Stuck on a glacier, surrounded by wildfires, four hikers were saved by an iPhone
Apple's Emergency SOS via Satellite feature, available on the iPhone 14 series and later, has added to its tally of saving lives. The latest heroic deed was reported on by CBC and it involved the shuttling last week of four women off of a glacier by helicopter. The glacier was located in British Columbia's West Kootenay area where the four hikers were stranded by a wildfire.
The hikers were camping on the glacier when they encountered thick smoke from the wildfires which blocked their visibility. In addition, embers were falling from the sky landing on the hikers' tent. Despite these conditions, Apple's Emergency SOS via Satellite still worked allowing the rescue team to find the location of the hikers. The hikers got the rescue underway by using the satellite-based emergency service to send text messages to emergency services.
The hikers found themselves in a very difficult situation. Mark Jennings-Bates, manager of the Kaslo Search and Rescue team, gave Apple's Emergency SOS via Satellite feature high praise noting that the iPhone saved the hikers' lives.
We were very fortunate to get a helicopter in there, we nearly had to abandon the rescue attempt. It's like a war zone.We were just able to sneak over a ridge [with the helicopter] and found them exactly where the cellphone ping said they were, which is really unusual and very satisfying. In this instance, their cellphone literally saved their lives."-Mark Jennings-Bates, manager, Kaslo Search and Rescue team
Jennings-Bates made this comment even though the CBC News report said it turned out that the hikers were well prepared and were able to get themselves to an area where they would not have been threatened for a few days. The safe spot was located at the toe of the glacier, surrounded by rocks and next to an alpine lake.
Right now, Emergency SOS via Satellite allows users of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 lines to send short text messages to emergency services through a satellite. This comes in handy when an iPhone user finds himself in an emergency situation and needs help but there is no cellular service or Wi-Fi connectivity in the area. If an iPhone user finds himself in such a situation, the phone itself will help the user find and connect to the proper satellite to get the text message out. In iOS 18 users will be able to send longer text messages and even video using satellites.
In May 2023, the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature saved the lives of 10 unprepared hikers who found themselves stuck in the aptly named "Last Chance" canyon.
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