The annual 406Day campaign, a safety awareness day marked on 6 April, is celebrating a decade of bringing attention to the vital role of 406 MHz beacons.
The 10th 406Day campaign highlights how boaters and adventurers can benefit from the life-saving technology available in these emergency location devices and highlights the importance of EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons), PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) and ELTs (Emergency Locator Transmitters).
406Day founder ACR Electronics is joining forces with other brands and partners in 2022 for the safety awareness day. This year, one of the campaign messages is that significant developments in the functionality, design and features of the leading beacons ensure the units are even more effective than ever before at enhancing survival chances in an emergency at sea and in remote regions.
Mikele D’Arcangelo, vice president of global marketing & product management at ACR Electronics, says: “On its tenth anniversary, 406Day will once again aim to raise awareness about 406 MHz Emergency Locator Beacons, particularly how to test and register your beacon. This year, our focus is to highlight that the technology of the devices continues to advance, proving that it is even more essential to have this gear in your backpack, on your boat, or in your ditch bag. Ready for activation in an emergency to instantly access rescue services via the satellite network, these beacons are very easy to use, very affordable and do not require subscriptions. They will provide you and your family with peace of mind – and could end up saving your life.”
This 406Day, boaters, outdoor enthusiasts and aviators are urged to understand the life-saving features of 406 MHz beacons, as well as the responsibilities of owning a device, so they can enjoy the outdoors safely and help the emergency services to find them quickly when a rescue operation is necessary.
More than 50,000 lives have been saved worldwide since the mid-1980s by using emergency distress 406 MHz beacon signals and the Cospas-Sarsat system, according to the 406Day campaign.