Just vegging watching one of those heli medic programmes and they were attending a mtb’er in hamsterley bemoaning it was v difficult to locate the patient.

I’ve mentioned it before but worth repeating that everyone should have the OS Locate app on your phone so you can give a grid ref to the emergency services if needs be.

I agree.

Yep, a +1 from me.

If you’ve a smart phone and have signal then MRT can use SARLoc, basically they send you a text message which has a link in it. Click the link and it opens the browser and sends a reply with your location.

Not sure about the Edge series or Etrex but on my Garmin Oregon you can set a data field to current position, one option for which is OS grid ref. Gives it as ten figures IIRC.

I called 101 the other week because I had a knackered tyre in a dangerous spot on a dual carriageway so the RAC needed a lane coned off. I offered the Police OS coordinates, long/lat or what3words, but they preferred to look at Google maps while I described my location. Presumably it’s different on a 999 call but I was slightly surprised!

Yeh what3words is a pretty cool solution.

..or Viewranger which also gives an O.S.grid ref.

Yeh what3words is a pretty cool solution.

Proprietary, closed and costs the emergency services to use it.

That’s interesting, whitestone. I looked up who uses it and only a few areas of UK emergency services do (which in itself is going to be confusing) and also found this:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what3words-confusion-suitable-emergency-response-gary-delaney

Cool, just installed OS locate. Thanks for that. I’ll share with my club too.

Why bother with what3words? https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2019/03/why-bother-with-what-three-words/

If you have trailforks and your phone is registered with the text 999 service.

If you go into the menu and click on emergency info tab. it will send the emergency services a text which gives your gps co-ordinates as well as a direct link to your location on trailforks. You can actually send it to any number.

Its been used successfully in Canada recently and made the press.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/trailforks-aids-rescue-of-injured-mountain-biker-in-penticton-bc.html

Click here

If you dial 999 the emergency services can get your gps coordinates automatically without you having to do anything.

Whether your local aervice have upgraded their systems to receive the information is another matter.