An EPIRB - Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon - is a compact battery-powered radio transmitter which when activated sends out a distress signal via satellite to both identify the position of the user and alert the emergency services to his or her distress. More sophisticated models come with integral GPS transmitters for even greater positioning accuracy. EPIRBs are important and useful safety devices carried by seafarers in case of catastrophic emergencies in which all other communications devices have been rendered inoperable. While most commercial lifeboats and life rafts come equipped with EPIRBs, they are often not part of the standard equipment that comes with leisure models.
First designed in the 1970s, EPIRBs come in two categories. Category II is the least expensive type; it can alert nearby aircraft of a seafaring incident but is sometimes incompatible with satellites. A Category I EPIRB is the more accurate model as its signals are coded, allowing non-EPIRB transmissions to be filtered out, and it provides valuable information which will help a search and rescue effort. At the time of purchase the owner can register the EPIRB so that part of the coded signal will include information including name, address, phone number, vessel description, and an emergency contact shoreside.
Most EPIRBs are made of bright yellow or orange plastic and all are waterproof. Most can transmit constantly for up to 48 hours to ensure that search and rescue can be carried out within the first 24 hours after an incident - the so-called golden day during which most survivors of a trauma can be saved. Many lives have been saved by the effective deployment of these beacons and increasing numbers of seafarers now carry them.
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