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Farmers in remote areas receive personal locator beacons for emergencies

Jan 6th 2022

Farmers in remote areas receive personal locator beacons for emergencies

The Red Cross donated 200 personal locator beacons to farmers in remote areas last year.

When there is an emergency, the beacons alert Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), who get in touch with the emergency contacts listed for your device.

Red Cross resilience project officer Suzi Zivec said the small devices will help save lives in remote areas, where telecommunication services are unreliable.

"If you need help you would reach for your beacon and open a little door, press a button, it goes straight to a satellite and down to Canberra within five minutes," she said.

"AMSA are ringing your contacts and saying 'the beacon has just gone off; do you know where he-she is?' And that response would then trigger the bells and whistles, as we call it."

Underbool farmer Andrew Willsmore said the device would be of great help. He said he first heard about the device when he attended a first aid course last year.

"There's three of us working all different hours on four different farms. So, it's going to be a great, great thing," he said.

"I'm sure that someone's life will be saved at some point."

Read full story on ABC News website.

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