October 23, 2019

As president
of the Idaho State Bowhunters, Tad Sherman had dedicated many hours to planning
their biggest fundraiser and membership driver of the year — a 3-day event where nearly 1,500 people gather to celebrate
Idaho’s bowhunting heritage and learn how to ethically participate in the sport.

All that
planning, however, couldn’t have prepared Sherman for what occurred.

At 3 p.m. on
Friday, one day into the event in the Salmon-Challis National Forest, Sherman looked up into the central Idaho hills and saw
something he didn’t expect. Smoke was hurtling up from the trees, and it was
close enough to their base camp — a mile from the nearest major road — to make
him nervous.

“I realized
that with the wind, the fire was moving fast, and it was heading right toward
where everybody was camped,” Sherman said. “I keep my inReach® on me all the
time while I’m up there, so I just pulled it out and hit the SOS button.”

Using his
inReach Explorer+, he communicated with the staff at the International
Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC) to explain the situation.

“Fire. Lots
of campers,” Sherman wrote. “Need fire response.”

Within 25
minutes, Forest Service members and the local sheriff had arrived. The fire quickly
approached to within 200 yards of where members were set up to camp that night,
fueled by dry timber in the forest and grass in the meadow.

“We had 200
campers to get evacuated out of the meadow,” Sherman said. “So while emergency
services were working on the fire, I was messaging everybody else to warn them of
the fire and the potential for danger. I was trying to get people out of there
as fast as I could.”

About 2 hours
after triggering the SOS, Sherman messaged the IERCC again.

“All out
safe,” he wrote. “Thank you.”

Over the
next several days, the Vader Fire burned nearly 450 acres and required 360
personnel plus aircrafts and airtankers to extinguish fully. Some of the Idaho State
Bowhunters targets went up in smoke, but everybody got out with all of their
personal property. The event had been suspended, but Sherman was thankful it
wasn’t worse.

“Watching
how the inReach SOS communication worked was amazing,” he said. “We were able
to get people out fast, and more of our public lands didn’t get destroyed
because we were able to get the right people there working to put it out as
fast as possible.”

More Than a Satellite Phone

Previous to
investing in an inReach device, Sherman had a satellite phone. “I didn’t like
it because of sketchy service and the need to use minutes,” he said.

Some of his
hunting partners had begun using inReach devices, so he invested in one, too —
and is glad he did.

“The
confidence that I have in it now is tenfold,” Sherman said.

As someone
who likes to spend time traveling to remote deserts and mountains, that
confidence is something he really appreciates. He just got back from a trip to
Alaska, where he used the device to message with his children.

“I like that I can always check in, and being able to use it on your phone makes it super easy,” he said. “The confidence of knowing that something works is just … special.”

To access the Iridium satellite network for live tracking and messaging, including SOS capabilities, an active satellite subscription is required.
NOTICE: Some jurisdictions regulate or prohibit the use of satellite communications devices. It is the responsibility of the user to know and follow all applicable laws in the jurisdictions where the device is intended to be used.