The day started as a skiing expedition through the mountains of Montana and ended with a helicopter rescue.On March 20, 2019, a group of teens and adults were on the Glacier/Pondera County line when a teenager in the group was hurt. After an unsuccessful attempt to alert rescue crews, Brandon Van Arsdale, an adult travelling with the teens, activated the SPOT X’s SOS button.
Before this emergency Brandon had only used the device to message back and forth with his wife when he went on expeditions.
“I received a text asking what was the emergency, and I was able to text back to help coordinate the rescue,” said Van Arsdale.
That push of the button is what allowed the helicopter to accurately locate and bring the injured teen to safety.
“The messaging feature of the SPOT X is invaluable.”
It was also the communication with family members who were safe at home that really got Brandon’s attention. His wife was “blown away” by the customer service. She was immediately contacted and told that it was not her husband who was injured, but someone in his party.
As Van Arsdale reflects on that March day, he says he wished he would have communicated more with emergency crews through the messaging feature of the SPOT X. He says that was an invaluable tool during an emergency and if he had realized how easy the feature worked he would have used it earlier and more frequently.
Thanks to the SPOT X, the injured teen was able to get to the hospital and get the help needed.