Mukilteo company rents devices that could save your life in great outdoors

Published 11:04 am Saturday, July 4, 2015

Kevin Stoltz hates hearing about people getting lost or injured and dying while having adventures. He wants people to get out and explore, but he wants them to come home, too.

The former Mukilteo city councilman and his wife, Dana, own Personal Locator Beacon Rentals. The beacon is a device that, when a button is pushed, alerts a command center that someone is in need of rescue, and transmits their location. The command center then alerts the local search and rescue organization.

It all started in July 2003. Dana Stoltz read a story in The Daily Herald that said personal locator beacons were being made legal for individual use. She was intrigued by the idea.She still has the clipping, with a note on it that says “The genesis of PLBRentals.”

“It was a technology that had been around for a long time and was finally available to regular people like us,” she said.

At the time, the devices cost about $650, too much for many people to afford, especially those just heading out for the occasional weekend adventure. Dana Stoltz said she remembered reading horror stories from around that time of incidents on Mount Rainier and Mount Hood. She thought that, maybe if more people had the personal locator beacons, there would be fewer of those stories.

She handed the article to Kevin and said “Read this and figure something out.”

What they settled on was a rental program. Kevin Stoltz called the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which was overseeing the program. A NOAA representative was enthusiastic. They worked together to establish a rental program. Kevin Stoltz, who does computer networking, built some software and created a website. The company opened November 2003.

The rental process is simple enough. Before someone heads out, they can go online and rent a device to be mailed to them. It arrives before they leave and, when they return, they mail it back. The renters provide their emergency contact and health information to the company.

If someone activates the emergency function, the command center will contact PLBRentals. Dana Stoltz carries a phone with her at all times. She can then relay any relevant information to rescuers. She tells them the size of the group, if anyone has health issues or any other important information.

Kevin Stoltz says that, in some areas, there has been resistance to the device.

“There’s this belief that if people have this device, they will take unnecessary risks,” he said. “That’s not really true. I use the seat-belt analogy. Using a seat belt doesn’t make someone take unnecessary risks.”

Stoltz would like to see more promotion of the beacons, and he believes they should be required in some cases.

He is pleased that people are starting to realize the value of the devices. They’re required, for instance, on a number of sailboat races. PLBRentals sends a number of its beacons to a race in Florida.

The first rescue that PLBRentals ever had was also the first rescue ever for a rented beacon. Four teens in Olympic National Park were rescued after two fell while crossing a fast-moving creek. The other two helped rescue those who had fallen in and they all ended up wet and cold.

When they started showing signs of hypothermia, they activated the rescue beacon. A helicopter was sent to the teens location, but was unable to land because of weather conditions. Rangers were able to hike into their location, however, and treat the teens for mild hypothermia.

At the time, Stoltz said in a press release, “It took many years and a lot of work by many people to get PLBs approved in the U.S. for use by individuals. Having been involved in and thoroughly impressed with the process of an actual activation, I can say we all really need to do everything possible to ensure the public knows about PLBs and we get them in the hands of anybody who could find themselves in a situation where they could be stranded, injured or lost in the wilderness. PLBs can truly make the difference between life and death.”

Since that time, PLBRentals has had a few more rescues, including a couple of hikers in the Grand Canyon. They’ve rented out devices out for various activities, including hiking, climbing, fishing, boating, sled dog racing and hunting. They’ve also sent devices for use in other countries. Stoltz says all of the devices are extremely accurate and reliable. Because they use what is basically the NOAA system of satellites, they are likely to pick up a signal easily.

“They take the search out of search and rescue,” Stoltz said. “I wish there was a way to let more people know, a lot of people’s lives are being saved by these. Why take the chance?”