Satellite Phone Provides Safety for School Expedition
Over the New Year seven students, three teachers, one guest, one chef,
one assistant, one mountain guide, two guards, ten mules, ten muleteers,
two Kalashnikov assault rifles and a Mobal Iridium
satellite phone set
off to trek the Simien Mountains of northern Ethiopia.
Of this eclectic assemblage, the students and teachers, from Bradfield College - Berkshire, would become the first school party to climb Mount Ras Dashen, which at 15,160 feet, is the 4th highest mountain in Africa.
Exotic Sites
In the process of achieving this enterprise they would be exposed to some of
the most eye-opening and exotic environments that the Earth could offer.
From bustling Addis Ababa, to the faded royal grandeur of Gondar, via the rock
strewn topography of the Simien Mountains, to the rock hewn churches of Lalibela,
not to mention calling in at the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant
in historic Axum. All very 'Indiana Jones' I'm sure you will agree.
Indeed, for all those involved this was a 'once in a lifetime' experience (perhaps
with the exception of the local guides).
Such an adventure always requires thought and planning but, as this was a college
trip with students being placed in the care of teachers, it required even more
thought and planning than usual.
Student Safety
A fear over safety has led to increased scrutiny, by both the authorities and
the media, of the guidelines governing the taking of students and teachers on
adventure activities, both in the UK and overseas.
With this in mind the decision to rent an Iridium satellite phone was a prudent
choice for the organisers of the Bradfield College Expedition.
Using the Iridium satellite phone, which is able to make calls from any locale
on the planet, they would be able to raise the alarm at any time.
Ethiopia after all is a vast country. Covering 450,000 square miles, it is over
twice the size of France and yet, with a populace of approximately 66,000,000
it is only marginally more populous than the UK.
If during the course of their 3-week trek the group were to encounter any problems,
they would often be a long way from any form of settlement or aid. Even in urban
areas, local telecommunication infrastructures cannot always be relied upon.
The Iridium satellite phone could prove invaluable in a crisis.
Christmas Calls
Fortuitously the group did not encounter any major troubles or mishaps, however,
they were able to use the satellite phone to keep in daily contact and advise
the relevant authorities of their progress. The satellite phone also came in
handy for receiving calls from the various parents to wish their adventurous
offspring a happy Christmas day.
Supporting trips like Bradfield College's Ethiopia Expedition is just one of
the useful applications satellite technologies, like the Iridium system, is fast
being adopted for. The ability to make calls from any location will hopefully
go some way to increase the safety of group adventure tourism in the future.
