Whoops: GPS locator switches on, sparks search

The GPS device a Washington state visitor had in his backpack for a hike at Devils Lake, west of Bend, was a good thing to have – until it went off accidentally Thursday, prompting an emergency response phone call and search for the surprised man and his sons.

Deschutes County 911 dispatchers got a call around 4:40 p.m. from the International Emergency Response Coordination Center to report the activation of a SPOT GPS device, a locator beacon and communication system that can pinpoint one’s location to within three meters, said sheriff’s Deputy Jim Whitcomb, assistant SAR coordinator.

The coordinates given by IERCC for the whereabouts of Lance Peterson, 41, of Battle Ground, Wash., pointed to an area of the Devils Lake Trail about 1 miles from the lake, located about 30 miles southwest of Bend, Whitcomb said.

The coordination center spoke with Peterson’s wife back in Washington, so said her husband was hiking in the area with their two sons, 11 and 13. Whitcomb said they were planning to climb Broken Top and South Sister during a four-day trip.

Attempts to contact Peterson by cellphone and text message were unsuccessful, the deputy said.

IERCC staff provided updated coordinates every five minutes, confirming the SPOT device was continuing north up the trail, Whitcomb said.

Because they were unable to make contact with the Petersons about their status, Sheriff’s Search and Rescue personnel headed to the area.

A “hasty team” of two members began a quick climb to the trail, followed by four members of a medical support team, Whitcomb said. Two other three-member teams began walking up the trail, ready to assist if circumstances changed.

Around 8 p.m., the hasty and medical support teams found Peterson and his sons, in the process of setting up camp near Moraine Lake, Whitcomb said.

That’s when they learned the family’s SPOT device accidentally was activated without his knowledge. Whitcomb said it was a first-generation version that’s easier to accidentally set off while in a pack.

“It is important to remember that technology can be a great asset, but can just as easily be a liability,” the deputy said in a news release, urging users of such devices to regularly monitor such gear.

SAR will respond to all SPOT activations, treating them as an emergency, unless contact can be made with whoever is carrying the device, to confirm otherwise, Whitcomb said.