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Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (July 13/01) - Volunteers charged with battling mosquitoes and black flies and snow and ice to help others when they need help most have a new tool in their arsenal, thanks to Tony Whitford.
 Yellowknife Search and Rescue president Chris John accepts a handshake and satellite phone from Tony Whitford as SAR vice-president John Kowerchuk looks on. -- Richard Gleeson/NNSL photo |
The phone allows users to dial direct from anywhere on earth.
Whitford was given the Globalstar phone by the Yellowknife Dog Derby Association in appreciation of his 15 years as a volunteer who built the trail for the annual 150-mile Canadian Dog Derby Championship.
It's a good tool to have during the building of the trail, Whitford said.
"Race preparation takes six days," Whitford said.
"For the other 359 days of the year the phone wouldn't be used. So I decided to find an organization that could use it for a much longer period of time."
A satellite phone provides a critical link to a command base for search teams in the field.
"What we'd have to do before is borrow a Globalstar or an MSat," said John.
"But we wouldn't know if it worked or if the batteries were charged."
The $1,500 Globalstar, little larger than a cell phone, is the more portable of the two types of satellite phones.
"It's an amazing phone, just awesome sound and so small and so light," John said.
"If it helps rescue one person from danger it's served its purpose," said Whitford.
