The California Highway Patrol’s Valley Division Air Operations has become the sixth U.S. search and rescue (SAR) unit to equip its helicopters with the Recco SAR detector. This detector is carried aloft via external sling and can find lost/injured persons who are wearing clothing or other items fitted with Recco reflectors—lightweight passive transponders that consist of a diode and antenna requiring no power or activation to function.
Reflectors are integrated into products from more than 150 sports and outdoor brands, including jackets, pants, helmets, backpacks, back protectors, boots, transceivers, watches, and harnesses. Also available as single products, the transponder can be added to other branded helmets and backpacks and are included in Recco branded belts. The reflectors are designed to last indefinitely barring mechanical damage and can be detected with a hand-held unit that has a range up to 263 feet through the air and 66 feet through packed snow, which results in a practical range of 98 meters on avalanche debris, according to the company.
SAR helicopters equipped with the detector can search 0.4 sq mi every six minutes. Recco SAR helicopter detectors are in use by 27 SAR units worldwide; nine in North America and 18 in Europe. Recent customers include Teton County, Wyoming Search and Rescue; Canada’s Vernon Search and Rescue; and Italy’s mountain rescue service, the Corpo Nazionale Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico or CNSAS.