McMurdo partners Exercise Transglobe with safety support

McMurdo, one of the world's leading manufacturers of emergency distress beacons, is pleased to announce an official support partnership with Exercise Transglobe, the sailing challenge that will see tri-forces teams racing around the world. McMurdo is supplying 45 of the latest Fast Find personal locator beacons (PLBs), one to each crew member, to ensure they have the very best safety equipment available.

Carrying the Fast Find means that if a crew member gets into life threatening difficulty, either on board, or by falling overboard, simply activating the PLB will alert search and rescue authorities to their location, wherever they happen to be on the world's oceans.

Three 67ft steel hulled yachts, Adventure, Challenger and Discoverer are crewed by Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force personnel, and will leave Southsea, UK on 11th July 2009, to undertake a 13-stage circumnavigation. Some 500 service personnel will take part. Each Fast Find is registered to a crew member for each of the legs, and carries unique identification coding which means if activated, the Marine Coast Guard Agency, Falmouth will be able to identify the person using it, along with vital information about them, which will help speed up the rescue. The Fast Finds are re-registered to new crew members at each crew change over.

"We are thrilled with our association with such a worthy challenge" comments McMurdo's Sales and Marketing Director Jeremy Harrison. "Exercise Transglobe is clearly a hugely valuable training programme for the forces. " He adds "If a crew member carries a Fast Find in their pocket at all times their chances of being located in an emergency situation are greatly increased. Equipping individuals with a Fast Find PLB takes personal safety to a new level".

As part of the Transglobe exercise all three yachts will take part in the Sydney Hobart Race and the Antigua race week.

During the circumnavigation each crew member will develop their personal qualities and team skills in a challenging environment that will test their physical and mental stamina, their courage and help them develop self confidence and powers of leadership. Of particular note is Leg 11 in May 2010 between Antigua and Charleston where each yacht will include service personnel recovering from wounds received in recent military operations.

About the Fast Find PLB:

The Fast Find that is being carried by the forces personnel on Exercise Transglobe is the Fast Find PLB 210 model with GPS, each PLB is being supplied with a floatation pouch and lanyard. It weighs in at just 5.3 oz (150g) and with dimensions of D 1.34"(34mm) x W 1.85" (47mm) x L 4.17"(106mm) it will slip into the smallest pocket or back pack compartment.

FAST FIND complies with tough international standards, enabling it to be sold in most Countries throughout the world. It operates on the global COSPAS SARSAT 406MHz search and rescue satellite communication system, which is supported by international government search and rescue authorities around the world, so a call for help will be acted upon and fast. The FAST FIND is subscription free and does not rely on commercial call centres.

There are two models in the FAST FIND PLB range, the FAST FIND 200 and the FAST FIND 210. The 210 has integral 50-channel GPS for additional pinpoint location, further speeding up time of location.

All FAST FIND models transmit two signals simultaneously, one to the subscription free global 406 MHz satellite system. The other (121.5MHz) is a homing signal designed to speed up the local recovery response process. Once activated, FAST FIND's signals will continue to transmit for at least 24 hours, at a powerful 5 watt output, the 406 MHz transmission ensures that a call for help gets through whatever the conditions.

FAST FIND also includes a unique SOS LED flash light facility which is manually activated to further assist in speeding up the users recovery during night time rescues.

FAST FIND will operate in temperatures down to -20°c and its integral battery has a user storage life of 5 years, so there's no need for constant battery changes and re-charging. After purchase there's nothing else to pay - no subscriptions, no network or call charges!

FAST FIND is manufactured by McMurdo, who have produced emergency location beacons for more than 20 years. The company has used the latest developments and improvements in electronic design and manufacturing to produce its latest world beating personal location beacon.

Like many other search and rescue agencies around the world, US Coastguard aircraft and ships have long been familiar with McMurdo's range of emergency location beacons and have the technology to home in on FAST FIND's signals fast.

IN the UK the Fast Find 210 that is being carried by Exercise Transglobe retails for £225 plus VAT.