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Man Saved By Innovative Rescue Device

At 03:00am this morning, 12th May 2008, a multi-national, inter-agency rescue operation was sparked by a Danish man in a Scottish glen using SPOT, the World’s first emergency satellite messenger system. 

This is the first documented rescue initiated by SPOT in Europe after its release just two months ago. Niels Vinter, 60, was rescued after he sent a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) to a SPOT emergency call centre from his location in Glen Etive, 15 miles south of Fort William in Scotland. Vinter, who currently lives in Sunderland, had pressed the emergency button when he became incapacitated with acute abdominal pain whilst attempting a coast-to-coast trek across Scotland.

It is to be understood that without the device the man would have been stuck in great pain for a lot longer before it was known he was missing and may have perished.

The emergency message was passed from the GEOS Emergency Response Centre in the USA to Fort William Police Station who immediately contacted the RAF Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre at Kinloss, Moray. The RAF team, who coordinate the UK’s search and rescue helicopters, scrambled a Royal Navy Sea King from Prestwick, Ayrshire to rescue the Danish tourist. The man was taken to hospital at Fort William where he is currently receiving treatment.

SPOT is the first device of its kind, using the GPS satellite network to acquire coordinates and a commercial satellite network to send out locations. Greg Tees, a representative from SPOT Europe, said: “It is heart-warming to know that SPOT played a major part in saving this man’s life. It is a perfect example of why a device like SPOT, which uses satellite technology to communicate your exact location, is required. Anyone who likes to enjoy the great outdoors knows how unreliable mobile phone signals can be in remote areas.”

Rescue coordinator, Flight Sergeant Tim Dickinson, said, "This was a perfect example of excellent cooperation between the Police at Fort William and the military search and rescue services. We have rescued a Danish tourist in the Scottish mountains following an emergency call from the USA, using a Royal Navy helicopter and coordinated by the Royal Air Force."

SPOT has been in distribution in Europe since March 2008, following a successful introduction in the USA where it has saved many lives already. The device, priced at £149.95, offers a vital line of communication with friends and family when you want it and emergency assistance when and where you need it. Users can check in with loved ones, allow others to track their progress or call for help.

The device has already received global recognition and has been awarded the 2008 Innovations Design and Engineering Award from the Consumer Electronics Association.

To find out more about SPOT and how it works, please visit: www.findmespot.com.