When would you call for help if someone was overdue?

Thu 23 Sep, 2010 8:48 pm

Just about to spend three days doing selected sections of the Great Ocean Walk as day walks, with vehicle support, based at Apollo Bay in Victoria. Potentially dangerous coastline and I'm going to be doing it on my own, although I expect there will be lots of others on the track as it will be a long weekend for some.

Talking to my support team (my wife), we were discussing what to do if I didn't arrive to meet her by late afternoon. I mentioned that I would be leaving a trip intention form and route plan with local police, and that while she should warn police that I was late, she should not ask for help till the following morning when she came back and I was still not there.

What would you do?

For more resources on trip planning including trip intention forms, medical information forms and information on route cards http://www.bushwalkingskills.com/2010/09/planning-walk.html

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 3:47 pm

Mmm - these posts are looking more and more like promotion for your site. Personally I am not in favour of just repeating similar posts in another forum.

As for running late etc - I leave a detailed plan with someone responsible - it spells out everything they need to do and the times to do it - no ifs, no buts.

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 4:02 pm

tastrax wrote:Mmm - these posts are looking more and more like promotion for your site. Personally I am not in favour of just repeating similar posts in another forum.

Lol, there does seem to be a pattern forming here doesnt there......

Coppers wont do anything til someone is 24hrs overdue anyway.

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 4:59 pm

tastrax wrote:Mmm - these posts are looking more and more like promotion for your site. Personally I am not in favour of just repeating similar posts in another forum.

everytime i open one of these topics i keep expecting to be able to buy one get one free, or be able to increase my stamina and please my partner better

every topic opens with a sell...
its getting a bit old and i would much rather have an actuall conversation on a topic that is not trying to promote something one way or another...

as to the actual question, it would entirely depend on who it is. some people i would give a couple of days leeway, others would be lucky to get a couple of hours. it depends on how capable and well prepared i feel they are, and also what the trip plan is.

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 5:10 pm

tastrax wrote:Mmm - these posts are looking more and more like promotion for your site. Personally I am not in favour of just repeating similar posts in another forum.

I have started a new topic in Forum and Site to discuss Rules #2 and #15. Have you read them because I believe my posts follow both the spirit and letter of these rules.

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 5:25 pm

Coppers wont do anything til someone is 24hrs overdue anyway.

Thanks. So waiting till the next morning before contacting police is probably best?

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 5:27 pm

Well i've been in that situation and I have already described what happened on this forum last year, dont need to go there again.

If people are getting a bit suss about these posts, there's always this....

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4725

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 6:21 pm

Back on topic.....

It sort of depends in my case. Sometimes I will be in mobile range, other times I will be carrying a satphone, other times a SPOT device so that why my instructions are very specific. In the situation you describe (in the first post) its hard for us to give you some advice without knowing a few more details.

My wife is an ex Ranger so I suspect she wouldn't worry until I was weeks overdue - she would just think I was having fun in the scrub!

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 6:33 pm

Back to the question at hand rather than bothering to look at any blog.
I agree it is very dependent on the experience, age, health and plans of the person involved, as to when you ask for help and the police will view it the same way. A well equipped experienced walker is very different to missing a child or elderly person (maybe with dementia or health issues) or an intellectually challenged person or a person with a disability or a health issue.
I would also be more likely to call for help earlier for someone overdue on a day walk where I know they are ill equipped for overnighting or walking in the dark.
From experience I can say that most people ask for help a little late rather than early. Trying to carry injured people out in the dark takes a lot longer than in daylight, and is far more difficult on rough terrain even with good torches. Searching for people in the dark is also a problem, and yet often people will not raise the alarm until they have waited and/or searched for a lengthy time themselves, usually just on dark.
My personal opinion would be that you should take into account all the relevant factors, including those mentioned above and then decide what a 'reasonable' time to wait would be. Or do an initial search yourself or with friends and family, making 'reasonable' assumptions about what may have happened. Even better make plans before hand and have an absolute call for help time that is set in stone. Even if you want to be flexible on your walk this works (i.e. I will write in the log books of my intentions, or I will choose this track or that one, but no other.)
Sometimes it is quite reasonable to wait for 24 hours. e.g. the walker overdue on the Overland Track in heavy snow conditions.

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 6:38 pm

ILUVSWTAS wrote:Coppers wont do anything til someone is 24hrs overdue anyway.

Is that right? In Queensland I know of the Police initiating and coordinating searches inside of 24hrs.

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 6:43 pm

Thanks for the advice

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 6:56 pm

I agree with whiskeylover - even for work communication plans (I works for Parks) I will change the requirements depending on the skills of the staff involved. Some staff I am happy to have "call in" every couple of days, others I would ask to carry a SPOT device and use maybe twice daily. I would seldom send out a search party late in the day unless its an EPIRB or SOS/ Custom message from SPOT and I knew exactly where the person was located. Our communications plans spell this out explicitly so everyone knows right from the start.

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 7:00 pm

This is the ultimate gear - custom text messages via SPOT

http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeC ... tion=10741

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 7:13 pm

Last edited by Nuts on Mon 25 Oct, 2010 11:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Fri 24 Sep, 2010 7:16 pm

Last edited by Nuts on Mon 25 Oct, 2010 11:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sat 25 Sep, 2010 12:59 am

Nuts wrote:This system I believe (beacon as well as comms) is the only long term direction for such devices.

I currently don't carry a plb. I should, but I just never got around to it. But like Nuts I believe the long term direction has to be a combination of beckon and comms.

To answer your question. I walk alone a lot. When on over night walks, I leave my wife a map showing the route I plan to take and tell her the day I will return. I also tell her not to worry if I am 24 hrs late. The problem is I am prone to wonder a little off route at time. That's why I think comms would be best. The ability to send a text message advising the change of plans would be a huge bonus.

Sat 25 Sep, 2010 5:17 am

Bush_walker wrote:For more resources on trip planning including trip intention forms, medical information forms and information on route cards http://www.bushwalkingskills.com/2010/09/planning-walk.html

HEY GUISE! FOR MOAR RESOURCES ON TRIP PLANNING AND STUFFS!!!*:
http://www.google.com

*minus shameless self promotion.

Hey, Google need the cash, so please dig deep with your click-throughs.

Personally, I'd leave it until "the next morning" if it was an overnighter, and maybe an extra day if it was an extended trip.