Utah Man Invents Kit To Help Find Lost Boy Scouts

[fgoodwin]

Utah Man Invents Kit To Help Find Lost Boy Scouts

 

http://kutv.com/local/local_story_139000121.html

 

May 18, 2007 10:00 pm US/Mountain

Brian Martin Reporting

 

(KUTV) Be prepared. Its the Boy Scout motto. But many of them arent prepared when they head into the hills.

 

One Utah man wants to help keep Boy Scouts who go into the great outdoors to be prepared for the worst.

 

It happens way too often. A Boy Scout or hiker gets lost in the mountains that cover our state.

 

And he thought theres got to be a way to prevent that, says Kevin Gulledge.

 

A local man got tired of seeing it happen year after year, with many of them never to be found.

 

Kevin describes the kits inventor, Richard Anderson, hes a long-time lover of scouting, but hes also got a brilliant mind for engineering.

 

So Anderson created the Find Me Kit that includes a method to create fire, something to protect you for shelter, and a way to get noticed. On the top is a 1,600 candle power led.

 

Kevin says, You can literally just turn it on, wait till nightfall, wave it around, and thats it.

 

It can be seen from 5 miles away, says Scout Mitchell Garcia.

 

Mitchell sure hopes so. We spoke to him on the phone right before he and his two buddies were about to get lost on purpose in the mountains east of Heber City.

 

Its the kits first official test. Mitchell says hes the right man for the job.

 

Ive always wanted to do something like this my whole life, so I was taken back, like whoa! Finally, finally I get to do something that I like to do, said Mitchell.

 

From Sky2 the signal of both the camp fire and the waving LED were clearly visible. Its likely a product that may save lives in the future.

 

The kit will cost about $30 with a discount for Boy Scouts.

[Gonzo1]

Sounds good at the outset, I wish him well.

 

However, suppose Johnny has ADD/ADHD or something else and is on a "medication holiday" and leaves camp without the $30 kit. Now what? You still got a kid out there who wandered off, doesn't have matches, mirror, poncho, and stays lost for 4 days.

 

 

[epalmer84]

Lets see... matches, plastic and a flashlight. Sounds like the stuff I keep in both my backpack and my daypack. Along with a first aid kit, water bottles, cordage, poncho, emergency poncho, spork, steel cup, snacks, drink mix and other goodies.

 

As noted, this thing will work only if bought and carried. For $30 you can get a full complement of emergency equipment. If you are smart enough to carry this, you are probably smart enough to not get lost in the first place.

 

Oh- if he is referring to the Utah Cub Scout who was lost for four days last week- then he needs to add instructions to not hide from rescuers.

 

Ed