Shortly after 6:15 p.m. on August 12, 2021, we received a call from an individual who was lost after venturing off of the groomed mountain bike trails in Naughton. The individual found himself in a very dense bush area and he was extremely tired as he had been attempting to find the trail for quite some time.

Members of our 9-1-1 Emergency Communication Centre (ECC) asked the man to download the What3Words app on his smart phone and to stay put as Officers were en route with our Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS). Once the man had downloaded the app, he was able to provide our Communicator with the three words associated to his location.

Officers arrived in the area and using the location provided by the What3Words app, the RPAS was deployed in order to locate the man. Officers quickly located the man and using the speakers on the RPAS, along with assistance from our 9-1-1 ECC, Officers were able to guide the man out of the bush to safety.

Although extremely tired, the man did not sustain any injuries.   

We would like to commend our Communications staff and our Officers for their efforts and use of innovative technology ensuring this incident was quickly and safely resolved. We encourage community members to download the FREE What3Words app as it really is extremely effective and easy to use.

The What3Words app was also used earlier in the afternoon around 3:15 p.m. when another man became lost on the mountain bike trails and could no longer see any trail markers. The community member already had What3Words download on his smartphone device and was able to provide our 9-1-1 ECC with the three words representing his location.

While dispatching Officers to the area, our Communicator contacted a staff member of the Mountain Bike Club who had access to a quad and was already in the area. The 9-1-1 ECC was able to provide the staff member with the man’s location, as well as, an image of where he was located. The staff member attended the area on the quad and quickly located the man.

The man did not sustain any injuries and we would like to thank the staff member for assisting with this call.

For more information on What3Words, please visit www.what3wrods.com or you can visit our website What3Words

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