Four Canadian women are crediting Apple’s Emergency SOS feature for helping to save their lives.
Last week, the group of hikers hopped onto a glacier in B.C.’s West Kootenay amid wildfires in the region. Unfortunately, the significant smoke from the wildfires made it difficult for search and rescue teams to survey the area, resulting in the women being stranded in the ice field northeast of Kaslo.
However, the stranded women were able to send a text message via satellite through Apple Emergency SOS, which automatically called their local emergency number and shared their location information with emergency services.
Mark Jennings-Bates, the Kaslo Search and Rescue manager, told CBC News that his team received the cellphone ping and were able to locate and airlift the women to safety. “In this instance, their cellphone literally saved their lives,” he said.
Of course, Apple Emergency SOS is only one of several precautions that experts like Jennings-Bates say people should take. Other suggestions include packing a bag with essential items and signing up for emergency alerts (which would notify you of wildfires).
Meanwhile, more information on Apple Emergency SOS can be found here.
Source: CBC News
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