Bright clothing helps rescuers
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| Thursday, 19th January 2012 | Written by Alistair Hall |
Are you the kind of tramper who likes to brighten up the bush with all-the-colours-of-the-rainbow garb or do you prefer to wear traditional khaki and other safe, don’t-look-at-me colours?
If LandSAR New Zealand had their way, we’d all be exploring the outdoors in red and orange – the most easily visible colours in the bush and mountains. According to LandSAR chairman Phillip Melchior, what you wear could make the difference between a swift rescue should you come a cropper and a prolonged and slow death waiting for help that keeps on passing you by.
Melchior says bright-coloured clothing and packs make a big difference: “Many searches, at least in the first phase, will use helicopters,” he explains. “If you’re injured but can get something bright where it can be seen from the air, that’s a massive help.”
Melchior cites the recent examples of Otago hunter Matthew Laing, who died in a fall in Mt Aspiring National Park, and Wellington tramper Michael Taylor who died while climbing Mt Twilight, also in Mt Aspiring National Park. Laing was wearing head-to-toe camouflage clothing when he fell and was extremely difficult to spot. Searchers initially missed his body when they over flew the area and it wasn’t until a second sweep late in the afternoon that they found his body.
“If he had been wearing orange camo or something brighter we would have found him earlier,” Melchior says.
Taylor was wearing khaki shorts and a blue top which made him blend in to his surroundings.
“What they were wearing didn’t make any difference to the outcome,” says Melchior. “Nonetheless, it would have been much, much easier if they had been wearing something in brighter colours. And of course it may have been a situation where they may not have been killed instantly; they may have been injured and unconscious, or conscious and unable to wave their arms.”
Melchior says the best colour to wear is one “you don’t find in the New Zealand bush”. Red and orange will stand out the most, while khaki and blues, particularly light blue, tend to blend into rock and shadow.
If you can’t bring yourself to wear such bright colours, Melchior suggests buying a pack that will stand out. “When you’re buying a pack think about a nice red one rather than a grey one or something like that,” he says.
With more and more searches being conducted at night-time, Melchior also advises buying packs or clothing with reflective strips. These can easily be seen by rescuers using night vision goggles. It’s also important to take a light source. According to Melchior the beam of a headtorch can be seen from several kilometres away by a chopper crew wearing night vision goggles.
“They don’t work on body heat,’ Melchior says of the goggles. “It needs to be a light source but it could be as small as the light on your wristwatch or mobile phone. We had one operation a few years ago with a woman who realised she was being searched for and used the flash on her camera [to alert the rescuers] and it stood out like the proverbial dog’s balls.”
Raise your chances of being rescued quickly
If LandSAR New Zealand had their way, we’d all be exploring the outdoors in red and orange – the most easily visible colours in the bush and mountains. According to LandSAR chairman Phillip Melchior, what you wear could make the difference between a swift rescue should you come a cropper and a prolonged and slow death waiting for help that keeps on passing you by.
Melchior says bright-coloured clothing and packs make a big difference: “Many searches, at least in the first phase, will use helicopters,” he explains. “If you’re injured but can get something bright where it can be seen from the air, that’s a massive help.”
Melchior cites the recent examples of Otago hunter Matthew Laing, who died in a fall in Mt Aspiring National Park, and Wellington tramper Michael Taylor who died while climbing Mt Twilight, also in Mt Aspiring National Park. Laing was wearing head-to-toe camouflage clothing when he fell and was extremely difficult to spot. Searchers initially missed his body when they over flew the area and it wasn’t until a second sweep late in the afternoon that they found his body.
“If he had been wearing orange camo or something brighter we would have found him earlier,” Melchior says.
Taylor was wearing khaki shorts and a blue top which made him blend in to his surroundings.
“What they were wearing didn’t make any difference to the outcome,” says Melchior. “Nonetheless, it would have been much, much easier if they had been wearing something in brighter colours. And of course it may have been a situation where they may not have been killed instantly; they may have been injured and unconscious, or conscious and unable to wave their arms.”
Melchior says the best colour to wear is one “you don’t find in the New Zealand bush”. Red and orange will stand out the most, while khaki and blues, particularly light blue, tend to blend into rock and shadow.
If you can’t bring yourself to wear such bright colours, Melchior suggests buying a pack that will stand out. “When you’re buying a pack think about a nice red one rather than a grey one or something like that,” he says.
With more and more searches being conducted at night-time, Melchior also advises buying packs or clothing with reflective strips. These can easily be seen by rescuers using night vision goggles. It’s also important to take a light source. According to Melchior the beam of a headtorch can be seen from several kilometres away by a chopper crew wearing night vision goggles.
“They don’t work on body heat,’ Melchior says of the goggles. “It needs to be a light source but it could be as small as the light on your wristwatch or mobile phone. We had one operation a few years ago with a woman who realised she was being searched for and used the flash on her camera [to alert the rescuers] and it stood out like the proverbial dog’s balls.”
Raise your chances of being rescued quickly
- Wear bright clothing
- Choose a bright colour for items like your tent and pack
- Apply reflective strips to your gear
- Take a torch or light source – even a lit match or the light from a mobile phone will be highly visible to rescuers wearing night vision goggles
- If you hear a helicopter flying back and forth you can assume it is looking for you – try and alert the crew to your location.
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