What is a PLB

During a rural hiking emergency, a PLB is the best option available to contact Search and Rescue or Medical services. In circumstances affecting mobility (such as snake bite or broken ankle), PLB's may required to obtain assistance. Often, new hikers have not yet purchased a PLB, are unaware they exist, or are simply unaware of the risks (ie, they assume they will be able to escape the situation without assistance). 

To make matters worse, many government tourism agencies have been advertising routes where limited mobile reception is available which is exposing new hikers to a greater level of risk (such as Bogong or Feathertop). 

Why ParksVIC should promote them better

PLB's not only provide a means to alert Rescue Services of the GPS location directly, but, unlike mobile phones or Satellite messengers they also provide a homing signal to improve the efficiency/speed of the rescue. They are also designed to be both rugged and reliable, lasting for years without charging, making them a far more reliable choice than mobile phones (which fail regularly). 

At this time, many of the visitor guides for Rural areas (even ones which have basic warning signs at the trail head), don't even mention PLB's at all 

Recommended Changes 

I propose 5 major changes to promote the usage of PLBs:

1. Parks Victoria should establish an official database of PLB Rental locations and:
   1.  Provide them on an online map on their website
   2.  And via data feed which can then be utilised by other hiking apps / sites
2. Parks Victoria should rent out PLB's at all ParksVIC Visitor Centres or offices for a fee.
   1. This could be integrated as an optional extra with booking systems to encourage uptake (alongside the extra vehicle for the site)
   2. Rental of PLB's could be a further source of income used for maintenance of the parks.
   3. They improve the efficiency of rescues and other services, further reducing government costs overall, as more hikers would have homing signals.
   4. Even if the PLB was rented at $20 per night, a PLB such as the Australian Made MT610 would pay itself back after 20 nights, and also employ Australian workers.
3. Improved Signage.
   1. Many routes only recommend PLB's at the trailhead (after driving a long distance from the closest city).
   2. If someone needs to wait until they reach the trailhead for the warning, this would greatly delay the hike and due to the current inaccessibility of rental of PLB's, most will ignore the warning (especially when users are outside of mobile coverage). This is a human factor problem.. 
   3. Mt Bogong is an example where hikers would be delayed for hours and have no way of knowing where to get one (so will take the risk). So, instead of missing out, they will simply ignore the sign
   4. Instead, signage should be placed closer to the beginning of the park (or even close to the nearest PLB Rental Location), and should provide a convenient way to find somewhere to get one
   5. At locations like Licola for Tali Karng, they would be a good place to put the warnings and provide PLB rental options with clear signage
   6. Ideally it should also advise CLEARLY (preferably using pictography) and bluntly about the reasons for a PLB (similar to those by cave diving signs). Eg. This area Has limited mobile coverage, and emergency calls may not be possible. Rescues may take days without a PLB. Some Medical emergencies may incapacitate, and limit access to mobile reception. PLB's are cheap to rent, and may save your life. 
4. If Parks VIC is unable to rent out PLB's at all Offices (statewide), instead, all Parks VIC offices (and outdoor map sources) should have a publicly available list of rental locations posted easily accessible which hikers can use
5. Improve Warnings on ParksVIC Website / Visitor Guides. 
   1. The Mt Bogong Visitor page as an example makes no mention of PLB. 
   2. The Tali Karng Visitor Guide also has no mention of PLB. However, there is signage at the beginning of the walk. In fact, PLB's aren't even mentioned in safety information