Rider Down - Helicopter Rescue

[@AirRoboTech]

Good work and a great debrief video Brent. As an ex Careflight pilot I would recommend carrying a GME MT610G 406 or similar. If Craig had a critical injury then 2~3 hours is too long. An EPIRB is the best option if serious (cutting out the handlers and human error) going direct to AMSA in minutes, AMSA will brief the pilot (rotary wing or fixed wing for remote AUS) personally and launch. fyi We never monitored UHF as the cockpit chatter is already too busy. We did monitor and home in on 121.5 ; that often making the big difference when things are really bad or dark (built into a 610G). Motocross boots for the win! Lat/Long formats make no diff to HELO crews who can convert that on the fly.

[@brentbat]

Hey there ART, thanks for your note. One of the riders did have a PLB, but I'm not sure if it had the same specs as the one you cited (I will research it). Thanks for the heads-up on UHF. I also learned about the 121.5 homing beacon.... very useful. As for boots, yes, I wear hard MX boots. Another friend also broke his leg wearing the same soft Forma Adv boots. So I agree with you.

[@philphil7407]

1

[@scott6002]

An excellent video. Thank you. I could not agree more with this comment. A GPS PLB will instantly report your position down to a circle of error in the order of 10 metres and cut out the middle person who may well not understand a GPS coordinate format which appeared to be the case in this instance. It is important to maintain PLB registration, have reliable emergency contacts detailed in your registration and let your emergency contacts know what your travel plans are. They will be contacted by AMSA when the PLB is activated. You can also log into the AMSA beacon website and register your travel plans/itinerary.

[@brentbat]

@@scott6002 Thanks Scott.

[@leutmatho9456]

@@brentbat a good suggestion might be to get an inland flare kit that comes with 2 red flares and 2 orange smokes allows for non verbal contact between aircraft and ground personnel as we don’t normally use a guard frequency like they do in most parts of the world

[@singlemalt1972]

Just my 2 cents. Firstly, great video, excellent performance in an emergency and great to stop and review afterwards. I'm former CFA and SES, have worked a lot with Air Force and Westpac rescue choppers and currently work in remote areas of NSW and was involved in our government department emergency procedures for remote workers. I have been first on scene to a number of accidents and have also had trouble getting emergency dispatcher to understand Latitude and Longitude info. FWIW I will start with the PLB or InReach. An accident like a broken leg can quickly turn into a serious event if major blood vessels are involved, hit the button first, before you do anything else. This will start the process of rescue fastest with a recorded position automatically logged in the system. People are often hesitant to set off a beacon wondering if it is really needed, just hit it, you will not get in trouble for it. Second, phone 000 as you did, relate all the necessary information as this will be soon combined to the alert you have set off. If you don't have an emergency beacon, use what3words in addition to lat and long numbers, always have the emergency plus app on your phone which will give you this, providing both will immediatly show if something has been transcribed incorrectly. Keep your first aid skills current and have a decent kit. If you get the opportunity to do a remote areas first aid course, do it. But again, great work and kudos on the video as many people have never been in such a situation and getting a conversation going that all ADV riders should be having.

[@brentbat]

Thanks for your note. I agree with you totally. If I were having a do-over I would have triggered PLB immediately and then used the phone.... and/or Inreach. We now have What3Words on our phones. I've heard Emergency Plus app only works if you have cellular coverage, but I will test that out. I'd like to do a first aid course as well. I might investigate that. Thx. BP

[@jimiemick]

I’ve called ambulances/EMS more times than I’d like. Thankfully always had phone reception I’d press the distress becon right away if I had it. Trying to explain to someone over the phone where you are. When they can’t put in lat long, is extremely frustrating. That side by side would have made it through, just needs to air down. Glad he’s ok in the end. And how awesome is seeing the 139 come in and land.

[@19Burgandy]

all those ems were fat old and dumb and should all be fired and sued... dude would be dead if it was serious... This really is pathetic on everyone's part

[@BlackdogADV]

I’m a retired Air Force Combat Rescue guy. I’m 73 now and ride solo in very remote areas on my Husqvarna 701. I’ve been using a SPOT locator for years but can see I need to step it up to an Inreach.

[@brentbat]

Yeah, I love the comms capabilities of the Inreach. I did some solo riding in remote areas of South Australia earlier this year on my 701 and it is just reassuring knowing that you have the communications capabilities as well as the SOS. If I had a mechanical issue, I wouldn't want to hit the SOS button, but I would need a recovery vehicle.

[@coover65]

As a paramedic with 25 years' experience, I've called for the chopper probably about 180-200 times I guesstimate. You've turned a routine job into a very entertaining and well-presented video. Well done, and I wish the rider a full recovery. What's really fortunate is that being on the east coast of Australia, you're guaranteed world class paramedics to treat you.

[@brentbat]

Hey Coover, yes, the paramedics and helicopter crew were amazing. I know it was fairly routine for you, but I think that this is the first time in my life I've had to make a 000 call. I hope the video is a useful resource for others... and I hope it forces NSW Ambulance to improve their training.

[@coover65]

@@brentbat I'm in Queensland so somewhat ignorant to training in other states. But any useful resource like this video can only be a bonus.

[@TechnikMeister2]

We had a mate like that too. We raced Motocross, Short Circuit and Enduro most weekends all over NSW. He always crashed and I think I knew the ER at every hospital in NSW. He had no fear...ie, no caution. In the end he gave it away. As current RFS in a regional area, I would have hit the EPIRB as well as the Sat Phone. The UHF channel is Ch 11 to call, and they will then ask you to go to Ch5 or 35.

[@warren7665]

Well done Brent. Hope it goes viral for the benefit of rider education and donations to Careflight.

[@ragbag46]

The lack of Lat Long understanding, was really amazing. Yes (what three words) is quite a remarkable invention, simple but highly accurate for anyone who has the app.

[@19Burgandy]

those ems were all fat old dumb and out of shape.. they should be fired and sued for being so fucking dumb when there "professionals"

[@theflyingkiwi4803]

Great video Brent. As a former SAR helicopter pilot (10 years SAR). Providing a lat/long should always work, in fact it used to be the primary method of navigation for us - just plug it into the navigation computer and Bob’s your uncle. Also (as an adventure rider myself) I carry a smoke beacon to pop when the helicopter is in sight / audible). They’re small and light but VERY effective. I would be hesitant to use a flare because you don’t want to set fire to the neighbouring scrubland! Anyway, I hope Craig is making a speedy recovery and keep those amazing videos coming! Cheers!👍

[@brentbat]

Thx Flying Kiwi Yes I am going to carry a smoke beacon in my kit moving forward. Thx Brent

[@Kez_abi]

24:23 Not sure about where you are, but here in the UK, the screening questions do not delay the ambulance arriving. Earlier in the call they asked if you were in the Muswellbrook area and you said yes. They probably dispached the ambulance to that area at the beginging of the call then while you were on the phone they will direct the ambulance into your exact location. 34:56 I would recomend flares aswell as mirrors. Well done you did so weel, calm, relaxed and structured even with the troubles and tribulations.

[@Sebastopolmark]

FIRST and foremost, you guys were VERY prepared for a "man down" situation. Congrats to each and every one of you. Hindsight is 20/20 and in my very humble opinion, the only thing that I would change would be not going up the chain to a supervisor in the very beginning. I'm sure Craig will ride again with the group and you have the green light to give him a BIG PILE OF CRAP! !! !!! And we can see that Craig's finger was not broken.

[@elainebates6967]

A wonderful job to all involved in the ride and the emergency for Craig. The incident with the Emergency Service Phone is a damn S**T and has been getting worse for the past 20 years. Hoping that Craig is healing well. This group is a great bunch of blokes and deserves😅😄 a pat on the back for their good sense of humour and for helping each other no matter what is going on.

[@eltonbutton7541]

Man, thank you for putting that together. That is just great for people if haven’t been in that situation. I have a couple of times now many years ago, before mobiles and gps but we got through it. Even one that was a car accident we came across in the Watagan mountains. The best part was being followed by a chopper. That day I had great chat with pilot and the ambulance team. The chopper pilot handed me a flare for helping out and I have always carried on the bike since that day. Also I most ride south coast nsw but I’m definitely want to look where you went. Great work.

[@sanderslongdrive]

What an amazing educational video for this Brit. I wrongly thought that interior Aus. was dry, barren, and solely occupied by 'roos and crocs. It's clearly an amazing, beautiful, and fertile country. We too have difficulty with communications in the U.K. as many large orgs. have their telephone boards overseas where little English is spoken. Many times I've had to abandon calls. You guys are great riders, particularly bearing in mind your ages. I'm in awe of you. Truly. P.S. I'm 71 and ride a Honda Valkerie Interstate.

[@brentbat]

Hi Ivan, thanks for your note.... yes, we have lots of beautiful country that is not inhabited. Plenty of desert and desolate areas, but lots of beautiful country to explore. We are very lucky. BP

[@sbsb4995]

Good episode. ❤❤

[@carlgraham4052]

243 MHZ is the emergency for aircraft

[@Vince1266]

Our experience after a 300mm rotten tree fell on a mate in a gale in Tassie, Eperbs are great and make sure you have Ambulance coverage or it gets insanely expensive fast. Our bloke was extremely lucky, from being unconference for 15 minutes it was just extreme bruising in the end. Tassie Resue were fantastic. The Eperb had 1 fast response Paramedic, a fire truck, an ambulance and a cop plus a chopper in 30 minutes approx 100ks from nowhere.

[@williamrae9954]

Free here...well, at point of use...bleed us dry in taxes to pay for it

[@amandawildy135]

What a great bunch of blokes to ride with. As an ex paramedic, well done!

[@seanb1081]

Excellent teamwork form all of you in getting Craig the help he needed! But as an X-Regular Australian Army Medic, it was disappointing to see, that none of the riders, on the adventure (unless I missed something) thought to carry any sought of first aid kit. Fantastic to have all the Sat phones. EPERBs Etc, but being able to provide initial on the spot emergency first aid, is of critical importance for the injured patient. It's of no use if a helicopter can make it to the patient in 5 minutes, if they die in the first 2 minutes. Simple splinting with bandages and immobilisation of injury, combined with off the shelf supermarket pain killers, would have been of great benefit in this situation. Someone sitting close to Craig at all times maintaing eye contact and mental support, would have been good for him. Mabey that's exactly what did happen? , but I saw very little of it the video ... Regardless of that, it was fantastic to see you all working as a team together to help Craig. GoodOnYa's! How did Craig shape up at the end of it all? I bet the drinks and the stories you all shared at the end of the day / night where some of the best you ever had! 👍

[@brentbat]

Hey Sean Thanks for your comment. Yes, we had two first aid kits between us. In mine I had heavy duty pain relief (Endone) precisely for this type of situation. However when I spoke to the 000 operator and asked if I could give this to the patient, they said no because it wasn't originally prescribed to them (fair enough). Craig wasn't in a ton of pain, he was actually pretty comfortable. We didn't see the need to do any splints or anything like that for 2 reasons. 1) We weren't moving him, we were going to wait for help to come to him. and 2) He had motorcycle boots on, which were providing good support and immobilising his leg/ankle anyway. As it turns out when the helicopter paramedics arrived and they cut off his boot, his foot really blew up, so I'm glad we didn't try to do anything like that. Now having said all of that, none of us have done a wilderness first aid course or anything like that... so our knowledge is pretty rudimentary. I wouldn't mind doing some better first aid training.

[@seanb1081]

Theys great to hear! I was thinking that shurley one of you must be carrying a first aid kit and it just hadn't been showne in the video. I had forgotten that the patient would have already been supported by hic MC boots. @@brentbat

[@Gaz_Gaz_Adv]

Niiice. I'll leave the recovery comments to the others. It's well covered. What I was super impressed to see were the first and second rules. Record it, and put shit on your mate. Classic Australian mateship, and you will all remember it long after the stress and pain have faded...

[@Whats_cooking_bro]

Great video. Was never bored. Incredible editing. Wishing your friend a speedy recovery

[@ajayb100]

Must watch video for all the adv riders across the world and it’s very true that all group rides usually have one Craig 😂 ,loved the team work and how everyone kept the situation under control even during tough time, hats off to all of you 💪

[@williamrae9954]

1st ride on my Husaberg FE390 did the exact same...was unconscious for gawd knows how long(brand new AGV helmet, 1st tim on my head, apart from seeing if it fitted),upper body armour, but a stone got my hip, numb for 6mths...always wear the gear guys/gals, you never know...managed to get to the bike, 100's of metres away,and got myself home!

[@guysadler7376]

Hi mate, I am glad that you and our fellow riders are okay. I would like to mention that you stated that there was Police, Fire and SES responded to your incident The SES vehicle was actually VRA Rescue NSW vehicles. I am the Head of Learning and Development for the VRA rescue NSW and I am very proud of the work that our volunteers undertake to assist anyone in need. Thanks for your awesome feed back in relation to our volunteers and the work they do to support their local communities. Cheers mate see you on the tracks. Guy

[@raeanker3078]

@ Guy Sadler, thank you and the all of the Volunteer Rescue Association members, as with my families involvement with surf lifesaving Queensland, I always think, where would Australia be without its volunteers. Cheers mate.

[@NateSketchyNate]

Well PLB as the time wasted giving directions over the phone would have gone through to the chopper and in turn emergency services would have called you.. I’ve had a similar experience where a mate had completely snapped his ankle.. all pins and metal plates.. if it was life threatening he’d have probably been dead… my device got us picked up within a 20 meter radius of where we were

[@edouardl2]

You should focus a little more on training your operators, they use their manuals and not their brains. This is brillantly showing that if you have a serious accident you will be dead before help will arrive. This is a very disappointing performance and you should ask your operators to show initiative when there is a problem.

[@stephendx935]

Thank you, @BrentPearson; fun and educational. Praying that Craig is recovering well. Disclaimer: I'm not EMS or adventure type, though I was 4 years (30 years ago 😬) with a volunteer fire brigade in the Wellington area, NZ. I have done several outdoor pieces of training. I am happy for correction, not criticism. These are my observations. A suggestion for using the mirror to attract rescuer attention. It would be a two-handed job. Mirror in one hand close to your face, the other hand stretched out towards the rescuer thumbnail up over your target, and flash the sun over the thumb (direction (u/d - l/r) not important, but keep consistent). The way you can flash SOS (. . . - - - . . .) and know they can see it. PLB every time you are off the beaten track, especially if there is difficulty understanding where you are. As noted by others, quicker response time. Letting the call centre know the registration number might help link into the AMSA system. (I'm in NZ, so unsure. But it would be the same deal here in NZ.) I was also thinking that if the call centre knew you had UHF radio's on you and a call sign (you listed early in the video), they might have been able to pass that to the helo crew to try and contact you when they could not locate you. On the DMS/decimal debate, whatever you have to hand should work. The What3Words app is now downloaded to my phone. Knew of What3Words via browser (map.what3words.com/), but not the app. A big thank you to the emergency service personnel (call centre and "out in the thick of it") for putting your hands up to help when needed. Oh, and a plug (no, I'm not paid) for getting a Guardian Angel (www.guardianangeldevices.com/outdoor-led-light/ probably the Snowmobile Light for adventure riders). 5mi visibility (Elite, 3mi for Micro) and usually have an SOS mode. Thanks to @RonPratt for putting me onto these devices.

[@brentbat]

Thanks for your suggestions.... I'll try that technique with the mirror. I was flashing the mirror by hand, but I didn't use your technique and it was a bit hit and miss. The chopper pilot did see my mirror signalling though and responded by flashing his strobe.

[@ekkiplicht7283]

Dear Craig! With friends like this you don't need no enemies. :) No, really, count yourself lucky with friends like this. Most excellent, very impressive. I hope you have recovered meanwhile and enjoy bike riding again. Cheers.

[@TSBS986]

Great work guys! Grumpy was so lucky to have mates like you. It could have been far worse.

[@j.t.5826]

thank you first responders. Everyone of you around the world are the best. Always doing your best to help us all..Thanks for sharing video fellas. We all can learn from this.

[@kengoodwin7461]

I thourghly enjoyed this vidio and what a great group of guys you lot are. I sincearly hope your comrad recovered from his injury. I am not a off roader but have enjoyed riding for 55 years. Started at 17 and still riding at 72, will be 73 this December. Well done on the vidios.

[@oldbootsontour]

Thank you Brent and your friends for this video. We all can learn from this, how to react when something happens. Often you’ll be in panic in the first moment, but to be good prepared and als important to keep filming and keep the laughter in. Thankful Graig will be okay and soon back on the bike. We watched this video for 4 times now and made a list off important things to do and to get. Many thanks again. 🙏👍🏻👋🏻

[@mikeamphlett7913]

Great video. Chapter of errors. Great video to learn from. I always remind myself where I am and how remote I maybe to emergency services. Keeping in mind how long an ambulance may take to get to be you. In the outback it could take a day or so to rescue you. Long time to wait with a bone sticking out of your leg. The further from help the more cautious I ride.

[@who6342]

Y'all are the kind of people I would love to hang out with once I'm older

[@brentbat]

Thanks... Yes, I don't think any of our group want to "grow up".

[@orpaztron]

Great bunch of riders, Brent. Give Craig kisses- we all love the Craigs here, there and everywhere. Lately I've been hearing about more and more riders getting injured, apparently the "adventure epidemic" is at its peak. This movie is going to convince some to quit the off-road adventurism. It's amazing how a small mud rut can cause such damage. great video, I enjoyed every minute.

[@jamesprecious1035]

Brent, what a great adventure episode once again. So much to learn here. Your skills shine through with beautiful footage and great story telling. It's very important for all of us to see just how fast things can go wrong. You guys were basically chugging down the trail and a little puddle of mud created complete chaos for Craig. You had all the tools but a small error in communications lead to a delayed response, and as you said, luckily Craig did not have a life threatening injury. I'm so glad this was only a detour for all of your team and nothing worse. Surely Craig will be back in the saddle and laughing down the trail soon. I recently upgraded my Sidi Adventure 2 boots to the more Motocross boot the Sidi Atojo as I too took a few falls this summer and felt that I was under protected in the lower leg and ankle area. After watching Rider Down I'm certainly happy I went for this upgrade. Cheers and thanks from Vancouver.

[@Stuart_Field]

Great vid. I've had a similar experience with a person on the other end of a 000 call when in a far more dire situation. The person I spoke to obviously had no local area knowledge and were reading through a cue card which I think wasted valuable time in a life threating (ending) situation. I felt pretty helpless and enormously frustrated in that situation - and again watching your vid when you were trying to communicate with the operator and things weren't quite lining up on their end. Well done for calling out the issues with 000 during the vid. Absolutely agree. Goldy will ride again, and that's a good thing.

[@paddyc93]

It is impossible for the call takers to know the local areas, they work from one of 4 control centres and if the most local does not take the call within a reasonable time it will be diverted. So as an example, someone in Newcastle might be answering a call for someone in Dubbo. The cues they work of are designed to capture the most important details first and catch words to trigger the highest level response first. Unfortunately though this can seem like an eternity. If minor delays occur due to this script which takes a minute or two to be read results in the passing of a loved one, it is safe to say that person was never going to make it. Having spoken to Brent the issues faced were training related faults that lead to huge delays that cannot be explained.

[@coover65]

Not a "cue card" per se, but what's referred to as script. part of the AMPDS system. In a life-threatening situation, you'll get the dispatcher getting a crew rolling while the call taker is asking more questions. the crew then gets more updates as they come to hand. The ones with local knowledge will be the attending crews, not a comm centre member hundreds of kilometres away. I can understand it may seem frustrating when comms asks you so many questions, but it's all part of the process.

[@barrymurphy3554]

Yes Guys firstly you out enjoying yourselves fantastic. Yes I agree everything you said if it was life threatening I would of pressed every device while I was on the sat phone so position is 100 % location You have explained what injuries he had etc. I Cary three boat flares you have to be careful of a grass fire but they can be seen for kms away Top video thanks

[@CarlHorn]

You tell a great story! I looked at the southern start of that track while riding with my girlfriend and went "Yeah, nah!". Lucky decision or I might be single now ;-). I'm surprised they didn't recommend the Emergency Plus app which shows a map, the address, coordinates and what 3 words, plus buttons to call 000, SES, and police. Having had a couple of accidents myself l know how quickly things can go wrong, but luckily I haven't had to activate a PLB and was able to ride out, and drive myself to emergency. I hope Craig is back on his bike, and maybe we'll bump into you on the trails. :-D

[@shanewilliams6420]

Great video. We are mates with Craig and feel your pain how it would have been stuck with him for 2hrs which not to mention how much it would have been with him in pain. You deserve a medal😂 the shot with the chopper behind is priceless

[@brentbat]

Shane... the fact that you know Craig means you know my pain. I was ready to pop a few Endone myself.

[@AndrewCharter-x1y]

Great video! This isn’t very far from where I live. I’ve been on both sides of these situations. I’ve called 000 for several accidents & have had similar issues explaining to them my location.😬 I’ve been a member of a number of volunteer emergency organisations for many yrs & a lot of the time the details we received are very sketchy! If you were able to speak with someone with some local knowledge they would have known exactly where u were. I entered your coordinates into my GPS & had your exact location in about 10 secs. U guys know exactly where u are, the local guys would know exactly where u are, so that breakdown is obviously in the call centre. Hope Craig is all fixed up & out riding again!👍😁

[@ADVBrett]

Brilliant video Brent, I think many viewers will get quite a lot out of this. You were all really well prepared for the event, it was disappointing that it took so long to get the location but I can imagine this situation will be a lesson for many more behind the scenes. It was great to see everyone keep their cool and remain calm throughout the ordeal. Outstanding job lads, well done.

[@garyhalliday2140]

That was a great vid. I think we've learned to ask for a supervisor if the message isn't getting through to the rescue center.

[@samgibson6656]

What a fantastic country we live in when a helicopter comes to the rescue... as adventure Rider's we all should have ambulance cover.

[@hnjelliott]

Well done Brent and team. Very educational - not often we have the opportunity to learn this stuff. I'm not sure whether the helicopter carries UHF, but the ACMA licensed distress channels are UHF 5 and 35. Again, thanks for this. See on the trail some time.

[@HavaCrack]

5 and 35 are reserved for emergencies, but 35 is not a transmit channel for emergencies. The 5 & 35 are the tx/rx channels for duplex or to state in a fiffeeent way when you are on ch5 duplex you transmit your voice on that channel through a repeater and the signal (call) you get back is on the frequency reserved for ch35. For those who do carry a handheld radio if you have no luck on 5dup you can try and find another repeater channel by pushing the ptt button and if on release you get a tone or squelch noise then you are on a repeater channel and you have a chance of someone monitoring any of those 1-8 duplex channels. Mick

[@jack_fm2751]

Very well put together their mate, great doco!

[@peteracke2209]

I will be taking orange smoke and red hand held flares on my next ride..but not the parachute flares at the land elsewhere which may cause a fire...great video..brought up a lot of questions.

[@digbysdownunder]

Holy cow.. Well first off glad the outcome was a good one.. only just came upon your channel. Such a great story teller. Great job.

[@LOWERCASEMAN]

Just found this video and glad all worked out well …. Great narration and you’re very well spoken.

[@baumie4618]

Great Video! Thanks for sharing.

[@paulanderson6434]

Same situation with my Dad in remote Nevada. We were riding-not racing, the Vegas to Reno route for his 65th birthday. He fell outside Hawthorn and fractured his leg. When we contacted EMS with our coordinates. They had no idea what we were talking about. Finally they located someone in a volunteer Search and Rescue group who had a hand held Garmin GPS. It took hours for them to locate us and evac him. We too had a emergency locator beacon. I finally had to tell the EMS operator that it was getting dark and cold. And that if the search and rescue group wasn’t there by dark I was setting off the beacon. To their credit, the Volunteer group got to us 30 minutes before sunset and evacuated my Dad and even his bike. All with a hand held GPS! We were grateful and supplied that volunteer search and rescue group a vehicle mounted Lowrance GPS system to help out the next injured rider.

[@RaulMotoADV]

A bunch of tough aussies. Regards from the chilean Patagonia entry door, good wishes for recovery!

[@Yakovkricounets]

You are amazing friends, good job on everything.

[@meinekleineweltreise]

Can’t believe that this were 47min. 🤔 Entertaining and very educational. Absolutely loved the storytelling and I’m actually very impressed how calm everyone was. Great work! 👍

[@brentbat]

Thx for your comment. Yeah my videos are normally way shorter, but there was just so much to cover. I’m glad you enjoyed it. 👍

[@HemiBen]

Great video. I Hate that he got hurt. Beautiful country. Love to see a group of friends out and about having fun. Thanks for sharing your adventure

[@greganderson8257]

Thanks mate,really informative. Made me think alot about rider emergency situations. After this video I would hit the plb and back it up by sat phone I think

[@GoldenPAM]

Such a Great & Humble Riders you all of. Hatts of!! Ride safe. Love from India ❤

[@rileybri]

You all did remarkable work as a group. You had a plan and you executed it. You would be amazed how many operations flounder at the onset because of decision paralysis or too many cooks in the kitchen. As a former SAR professional the only thing I would backseat debrief is the contact I'd start with the SAT phone but at the first sign of any trouble I'd press the beacon and be done with it. You had coms with the SAT phone so the inreach would not have gotten you much. The issue was all on the dispatch side so I hope they get some retraining.

[@brentbat]

Thanks Brian for your comment and I totally agree with you. If I were doing this again I would have had the what-3-words app and tried that.... but if there was any hesitation by the dispatcher I would have triggered the PLB. I've certainly learnt that now.

[@Sirmellowman]

ive watched several emergencies in the country of Australia on youtube now and I am honestly amazed at the incompetence and just lack of resources you guys have for rescue over there. ive seen much smaller and less populated countries with 10 times the amount of rescue infrastructure. like you guys are not that far from a major road it looks like and it took that long? I watched another video of these 4 dudes left stranded on a island for like 4 days and it got to the point the families had to hire a helicopter to save them... and on top of it all the people that were gonna save them were asking for money? like wtf man you guys dont have like a coastguard or something, and you gotta pay them??? its pretty wild to me man, really not trying to be a hater here it just confuses me.

[@brentbat]

We actually have pretty good Search and Rescue infrastructure, unfortunately this video shows that poor training of a critical player can throw the system into confusion. We weren't that far from a road, but it was not possible to get there in a vehicle unfortunately.

[@ShonkyProductions]

Great video. Adventure riding is a team sport and it looks like you had a great group with you.

[@aussie5365]

Wow epic riding there and beautiful country. I used to ride years ago with no coms at all. Makes one think of the things that could have gone wrong back then. Thanks for bringing us along.

[@AusMoto]

Damn, what a crazy ordeal! Thanks for sharing this though, great learning experience for us all.

[@karmahunden]

stumbled upon this video and am not sure what this channel is about, but just seeing the friendship you guys have and the sense of adventure, makes me wanna model the same lifestyle... cheers!

[@brentbat]

Thanks Karmahunden..... We are a bunch of pretty average riders who just love to get out and ride adventure bikes, go camping and have fun. My passion is also video production which is why I like to make videos about our adventures to share them with anybody who is interested. I ride with a great bunch of guys and we really enjoy getting out together and just hanging out.

[@farhadguitar]

thank you brent I love the video is very professional and the landscape I wish I was there with you guys love Australia ,,,,, from London U.K

[@janicedorsey3945]

You did a great job on your end, and it looked like a great trip except for the boo boo‼️👍👍

[@richardcheatham9490]

Such a rewarding video to take in. Level-headed reactions to all involved; and may Craig get well soon and tune up that injured foot completely for the next ride. Be well best wishes from Atlanta.

[@brentbat]

Thanks Richard. Craig just got out of hospital today and he's on the road to recovery. Greetings from Austin, and Happy Thanksgiving.

[@richardcheatham9490]

@@brentbat Wonderful news for Craig. Thanks for relaying it and you, too, enjoy the special day tomorrow.

[@2driftmate]

First of all . Step 2 😂.. hahaha Ive just found your channel this is the 3rd vid ive watched. Videos are so well put together in every aspect. And inspiring to get out and see more things. Dont have a bike myself but i do have a van. One day would like the bike experience . Safe travels and cheers for the vids

[@brentbat]

Glad you are enjoying my videos. They are a labour of love. If they inspire a few people to get out and explore the beautiful wilderness... then "Job Done".

[@steventhomson8387]

Most Craig's I have ever known have had HOT tempers lol but glad he is OK. Good lessons learned all round. Very well narrated and produced Brent.

[@vladvamos]

The quality of this footage is purely amazing

[@brentbat]

Thanks Vlad... It's a labour of love, I enjoy combining my love of adventure riding with my love of producing videos.

[@vladvamos]

@@brentbat keep up the good work! When I was watching the video it became cristal clear that you have a lot of professional experience with filming and editing. I'll keep checking out your stuff. And btw., come to Romania if you want to ride on some nice dirt roads through the mountains:)

[@brentbat]

@@vladvamos Hey Vlad, it's funny you mention Romania, it is something that I'm starting to plan for next year. I'm thinking of combining a family holiday with some adventure bike riding. Are you in Bucharest? I'd love to tap into your local knowledge, if you don't mind answering a few questions, could you email me at [e-mail]

[@vladvamos]

@@brentbat oh, wow. Didn’t expect that! I’ll email you

[@Wydglide]

From East Tennessee USA. Craig is lucky crew of Brothers I've been riding for 55 years and my comment is straight from my heart🤙... totally forgot almost this is for Craig🖕😁 ( all the best on your recovery)

[@brentbat]

Thanks Wydglide. I did some riding around Tennessee and NOrth Carolina a couple of years back... You have some amazing road rides.

[@hr0597]

i grew up in kandos/rylstone. such a beautiful part of australia. Appreciate you deciding to explore this amazing place

[@brentbat]

You sure did grow up in a beautiful part of NSW. I am definitely going to go back and do more exploring. It is stunning country.

[@paulbartsch1223]

When I did my Tib and Fib I was on my own. I set off my PLB and the chopper came in about an hour and winched me out. You know it’s all gone to shit when you see that chopper overhead.

[@brentbat]

Glad you got out safely Paul. Yeah, you may know it has gone to shit, but it's nice to see help come.

[@ericnphx5585]

Great story telling! Hope your friend makes a full recovery. I picked answer C too. I believe that was the best option. Enjoyed watching here in Phoenix Arizona USA.

[@tommcguire5525]

Fantastic, informative funny vlog. Thank you from Biarritz France. Hope Craig was OK.

[@MB120478]

Emergency services use a decimal version of LAT / LONG. Your co-ordinates would be 32.52722222S 150.12222222E. Unless the operator knew how to convert the co-ordinates the system wouldn’t allow them to be entered. As a former police trail bike rider I had to deal with this issue ALL the time

[@brentbat]

Hey Mathew, thanks for the info... I'm surprised that the dispatcher can't handle either format. I used the compass app on my iphone for quickly getting long/lat, and that uses degrees/min/sec.... But I could have easily generated the decimal version if that was the issue (via my gps). But I really think that dispatcher systems should handle either format.

[@HavaCrack]

@@brentbat i told you this same info and you disagreed with me, but yiu thanked this person. If you want to use your video for benefit of others then this is the learning and the message.

[@sk8moto]

​@@brentbat it's LAT/LONG in that order. You made the same mistake in the video ;) The emergency operator should also know that the first number is LAT, second number is LONG, and she could have easily convert deg/min/sec to decimals using any online GPS converter.

[@brentbat]

@@sk8moto Yes, you are right, I should have called it Lat/Long as opposed to Long/Lat.... but when I called the coordinates out and gave her the bearings South and East.... anybody should have been able to work with that. I always mix up my Lat/Long (as I do my stagaltites and stalagmites). :-). But any emergency services operator should have been able to decode or talk me through what they needed. I could have easily given them decimal format if that is what they preferred.

[@CraigShawCraigShaw]

Well done on a very helpful video, Brent. Sure, there will be criticism from us armchair experts, but we live and learn. My learns from this... Press ALL the help buttons!! Then get on the phone. Learn how to use a UHF radio. Glad to hear Craig is on the mend. Well done

[@WoodNotts]

What3Words is an incredible way to easily find a location using the app and as you said most of the emergency services now use it, they certainly do here in the UK. It also has a fantastic back story as to how it came about, well worth reading or watching. Hope Craig is well on the mend and looking forward to more adventures👍

[@darrylgilbert2587]

A tip when I was in the bush I used to carry a marine flare pack containing two orange smoke and four hand flares. Believe me they work when having to signal first responders

[@brentbat]

I’m definitely going to add a smoke flare to my kit. Probably not a hand flare as if it gets dark we have headlights/torches etc.

[@peterjones4163]

Great effort, Being in rescue myself And have seen many different situations Craig could have been doubled out in this emergency miscommunication. Hope Craig’s going great now!

[@brentbat]

Yeah, we could have doubled him out, although there was still quite a bit of rough country between us and the tarmac, so it would have been extremely painful. The helicopter was definitely the best way out for Craig.

[@peterjones4163]

Thank god the chopper had a place to land. I’ve seen many a rider Exit area’s riding with broken shoulder, Scapula, wrists and lower leg injuries Sometimes you don’t have a choice in rugged areas. From watching your movie you handled the situation extremely professional. Credit to you and your team.

[@brentbat]

@@peterjones4163 Yes, I totally hear you. You are right, we were lucky that we had a nice large field for the chopper. I suppose the other option is they could have winched down/up.... but that would have been a pain.

[@bryanlape3009]

Your adventures are always great to watch. This was exceptional with everything that you shared regarding the rescue.

[@brentbat]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Bryan.

[@riscracing5538]

Rescue aside you are so delighted to have such a terrain to drive through and you are allowed to do it 🙂 Nice bikes , nice scenery , bad luck, whish Craig all the best to recover fast an without further issues! Good luck!

[@brentbat]

Hey, thanks for your note. Yes, we are incredibly fortunate to have such incredible adventure riding all through our country... pretty much right on our doorstep. I live close to the centre of the biggest city in Australia but I can be on dirt tracks in 45min... and if I wanted to, I could stay largely on dirt for months of adventures.

[@RCMikeStudio]

excellent video Brent. Love the storytelling and the pace.. I am highly interested into how you made the animated maps, showing the paths and locations. Can you share your process and what app did you use? Thanks!

[@brentbat]

I'm using a high-end mapping app called Geolayers 3. It has a steep learning curve, and you need to know After Effects, but then it is super powerful.

[@LeeHollingworth]

Great job Brent and gang. You all kept your heads and worked out a plan that despite the challenges, delivered. Well done.

[@ericmansveld8752]

great video. Maby a flare would be a nice addition to the kit as the pilots may have seen the smoke quicker and easier. Looks like a great ride despite the accident. cheers

[@brentbat]

Yes it was a great ride and I am going to add a smoke flare to my emergency kit.

[@andrewgreen1181]

Awesome insight of what and how things can go when someone fucks up!!! Thanks for sharing your drama, well worth the watch👍👍👍👍

[@ScottSillis]

Hi Brent, sorry to hear about your mate, glad he finally got a chopper out. The SAT phone was a very good idea that's for sure. You just never know. As an experienced Emergency Services member in my opinion you guys did a fantastic job. There's always risks but you just have to do your best in the situation, the chopper is definitely the best option in those conditions. Another great video mate, beautiful scenery and great narration. 👍😁🍻🥃

[@MrHumpo75]

Pure gold Brent heaps of learnings from that, I hope none of use have to go through this but if we do will be better prepared now. Hope you get better soon Craig.

[@mechcavandy986]

Bummer! I hope he’s up and running again. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@katojimmybling]

Awesome video great to watch and learn from your incident,i had to bring a helicopter in for a rider who hit a tree and yes still took time but all you can do is try and keep them comfortable,and yes the operator should have known the longitude coordinates but all said and done great vid

[@ssamorfati]

Terrific video as usual, really captures the essence of ADV riding - thanks

[@Chillertek]

An awesome video Brent, and I'm glad you guys kept filming. It turned out to be, not only entertaining but educational as well. As you gave the co-ordinate's to the emergency services I typed it into google at the same time. I knew exactly where you were in a few seconds. They had no idea. Definitely need some better training in this regard. Seriously it's not that hard. Again thanks for sharing an awesome video that most wouldn't. Hope Craig is going well and your right, every group has one our Craig is Geoff.

[@brentbat]

Yeah, that is exactly why I posted the coordinates on the screen, so people could enter the coordinates into Google and see just how easy and accurate it is to find us. I've spoken to NSW Ambos, and they acknowledge the issue and are already addressing it luckily.

[@HavaCrack]

@@brentbat The call takers do not enter data into google, At the end of your video you highlighted just three words, this uses the deg.decimal format. Can everyone just learn to use the format EM services use and can quickly enter into their database to assist in a fast response. No point going on about deg.min.secs and then blaming someone else. I am not trying to be critical of you or those who state "i punched in those coords and found you in seconda", as you sharing the issue and hopefully me keep trying to say use the correct format for em's calls may help others.

[@brentbat]

@@HavaCrack I don't agree with your position and let me try to articulate why. 1) Long/Lat is given in 2 formats, degrees, min, sec and decimal. I don't think there is a "right and wrong"... it's just 2 formats. I know when I have had to use this with first responders in the past (water police) they were quite comfortable with Deg, Min, Sec, and in fact they instructed me to use the compass app on my iPhone to get the long/lat which is displayed in that format. The fact that almost everyone can get their long/lat in this format from their smart phone would make a strong case that emergency responders should be able to deal with both formats in their system. 2. Nobody has ever communicated to me that the format that EM services use is decimal. I don't think this is widely known, and the average person wouldn't know how to convert this. I would only be able to convert if I swapped my preferences on my GaiaGPS app.

[@HavaCrack]

@@brentbat ok we will disagree. I am in EM servixes.

[@brentbat]

@@HavaCrack thanks Haveacrack Yes I think we willl have to agree to disagree. I appreciate the EM service’s perspective. I’m coming at it from the “Joe average” perspective.

[@toristanley1142]

I like watching adventure trips, Thank you for sharing and I really hope Craig is up that road to recovery by now? Watched this over in the UK

[@johnnyreble7113]

Hit PLB everytime .. it emits a continuous signal for rescue to home in on

[@TallyHoTech]

Craig is very special I can tell.

[@tomsimonis]

Thanks for sharing. What 3 words app downloaded. Learned a thing of 2. Great team of friends you have! I Hope Craig is riding along by now.

[@brentbat]

Thanks, glad the video was helpful. Yes, Craig has been riding again.

[@RICDirector]

Absolutely outstanding video. Well shot, narrated, constructive...about the only good thing YT has bothered to show me in the last years. Glad Craig's doing well, enjoy him!

[@paul.vanhout57]

Thank you for sharing this. Very helpful to learn from real world events and use the lessons to be better prepared. Your filming and narrative is outstanding👍

[@solitudeandsilence8585]

Great video! It was great to be able to see this situation and be more prepared as I venture out on my bike.Thanks for sharing!

[@debrabyrd1306]

The landscape is so beautiful Thanks for sharing looks like a great trip

[@hoyks1]

A boating smoke flare and/or a high vis vest might be a good addition to a remote travel emergency kit. Pop it off when you hear the chopper approaching. Most bike gear is black and a dirty bike is a small target to see from the air

[@brentbat]

Yeah, I'm going to add a smoke flare to my safety kit. I can imagine how hard it must be to find people if you are in heavy bush.

[@hoyks1]

@@brentbat The helicopter crew will also probably appreciate the smoke indicating wind direction and speed. It makes the whole landing safely bit easier for them.

[@tuftywhite9628]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Worth pointing out the learning points. We can never know enough to cope with a situation like that.

[@susananderson1071]

Looked like an amazingly fun ride until the accident. Hope he only broke the tibia and not the fibula as well.. Have fun out there. Some things to consider in future • Line the bikes remaining on scene up on the track in a sunny area in opposite directiions in a V or X pattern. • Have the dispatcher read back to you the coordince. •Carry mylar emergency blankets, they're very light and compact. Lay them in the largest open area next to where the accident is as well as one on the trail in the sun or not under the canopy of trees and put mud or rocks on the perimeter. When the helicopter is in sight stand next to the blankets and wave a bright colored fabric. When it seems to have found you pick the mylar blankets up and stow them into your trunk. ☆ They can bring a helicopter down if they are unsecured and get into the rotor or blades. • Learn the capability of your gear. • In a situation where the first responders can't get to the scene, leave the coordinate and sat number. So you have a competent team with the info. 😀 Ride hard with laughter and smiles, make those precious memories to last a lifetime.

[@brentbat]

Thanks Susan, unfortunately Craig broke both bones in his leg plus a couple in his foot. Some good tips... just to respond, I think we know the capability of our gear pretty well, and we did leave coordinates and sat number with dispatcher, but they weren't passed on to first responders or helicopter crew. We definitely ride hard with laughter and smiles, I think my face hurts as much as my muscles after a group ride. Take care BP

[@midafricam]

Excellent front & rear footage, well presented with the maps and drone - love your production

[@krille2004]

Great video and very good trails. Hope Craig will ride soon again. 👍