REV 12/15/2024
Club radio frequency: 144.440
Designate an on-site Communication Leader
In the event of an emergency, designate an on-site Communication Leader; a Club Officer or a responsible person who knows Brace. That person should confirm that they have working radio and good cell coverage.
NOTE: Cell coverage in the LZ is spotty. The best cell service is often in the middle of the LZ. Wifi calling works if your phone is set up for it.
Contact the pilot
Call on 144.440 to the pilot who crashed or tree landed to find out his or her condition. Check for pilot location using cell phone and/or GPS track if available. If contact cannot be established quickly, assume that emergency rescue is needed.
Contact emergency services
If a 911 call is necessary, the Communication Leader should call 911. It is always better to call 911 and then have to "call off" 911 rather than wait to call.
There may be non-emergency cases when 911 is not needed but the assistance of State Park authorities is. In that case contact the Taconic State Park Headquarters at (518) 329-3993 and/or the NYS Park Police at (845) 889-8866.
Designate a Guide
If emergency services are called, the Communication Leader will delegate someone else as a Guide to drive or meet with emergency responders to assist in guiding them into the location of the accident. The Guide must remain in communication with the Communication Leader.
Establish a meeting point for meeting the rescue services
Generally this will be the Landing Zone (1691 Boston Corners Road, Millerton NY 12546) Alternative meeting points might be the Taconic State Park Headquarters (253 NY-344, Copake Falls, NY 12517) or the Paraglider Parking Lot (Mt. Washington Road, Salisbury CT 06068).
Make sure everyone at the site (Launch, Landing, and In-Air) is aware of the emergency situation.
If there is an incident, keep radio channel free from chatter to prioritize emergency response.
Send out a rescue party only if safe and necessary.
Communication Leader should know who is being sent and what their intended route is. Rescue party should carry cell phones, radio on 144.440 and first aid kit if available. At least one member of the rescue party should have a current first aid CPR certification.
Emergency Helicopter Traffic
Some emergency situations require assistance from a med-evac helicopter. The Communication Leader should warn all pilots by radio if a helicopter is expected. All pilots must land immediately or depart the area and perform a safe off-field landing at an alternate LZ.
Local Hospitals for non-life-threatening injury care
Sharon Hospital, 50 Hospital Road, Sharon CT 06069
Fairview Hospital, 29 Lewis Ave, Great Barrington MA 01230
Each incident should have its own Communication Leader. Designate a Communication Director as the point of contact for each Communication Leader, to coordinate efforts.
First aid kits, backboards, and splints are located at launch and in the landing zone. Hand tools including clippers, saws, and poles are available at launch for simple tree extraction. Complex tree extraction requiring ropes, ladders, or chain saws will require transporting materials from the landing zone.
If you are in the woods or away from regular roads, merely sending a location pin from WhatsApp or Google Maps can result in the application sending out the closest street address rather than your actual location. This will confuse and delay rescue. Instead send your latitude/longitude coordinates.
We strongly recommend all pilots carry, and use, a GPS tracking device (InReach, Spot, etc.) Cell coverage in the Brace area is spotty, and even radio communication is difficult if you are not within line-of-sight. Set up your GPS tracker to regularly push your location information to a public web address. Include that web address in your member waiver to help locate you quickly. Learn to use your tracking device to quickly send messages that include your location.
High flights, and soft landings!