Apple SOS feature a “game changer” but comes with risks: SAR

Apple SOS feature a “game changer” but comes with risks: search and rescue

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Weather can change in an instant. This is why the new Emergency SOS feature available on iPhone 14s can mean the difference between life and death when people head up the mountains this winter.

Recently, Apple unveiled a brand-new safety feature that can connect users with emergency services without cellular or WiFi coverage.

With stunning forests, majestic mountains, and world-class views, BC has led many adventurers into the backcountry to explore. However, the changing conditions and treacherous terrain can lead to many rescues.

Since the new Apple feature was announced, Dwight Yochim, the senior manager of BC Search and Rescue Association, said the organization has been reviewing it for its pros and cons.

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A major worry is a possible breakdown in communication.

When folks activate the feature on iPhone 14s, Yochim said, “The dispatch centre is a mystery to everyone.”

“We’re not allowed to know who the dispatch centre is. So the dispatch centre calls a centre in northern Ontario called Northern 911, they call the E-Comm here in BC, and then E-Comm activates the local police, and then the local police activate search and rescue,” he explained.

“So along that whole chain is someone who’s writing down numbers and passing it on. So if you imagine if you write down coordinates four or five times, something’s gonna go wrong.”

Emergency SOS/Apple

Before Apple’s Emergency SOS feature, people used Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) to call for help via satellite.

Yochim explained that with a PLB, search and rescue teams speak directly to the dispatch centre to receive updated information.

“Every time the satellite crosses over the sky, they get a new location, and we can kind of track things [to] make sure that the numbers are accurate for the GPS locations.”

The other concern is if folks accidentally activate the safety feature. Yochim said, in the past, when new technology has been released to help locate people, there have been instances where locals have set off the activation out of curiosity.

“People were like, ‘Wonder what happens when I push the button?’ And it activates,” Yochim explained.

Considering this feature is hosted on phones, Yochim expressed fears that people’s batteries may be low when they need the device to call for help.

“We really hope people conserve their batteries on their phones because a lot of phones will only last a day if you’re lucky,” he advised.

Yochim admits the emergency feature is helpful but encourages people to save their phone’s battery life in case they need it.

Despite concerns, Yochim still calls Emergency SOS feature a “game changer”

Anytime someone can access 911 in an emergency, “is an absolute benefit, by far,” Yochim said.

“I understand it’s going to be free for a little while and then you may actually have to pay for the service… but it allows everyone who has an iPhone to have a personal locator beacon in their hand. And that’s a huge benefit.”

Yochim said half the job for crews is finding the person, so since this feature can tell volunteers exactly where to go, it cuts down a multi-hour search.

While questions remain he says that, overall, the more tools we have the better, adding this feature is a “game changer” as it even gives crews access to contact people out of cell range.

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Yochim is urging people to be prepared for winter conditions, explaining that while it may be sunny when standing in one area, 30 minutes away it could be covered in snow.

“Are you ready for that? Are you ready for those winter conditions? It’s all about being ready to do what you’re going to do to stay out of trouble first and foremost,” he said. “Having [the Emergency SOS] option on your phone to activate help is there, [but] then you need to be able to survive maybe 12 hours because it sometimes takes us that long if we can’t fly in, if the weather’s bad, we don’t know exactly where you are. It takes us a little time to get [there]. So you need to be able to provide yourself with some ability to survive on your own ’til we get here.”

The satellite connection on the iPhone 14 lineup also works with other safety features available on iPhones and Apple Watches, including Crash Detection and Fall Detection.

There is now a demo that users can try.

Emergency SOS is currently available on iPhone 14s in Canada and the US and is set to expand to parts of Europe next month.

With files from Amanda Wawryk