McMurdo provided the lifesaving personal locator beacon that was activated by a Hampshire, UK woman resulting in her being airlifted to safety in Russia. The distress signal from the McMurdo-manufactured Fastfind MAX G was picked up 3,700 miles away by a Scottish RAF base. The alarm was raised by a research party from Nottingham University after Kimberley Warren, from Sway, Hampshire, fell from a horse and broke her leg. The McMurdo MAX G signal was picked up by the international search and rescue satellite system monitored by RAF Kinloss in Moray.

In a story which is making UK national news headlines, Russian rescue teams were alerted and sent to the remote Kamchatka region. The 406 MHz MAX G triggered by the research party is registered in the UK but can be used anywhere in the world to alert search and rescue authorities. It uses GPS technology which gives very quick and accurate position information once activated.

The signal was detected by the UK Mission Control Centre within the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre at RAF Kinloss at about 2200 BST on Thursday 4th September. An RAF satellite monitoring system operator contacted her Russian counterparts, who sent the rescue helicopter.

The group was nearing the end of a two-and-a-half month expedition to the Kamchatka peninsula when the accident happened. Severe weather made the helicopter rescue very difficult. Due to the rugged terrain within the Kamchatka Nature Park, the only way out was by either horseback or helicopter.
Kimberley has been airlifted to the town of Esso with a broken leg but the injury is not life-threatening.

The General Manager of McMurdo Jeremy Harrison who himself lives just a few miles from Kimberley’s home in Sway said of the incident: “I’m delighted that our PLB product has successfully been used to assist with Kimberley’s rescue and even more impressed with the effort of staff at RAF Kinloss to arrange the rescue in Russia.” He added: “This demonstrates the importance of carrying a PLB in remote areas of the world or areas of high risk.

The MAX G PLB is freely available on sale in the UK at a price of £349 inc. VAT. It has aided a number of rescues both nationally and internationally in recent years.