Kia ora WTMC members,
We wanted to share an update on a recent PLB activation, where all participants returned safely, but which has resulted in some valuable feedback and lessons for the club.
Over Easter weekend 2025, one of our trips in the St James Conservation Area activated a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) due to a medical event involving a participant. The individual, with a disclosed pre-existing medical condition, was safely evacuated and received medical care. All other participants returned to Wellington safely.
While we’re pleased that our emergency response was successful and that trampers enjoyed the trip overall, this incident presented a valuable opportunity for reflection.
As part of our commitment to safety and continuous improvement, a review was conducted to understand what occurred, support those affected, and identify how we can strengthen our practices moving forward. A summary of the key lessons learned and what the club are doing to embed these is included below.
If you have any questions or concerns you would like to discuss, feel free to get in touch.
Ngā mihi nui,
Sara Harrison | Chief Guide, WTMC
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Key Lessons Learned
- Tramp as a Group, Not Alone – Club trips are group activities. Everyone, including experienced leaders, plays a role in keeping the group together and
safe. - Set Expectations Early – Trip leaders should clearly outline roles, expected pace, regrouping plans, and communication protocols before and during the
trip. - Be Emergency Ready – If you’re bringing a personal PLB on a club trip, please notify the club and ensure your trip leader has the details. If personal PLBs are additional to club PLBs on a trip, individuals must add that they are a WTMC member in the comments of their RCCNZ PLB registration and let their emergency contact know the details of the WTMC tramp.
- Communicate Proactively – Participants should feel comfortable sharing relevant medical or wellbeing concerns, gear issues, or pace challenges—early and openly—to help leaders make informed safety decisions.
What We’re Doing
To embed these lessons, the Committee has endorsed several actions, including:
- Clearly outline our expectations for those going on a trip on our website
- Refresher training and updated materials for trip leaders on leadership
- expectations, safety, PLB protocols, and handling medical disclosures (trip leader reference materials in the process of being updated)
- Strengthened club policies, including leadership and participant responsibilities
- Improved club forms to collect PLB information
- Developing an RCC call cheat sheet for emergency contacts and strengthening emergency contact availability
- Reviewing our trip grading system to better reflect pace and technicality
- Exploring ways to build a stronger feedback culture across all trips
Final Thoughts
Tramping can involve real risks, and learning from incidents is vital to keeping each other safe. The success of our club depends not just on our leaders, but on every member taking responsibility—for themselves and the wider group. Our goal remains simple: that everyone returns safely, and that our club continues to foster enjoyable, inclusive, and well-supported experiences in the outdoors.
Maybe a Garmin inreach device can be carried as well as a PLB. These allow a “text conversation” with emergency services or your contacts. We have used this when our car broke down out of cell range after a tramp. And another time to communicate amongst party members (also with inreach)during a west coast hunt. Handy, the prohibitive costs have been relaxed somewhat.
This is not a criticism of any actions of the group in the story