Heading out on the land? Bring a Spot

Jorgan Aitaok and George Kaikak Hakongak program a Spot device last week in Cambridge Bay for the “Women in action” walk, as Janet Brewster, one of the walkers, looks on. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WOMEN IN ACTION)

The Government of Nunavut has handed out 500 of these Spot satellite GPS messenger devices to communities so hunters and others out on the land will be able to signal their distress and searchers will be able to find them more quickly and easily. (FILE PHOTO)

When the Women in Action start off on their “steps for hope” walk May 7 from Bay Chimo to Cambridge Bay in western Nunavut, they can’t get lost.

That’s because the group will have a Spot tracking device with them.

If you need help out on the land, you can simply press a button on the Spot, and it then transmits a message saying whether you need help or if you’re okay.

Spot trackers can also send an SOS message or a customized message, and allow contacts to see a user’s location.

Messages sent from Spots go to three emergency services officials with BlackBerries in Iqaluit.

Each community in Nunavut received 20 of the units last year, with 15 reserved for members of the community to borrow when they go out on the land.

The Government of Nunavut invested in the devices in an attempt to reduce the 100-plus requests for assistance sent out every year, which require more than 2,000 person hours spent on searches.

Spring brings warmer weather and more searches to Nunavut.

Last week, Dominique Inutuinaq, 77, of Kugaaruk left his community on April 28 to go caribou hunting, but didn’t return when expected — searchers eventually found him May 3.

Inutuinaq, an experienced hunter, was found in good shape, but if he’d had a Spot on him, likely the ground searchers would have found him much earlier.

Top among the spring travel safety tips: always take communication equipment with you when you head out on the land.

Among the other tips, circulated recently as a City of Iqaluit public service announcement:


• Check the weather forecast
;

• Tell someone your trip plan (where, how long, with whom)
;

• Whenever possible, travel with another person (preferably with 
another snowmobile);


• Don’t overload your snowmobile and-or qamutik;


• Avoid thin or dark ice
;

• If you get stranded do not abandon your snowmobile unless necessary
; and,

• Ride smart — Ride sober

.

You should also bring along:


• Extra fuel (gas, naptha and oil);


• Spot tracker (free to borrow from the local wildlife office);


• Survival tools (knife, lighter/matches, stove, rope, tent, tarp, food, 
sleeping bag, caribou skin, flashlight, flare, etc.);


• Other communication and navigation devices (GPS, satellite phone, 
radio, etc.);


• First aid kit
;

• Snowmobile parts and repair tools (socket wrench set, spark plugs, 
belt, etc.); and,


• Rifle and-or shotgun with plenty of proper ammunition 
for hunting and safety.