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Last month, a recluse living in the woods in Scotland had a health emergency. The man, who's in his 70s, sent out a distress signal that was picked up some 4,500 miles away in Greater Houston. And help was sent and the man is recovering.
But why was his beacon picked up in Houston — not somewhere in the United Kingdom?
Well, that's because Montgomery, about an hour north of Houston, is home to the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center. It operates like an extreme 911, picking up satellite distress signals from all over the world.
The center, which is staffed around the clock, gets calls from hikers deep in the wilderness, people whose boats are sinking in the middle of the ocean, and park rangers attacked by bears, just to name a few.
In the audio above, Michael Hagerty visits the IERCC and talks with Emily Thompson about how the company works, how it helped the man in Scotland, and how this service ended up being located in our back yard.
- The command center for the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center in Montgomery, Texas, which monitors emergency signals from satellite phones and tracking devices (photos were not allowed inside for security reasons). (Photo Credit: Michael Hagerty/Houston Public Media)
- Emily Thompson, operations manager for the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center in Montgomery, Texas, which monitors emergency signals from satellite phones and tracking devices. (Photo Credit: Michael Hagerty/Houston Public Media)
- The GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center in Montgomery, Texas monitors emergency signals from satellite phones and tracking devices like these. (Photo Credit: Michael Hagerty/Houston Public Media)
- A man living in a remote cabin in Scotland used a Spot satellite tracking device like this one to call for help when we was injured. (Photo Credit: Michael Hagerty/Houston Public Media)
- Rescuers in Scotland prepare to airlift an injured man whose satellite distress signal was picked up near Houston. (Photo Credit: Lochaber Mountain Rescue/Facebook)
- The office building in Montgomery, Texas that houses the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center. (Photo Credit: Michael Hagerty/Houston Public Media)
