Sault police credit app for helping find missing hiker
When technology works as designed, it can be helpful and police in Sault Ste. Marie say the free What 3 Words app helped save a missing hiker on the weekend.
Police said they received an emergency call around 5 p.m. on Sunday from a hiker who was lost on the Voyageur Trail, north of Sixth Line.
Dispatchers with 911 were able to pinpoint the person's exact location using the information provided by the app, which divides the world into three-metre squares that each have a unique combination of three words.
"The hiker was told to maintain their position and wait for officers," police said in a news release Tuesday morning.
"Two members of the emergency services unit attended the area using All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and were able to quickly locate the lost hiker and return them safely."
While northern Ontario is ripe with wilderness to explore, police remind adventurers to stay on marked and approved trails, stick to trails according to skill level and make sure to let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.
"Have a cell phone with you and ensure it is charged so you can call for help if you happen to get lost," police said.
The app will still work even if you are offline.
"Without phone signal, the app functions the same as when you have no data connection: you can view the location of any what3words address you enter. You can also navigate to it using compass mode," the app's website says.
"To share a what3words address over the phone or in a text message you need phone signal. To load maps, or share in other apps or social media, you need a data connection."
More on how it works here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.