Emergency Response Minute by Minute
Edit on GitHubWhat actually happens in the first hour of an emergency with a beacon: the sequence, the roles, and what to do at each minute.
Emergency Response Minute by Minute
An emergency is a sequence of decisions, most of them made in the first hour. This page is the minute-by-minute script for the beacon operator and their team.
Minute 0: The incident
- Stop. Assess: is someone injured, lost, or at risk?
- If yes, the beacon plan activates (see Emergency Communications Plan).
Minute 0 - 5: Signal on
| Action | Why |
|---|---|
| Confirm the beacon is in EMERGENCY mode | The interval and power change (see Mode Emergency) |
| Confirm the payload: identity, coordinates | The message rescuers will hear |
| If GPS is dead: enter manual coordinates now | See GPS Failure Contingency |
Minute 5 - 15: The report
- If any channel works (phone, voice radio): make the structured report (see Mayday vs Pan Pan and Position Reporting).
- The beacon keeps transmitting through all of this: that is its job.
Minute 15 - 60: The wait, done right
| Task | Detail |
|---|---|
| Shelter, warmth, first aid | The beacon runs; the people must too (see Hypothermia Recognition) |
| Mark the position | Visual markers for the final approach (see Signaling Techniques) |
| Manage the battery | Battery Field Swap rehearsed and ready |
| Update the payload | If you move, transmit from the new position |
The first hour after
When the search team arrives, the beacon’s schedule shifts from signaling to confirmation: the Whistle Signals reply, the visual markers, and finally switching the beacon to the team’s channel if asked.
The after-action
Every emergency produces lessons. Log them (see Beacon Log Template), fix the plan, and report the event per Emergency Use Legal. The next beacon user benefits from the hour you documented.
Related pages
- Emergency Response Scenarios for the scenario library
- Mode Emergency for the mode
- Emergency Communications Plan for the plan