Beware Disposing of Emergency Beacons
ROME, March 6, 2009 – Boat and plane owners upgrading their emergency beacons to newer technology may be tempted to toss their old ones in the nearest dumpster. But emergency beacons, also known as ELTs in aircraft and EPIRBs in watercraft, were not meant to be discarded like common trash -- because an emergency locator, if not disposed of with care, could accidentally broadcast a distress signal, noted Civil Air Patrol Maj. Dave Swift, commander of Mohawk-Griffiss Senior Squadron at Griffiss International Airport.
Civil Air Patrol (CAP), in partnership with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, has kicked off a “Don’t Trash the Beacon” campaign to inform boaters and airplane owners about proper disposal of obsolete emergency beacons, Swift said. CAP squadrons across the nation are supporting this initiative by displaying posters about proper disposal in their communities.
When discarding the older 121.5/243 MHz analog frequency emergency locator beacons in favor of the stronger, more reliable 406 MHz frequency digital emergency beacons, "it is important to first remove or disconnect the battery from the device so it cannot be accidentally activated," Swift explained. Then, contact a local electronics waste facility for proper disposal.
"Since it is impossible to determine which signals are false alarms, the Civil Air Patrol or other emergency responders must track down all signals and silence them, tying up valuable resources needed for actual emergencies," he said.
Switching to the new beacon is important, because the international search and rescue satellite system COSPAS-SARSAT now only processes signals from the 406 MHz emergency locator transmitters. Though the older signals can still be heard by ground-based detection equipment and aircraft in flight, it requires more time and labor to find them without the aid of the satellite. With a little care, aviators and boaters can ensure false alarms are kept to a minimum, Swift said, noting that CAP members would still monitor the old frequencies "to ensure no emergency falls through the cracks."
CAP is the search-and-rescue, cadet-mentoring and aerospace education auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. CAP performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search-and-rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. It was credited by the Air Force with saving 91 lives in fiscal year 2008.
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For Media Inquiries:
1st Lt. Bob Stronach, CAP
Public Affairs Officer
Central New York Group, Civil Air Patrol
(315) 796-9468