The Sunshine Coast-based RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter team ended up literally down in the dumps last Wednesday morning, after being tasked on a search and rescue mission.
They received the call from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) just after 9.30am on Wednesday 16 February, that a distress signal had been sent from somewhere in the Caboolture region.
Using an onboard direction finder, the rescue chopper crew managed to detect the signal, then track it to the Caboolture Waste Management Facility.
Aircrew Officer Scott Reeman drew the short straw, climbing through piles of rubbish before locating an out of date Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB).
“This beacon’s battery expired in 2007,“ said Mr Reeman.
“It is typical of what you would have found in a recreational boat up to about 10 years ago.
“They were not registered to an owner, so authorities are not able to contact the owner when activated.“
It’s believed someone probably disposed of the EPIRB in their rubbish bin, which then made its way to the tip.
“Lithium batteries can last a lot longer than their expiry date, so either the switch was turned on while the old device was amongst the rubbish, or water leaked through the seals to activate the device.“
This kind of mistake is not uncommon, and the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue team and AMSA are reminding people to dispose of their EPIRBs properly.
“A critical lifesaving asset was unnecessarily tasked, which could have been avoided by taking the appropriate actions to dispose of old beacons,“ said Mr Reeman.
Modern EPIRBs use GPS technology and have a digital frequency; they’re also registered to an owner, which makes it easier for AMSA and rescue crews to determine if a distress signal is legitimate.
To learn more about how to dispose of EPIRBS and personal beacons safely, go to amsa.gov.au
