Emergency Distress Beacon
This hand held device is used in all types of professions and personal outings. It is standard procedure for every member of the FDNY to have one while in the middle of a job. More recently, thrill seeking ski enthusiasts have begun using them as well.
Specs and Applications
Almost every beacon has its own set frequency, depending on how it is to be used. Today, certain ski resorts like Sunshine Village require the use of these beacons if any of their patrons wish to attempt the Delirium Dive trail located on the outlaying cliffs of the mountain range. For those who ski with beacons or avalanche transceivers, the frequency is usually set to 457khz. Beacons being used for different excursions might have a different setting. For instance, pilots today are being encouraged by both NOAA and the FAA to start using a frequency of 406Mhz as opposed to the older 121.5MHz setting.
These frequencies are highly important, as it is the only means of locating a person if they are lost. Once a search party is set, they start looking for the signal of the required frequency on their receivers. The closer they get to the stranded individual, the stronger the signal. If the frequency on the individuals beacon does not match up to their receiver, the chances of being located are diminished.
In the FDNY, a different type of beacon is used. In place of the frequency is a piercing chirping sound that can be activated in tow ways. If the firefighter is conscious, and feels he is in danger and can't get out to safety, he can activate his beacon; helping his fellow firefighters to find him by following the chirping noise. A safety backup is built into this beacon as well. If the firefighter has been rendered unconscious, and has been still for more than 30 seconds, the beacon will instantly activate, emitting the same noise. The battery can allow this noise to operate for days. In the days following 9/11, these same sounds could be heard until those battery backups simply ran out of power.
References
Web:
1. http://www.ehow.com/about_4672931_what-equipment-do-firefighters-use.html
2. http://www.telemarkski.com/html/how_beacon_select.html
3. http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/emerbcns.html
Print:
4. 9/11 Ordinary People: Extraordinary Heroes: NYC - The First Battle in the War Against Terror!
5. WTC: In Their Own Words
6. Last Man Down: A New York City Fire Chief and the Collapse of the World
The Wikipedia assignment can be tested just like the algorithm. If you publish your article on the Wikipedia and people start improving on it, then it wasn’t as good as it could have been.
ReplyDeleteWorking with your interests on the Wikipedia does a few things for you. It forces you to do the research and find sources for all of your facts. It forces you to fact check.
Then you have to link terms in your article to other Wikipedia articles and link your term in other Wikipedia articles back to your article. This helps you see where the knowledge you are working on sits within all knowledge. External links are only allowed at the end of your article in two sections – under your sources and under an External Links section similar to further reading.
Then at the top of each article there are tabs that take you behind the article, to its history, evolution, and to debates about phrasing and terminology within the article. By improving on an article or publishing one, you can become part of these debates and learn about the issues that your words create.
Your writing is very good here, showing the same economy as the instructions. Unfortunately there is already a page in the Wikipedia for radiobeacons, but it is a good opportunity for you to see how much further you could have gone and if there is any information in your article that the published article misses. If you find anything missing, think about registering and adding your corrections.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distress_radiobeacon
Nice work.
Even though you were talking about a technical device, your description was easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteYour last lines about the unanswered distress beacon tones after 9/11 was eerie to think about.