FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -SEPTEMBER 4, 2008 - Faced with life threatening situations in remote areas of California's backcountry this summer, two unrelated groups of outdoors enthusiasts activated their Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) and waited for help. Little did they know it would be the U.S. Navy that would come to their rescue.

Twice within two months, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC), which coordinates PLB-assisted rescues on land in the U.S., notified the Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake to carry out rescue missions.

The first situation occurred on May 22 when an ice climber fell and broke his leg at 11,000 feet near Mt. Gilbert in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. There was no way for the injured climber to hike out so his partner switched on his ACR Electronics MicroFix^TM 406 GPS PLB to summon help.

When the Navy rescuers were notified of the distress alert, they were already preparing for an exercise. They quickly transitioned to the actual, real-life Search and Rescue (SAR) mission. The crew used high altitude army training skills to hoist both climbers from their snowy encampment. They were flown to a nearby airport where ambulance and sheriff personnel were waiting.

In a subsequent interview online in "The Gear Junkie", Bill Becher, the climber who owned and activated the MicroFix^TM, said the Navy SAR team and the sheriff thanked him for having a PLB and said they wished others would carry one. "The SAR sheriff said they'd just had a training session on the PLB and this was the first experience with actually using it. He was impressed with how well it worked. If they hadn't been able to get the chopper in, it would have taken a 12-man team with a wheeled litter to get my injured partner out," said Becher.

The second PLB rescue on July 3 involved two horseback riders on a nine-day trip in Kings Canyon National Park. One rider began to suffer respiratory distress and needed medical attention. They activated an ACR Electronics TerraFix^TM 406 GPS PLB and, once again, the NAS China Lake SAR team was called in to execute another successful rescue.

Lt. Commander Kenneth Gilbert, who leads the NAWS China Lake SAR team, said their primary mission is to assist military aviators. However, if their resources are available, they will respond to civilian missions too. At 1.1 million acres, NAWS China Lake is the country's largest naval station. Located in California's Mojave Desert, it sits between the highest, Mt. Whitney, and the lowest points, Death Valley, in the continental U.S.

Lt. Commander Gilbert said PLBs greatly assist his SAR team, particularly in the case of the two ice climbers who were immobilized in rough terrain and snowy conditions. "Without the rescue beacon, it would have tripled our search time. The GPS and direction finder kept our search to within a quarter mile area," he said. "Personally, I wouldn't go hiking or go out on my own without a PLB. If you got hurt, you could go for days without being found."

A PLB is a satellite-signaling device of last resort, for use when all other means of self-rescue have been exhausted and where the situation is deemed to be grave and imminent, and the loss of life, limb, eyesight or valuable property will occur without assistance. All beacons must be registered following purchase. Simply go online to www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov. There are no monthly service fees.

ACR Electronics, Inc. (www.acrelectronics.com), a Cobham plc company, designs and manufactures a complete line of safety and survival products including EPIRBs, PLBs, SSAS, AIS, SARTs and safety accessories. The quality systems of this facility have been registered by UL to the ISO 9001:2000 Series Standards. To focus on this innovative technology, ACR has introduced a dynamic, new "The Science of Survival" theme for its line of marine, outdoor, aviation and military products. Recognized as the world leader in safety and survival technologies, ACR has provided safety equipment to the aviation and marine industries as well as to the military since 1956 and the outdoor industries since 2003.