A smartphone app has saved a group of teenagers from spending an unplanned night in the bush thanks to smart-thinking Canberra firefighters.
ACT Fire & Rescue received a call from the two girls and two boys at around 7pm to say they were lost somewhere out in the rural area of the Territory but had no idea where.
After initial attempts to find them using GPS coordinates on their phone failed, ESA Communications Centre-based firefighter Kaye Bradtke suggested the caller download the Emergency + app.
Using the app, which provides accurate location information in an emergency, firefighter Bradtke was able to pinpoint the group to Murrays Corner in the Pierces Creek Forest.
Specialist ACT Fire & Rescue vertical rescue crews were quickly dispatched to the scene, having originally headed to an unconfirmed location.
Communications Centre staff guided the crews closely using detailed mapping of the area and vehicle location technology onboard the fire vehicles given the rugged terrain and darkness.
Firefighters had to perform several time-consuming winch manoeuvres to get the teens’ Holden Commodore sedan unstuck in the rugged and steep terrain.
The vehicle was located off some tracks only suitable for four wheel drive vehicles.
The ACT Emergency Services Agency encourages everyone to download the Emergency + app to their mobile smart devices.
Find out more information about the Emergency + app and download for iOS or android devices here: http://esa.act.gov.au/community-information/triple-zero-000/emergencyplus
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