“My cottage is very remote and there is no cell phone coverage at all, I use my SPOT device to check in with my wife and give myself piece of mind. Since my cabin can only be accessed by snowmobile or skidoo, I always carry my SPOT with me.”This is what Marcel Berard had to say about his SPOT device and why he always carries it with him. Little did he know that the opportunity to use the SOS function would present itself so early in the year. Berard was on his way to obtain supplies for his cabin, when he encountered a family that had had a four-wheeling accident on one of the remote roads.
“This gentleman had a small child who had fallen from her four-wheeler. It looked like she was badly injured and in pain, she had to be only 6 or 7 years old. We’re so far removed from the main roads and there is no way to communicate, so I immediately pulled over and activated the SOS function on my SPOT.”
Emergency response arrived at the scene and escorted the family to the main road for ambulance access. It would turn out that the child had broken her femur. Without Marcel finding the family, he’s unsure of how they would have managed.
“I’m glad that I happened to have been going out that way on that day. I feel like I did a good deed and I’m glad that I had my SPOT device with me. Originally, I did not know this family, but I soon learned that we’re neighbors, I think it’s something that neither of us will ever forget, it was quite a way to start the New Year.”