We have always maintained that the H.E.L.P. was designed to help out divers with getting seen when they surface from a dive. However the flags do get used for a number of different reasons. One guy asked if he could buy one for his boat, he uses it to signal when he has his lobster pots in the water, someone else uses it to attach to his babies buggy so when his wife can no longer see him when they are shopping he raises the flag and she can see him above the crowd.
All these inventive ways to use the flag but there are other ways that are more focused towards the overall reason of safety.
We were sad to read in the news before the festive period that 3 climbers had been announced missing and presumed dead on Mount Hood in Oregon. One of the climbers was later found unfortunately dead but the other two are still missing presumed dead. The authorities say that they will not try to recover the bodies of the missing climbers until the weather conditions improve and the risk of avalanche has subsided.
In the LA Times on the 21st of December we read that following this event and another similar in 2007 Oregon Legislature are considering a bill that will require climbers to carry a personal locator beacon, although according to the LA Times this has never been passed through the Senate.
The flag on this occasion would probably not have benefited these climbers as there is a very strong possibility that they were involved in an accident. However the mindset of many climbers and walkers is that they would probably attempt more difficult peaks if they had the ability to be located easier by rescuers. Personally I think this is an irresponsible view as it puts others lives at risk unnecessarily, but if people wish to take on the challenge so be it.
The flag could be used as a location device to narrow down the area of the GPS locators, attaching it to the top of a tent, or waving the flag in case of a rescue helicopter could get you seen quicker.
The H.E.L.P. is there for anyone who needs to get someones attention, from climbers who need to be seen in a difficult location or a baby buggy in a supermarket, there are simply loads of ways that the flag can benefit people.
