 Use of PLBs on all walks |
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From: Brett Davis To: info@shoalhavenbushwalkers.com Subject: Use of PLBs on all walks Date sent: March 29, 2025 |
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Hi SBW committee, Six months ago the SBW committee reduced the minimum number of walkers required for an official club walk from 4 to 3. The justification for this ridiculous and dangerous decision was that "people carry a mobile phone and for walks outside phone reception a PLB is carried". I haven't actually been able to find anything in the thirty individual safety documents that specifically says that all bushwalkers and leaders MUST have a mobile phone, although it is implied. If you can direct me to a document that says a leader must have a mobile phone, it would be appreciated. However, this email is not concerned with mobile phones, but with PLBs. As mentioned above, the justification for reducing the minimum number of walkers to 3 was that "for walks outside phone reception a PLB is carried". Unfortunately, this is not correct. The “Use and Procedural Issues with PLBs” document states that a PLB must be taken on a walk only "if the Activity Leader suspects that the activity will venture into an area with limited or no mobile phone coverage". Therefore, if the leader assumes there will be mobile phone coverage, then a PLB does not have to be taken - even if the walk actually takes place in an area with absolutely no mobile phone coverage at all. The two most obvious fixes to this problem are ... 1. The club should produce a map of the Shoalhaven showing all areas where mobile phone reception is unavailable, and insist that ALL leaders check this map before EVERY walk and take a PLB with them if any part of their route ventures into a non-reception area. 2. Every walk leader should take a PLB on their activity. Producing a reception area map and having leaders check it prior to every walk would be incredibly time-consuming for all those involved - so this fix is not recommended. The club has 4 PLBs, and there are 4 walks at most on any day, so having a PLB on every SBW walk is the most simple and effective way to provide safety to SBW members. Of course, our current procedure and any possible future procedure of having a PLB on every walk are both ineffective if the rule is not policed. Is the club currently verifying PLB use on walks to remote areas at the moment? If there is no policing it means that the club is not ensuring the safety of its members on SBW walks - it is just hoping that leaders are doing the right thing. Regards, Brett [Later the same day I sent the email below] Hi SBW committee, Further to my email from earlier today, with regard to actually checking the use of PLBs by leaders, I suggest the club makes it a rule for the leader to display their PLB at the start of every walk, perhaps even to give a brief demonstration on its use, and to let all people on the walk know exactly where it will be stored during the walk so it can be accessed by anyone on the walk should the leader be incapacitated. Regards, Brett |
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