrong, YOU WILL BE RESCUED!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Phil Gaden
• Release date: Feb 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301477562

Phil Gaden

My name is Phil Gaden, and I have a passion for camping and travelling in remote areas. I also have over eight years experience as a Search and Rescue Coordinator. I have seen all too often the perils people face when they are not prepared for the journeys they undertake.My family and I are ourselves preparing for a 12 month trip around the country. This is an immensely exciting time, however with a young family we are also cognisant of the responsibilities we have to ensure our children have a safe and enjoyable journey too. Having seen all to often what can go wrong, even to those with the best equipment and preparation, I starting thinking about what practical measures we could take to ensure our trip has a robust safety net watching over us.And this led to the development of my e-book.I am not into survival Bear Grylls style. I wanted to find simple and (relatively) inexpensive techniques that we could follow to ensure my family is kept safe in the great outdoors.Accidents happen. Vehicles break down. You cannot always predict what will happen. The difference between having a plan and some basic equipment can literally be the difference between life and death in Australia’s remote interior. I don’t want to see another single person die due to them not taking a couple of simple precautions.Safe travelling.Phil

Book preview

Save Our Selves - A guide for getting help in remote areas

By

Philip Gaden

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Philip Gaden

www.campingcommunication.com

Smashwords Edition Licence Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

Table of Contents

Part I: How to survive travelling around Australia

Emergency Contact Sheet

1. Trip Planning / Preparation – the stuff you do before you leave home

2. What constitutes and emergency… i.e. when do you call for help

3. How to call for help in an emergency in Australia:

Phone

PLB / Beacon

Other satellite messenger (e.g. SPOT / inReach)

Satellite Telephone

HF Radio

UHF Radio

Visual Means (Flares / Signal Fires etc.)

If you cannot raise an alarm

4. What to expect once you have activated your beacon

5. What to do if you accidently activate your beacon / False alarms

6. What to expect if alerting using other means

7. What to do until help arrives

Part II –Communication Equipment

Distress Beacons and Satellite Messengers

Satellite Telephones

Other Means of Communication

Annex A: Important Telephone Numbers:

Roadside Assistance – in event of breakdown

24 hour Police Stations- Australia

Annex B: Royal Flying Doctor HF Radio Frequencies

* * * * *

Part I: How to survive travelling around Australia

* * * * *

Australia is a magnificent country. For some of us, the dream is to pack the camper or caravan and head off for a lap around. For others it might be a 4WD dash across the Simpson Desert or to hike the Larapinta Trail in NT. It may just be a short weekend away at a nearby National Park, we truly are spoilt for options.

Many of the roads or paths we travel are lonely empty places. This is of course part of the appeal or lure as to why we do these trips. The only problem is that if something goes wrong, it can be very difficult to get help.

For many years whilst working in Search and Rescue Coordination, I have been noting that the people who invariably are rescued are the ones who have taken the time to be well prepared and know what to do if things go wrong.

The purpose of this book is to give some practical advice to anyone who heads away from the crowds. And don’t think you need to travel far to be remote. We have been