by The Ministry of Defence has announced that it is introducing new technology that will use mobile phones to locate people in search and rescue operations.
The system is called Cellular Airborne Sensors for Search and Rescue (CASSAR) and has been in use on some aircraft at CFB Greenwood for six months.
According to Lt. Col. Mark Norris, commander of the Arctic Search and Rescue Squadron in Atlantic Canada, CASSAR is already being used operationally on its CC-130H Hercules aircraft at Greenwood Air Base and the benefits are immeasurable.
“This will reduce search times and, in turn, make us better prepared to help others in need,” Norris said.
CASSAR uses cell phones to locate people who have been reported “as overdue and in potential distress,” the agency said in a press release. The system is installed on a laptop in the cockpit of an aircraft and works via an app, Norris said.
Information about a missing person’s cell phone can be entered into the app, and the aircraft’s antennas will then act as cell towers to determine the phone’s exact location.
If a person’s phone is turned on, not in airplane mode, and has enough battery, the app also allows search and rescue teams to communicate over the phone and learn more about the missing person’s situation.
Norris said the CASSAR software was used in a search and rescue operation in June involving an overdue vessel in Labrador. Norris said a visual search would have taken an estimated six hours, but with the technology, it took 15 minutes to locate the vessel’s occupants’ phones and establish communications.
“I can’t stress enough how big this is,” Norris said. “You have someone who is overdue to give birth and their loved ones are worried and we are worried. So… we have found the missing people, but… we can also determine what their situation is.”
Norris said since 85 per cent of Canadians own cellphones, the software will enhance the tools already available to teams on search and rescue missions. But he said Canadians still need to be prepared, especially since the technology cannot serve as a navigation beacon if a phone’s battery dies.
“It’s important that all Canadians are as prepared as possible for their safety,” he said. “And thanks to the CASSAR system, they can ensure their mobile phones are accessible, charged and carried with them.”
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