Here is a really useful PSA eta OR MAYBE NOT

I've seen this all over the internet ... if you have service to change your voicemail message, CALL EMERGENCY SERVICES (911).
Here's a copy/paste:

Okay, I feel the need to talk about a recent viral post that's making the rounds... you've probably seen it, possibly shared it. It seems to be popping up in some of the most dangerous places to spread this sort of misinformation (hiking groups, outdoor groups, missing-persons groups, etc.)
To wit:
"PSA - If you are ever lost while hiking, get stranded with a broken down car, etc and you notice your cell phone is either low on juice or has no signal, here is a tip that very well may save your life.
Change the voicemail on your phone to a message that gives your approximate location, the time, the date, your situation (lost, out of gas, car broken down, injured, etc) and any special instructions such as you are staying with the car, you are walking toward a town, etc.... The best part of this is that even if your cell phone dies or stops working, voicemail still works, so anyone calling your phone looking for you will hear the message and know where to find you or where to send help."
So let's stop and think about this for a moment and then dissect it.
"If you are ever lost while hiking, get stranded with a broken down car, etc..."
The first thing you should do is PHONE FOR HELP.
911 is a good place to start if you're lost (don't try calling SAR directly; call 911 and they will dispatch accordingly). Roadside assistance is the call of choice if you're broken down, or at the very least a mechanic buddy).
"...and you notice your cell phone is either low on juice..."
In that case, make the best use of what juice you have left and call 911 or roadside assistance. Duh?
"...or has no signal..."
In this case, you aren't calling anyone, so...
"Change the voicemail on your phone to a message that gives your approximate location, the time, the date, your situation (lost, out of gas, car broken down, injured, etc)..."
Okay, first of all, if you have no signal... YOU CAN'T CHANGE YOUR VOICEMAIL. The voicemail system resides with your cell provider. To change your outgoing message, you have to CALL IN to your voicemail and then navigate the menus, record a new greeting, confirm the new greeting, etc. etc. YOU CANNOT DO THIS WITH NO SIGNAL.
Second, if your battery is low... DON'T WASTE TIME AND BATTERY CHANGING YOUR VOICEMAIL. CALL FOR HELP.
"...and any special instructions such as you are staying with the car, you are walking toward a town, etc..."
Okay, if you're lost or broken down and you've called for help (assuming you have signal and battery)... STAY WHERE YOU ARE. Don't start walking. Don't change your position one inch. This is one of the biggest frustrations for any search-and-rescue group, trying to find someone who's not where they said they were, trying to nail down a moving target. STAY PUT.
So you're panicked and somehow have the idea that changing your voicemail is a better option than CALLING FOR HELP (again, assuming you have signal and battery), it's even more imperative to STAY WHERE YOU ARE. Hours later when your roommate realizes you're overdue and tries calling and gets the voicemail message with your location... it's kind of a good idea to actually be AT that location when they finally dispatch SAR to come save your ass.
"The best part of this is that even if your cell phone dies or stops working, voicemail still works, so anyone calling your phone looking for you will hear the message and know where to find you or where to send help."
And once again: if you have the signal and battery to change your voicemail... YOUR FIRST CALL SHOULD BE FOR HELP, then SAR or RA will already have your location... HOURS before anyone thinks to try calling and listening to your voicemail instead.
If, once you've done everything else (ie. CALLED FOR HELP... assuming you actually have signal) you THEN want to change your voicemail... go for it, I guess? I mean, it can't hurt anything at that point. Unless maybe SAR or RA needs to get back in touch and now can't because you've wasted the last of your battery changing your voicemail.
Some have argued that you can still do this before heading out so people will know where you are. Well...
What are you going to list for your location? Where you are now? Where you're planning to be? So someone trying to call hours later will know where you MIGHT be at one specific time? Not to mention, anyone who calls for any other reason will be listening to that message (like your dentist calling five minutes after you're out of signal to confirm your appointment next week- "Uh, hi Mr. Ion, if you make it back alive, can you just let us know whether you'll be in next Tuesday for your root canal?").
Why not just follow regular SAR recommendations of texting or emailing your plans to a couple of contacts before you go? Or using the BC AdventureSmart app to log your travel plans? Or even leaving a Post-It Note on the fridge? How about carrying satellite communication (Zoleo, InReach, Spot, or any of a half-dozen other messenger devices) or a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)? You know, some kind of alerting device that WILL work anywhere without signal?
At the end of the day... PLEASE stop spreading this stupid "PSA" post. It's nonsense, and it's potentially dangerous. People should be thinking about how to properly prepare for their outings IN ADVANCE... not heading out spur-of-the-moment with the notion that "it's okay, if I get in trouble, I can just change my voicemail!"
Just stop it.
That is all.
​

I completely agree with Megan. I’ve seen this pop up a few times in the past few days. If your phone is that low, TEXT that information to several people. A text takes less battery power AND less of a signal to go out. Then call 911 and immediately give your name and location. Don’t waste a lot of time explaining why you are calling. If your phone goes dead, at least they will have the location of where to look for you.

This is especially important because no one listens to your voice mail message anymore. No one leaves a message to call back and no one checks voice mail. This is ESPECIALLY true of younger generations. (Well, i do, but I’m old!) And yes, we should be teaching our younger generations to leave a note if they are going off alone somewhere. I did it way back in the 90s when DH was deployed and I was just going to the mall for the day.

It also assumes that you are somewhat close to “civilization”. Rarely are we hiking where people have cell service. I always make sure to tell a few friends and my parents when we go off grid.

The original PSA is most likely written by someone who lives in the city and rarely goes where there is no service.

Better to always carry a charger in your car or battery pack to charge with. That’s assuming you have service where you are,

When I got this, I thought, "Who can remember how to change the greeting message? I'd use all my power figuring out how to do that!"

Good point--call 911 or text someone.... Around here, our 911 service can accept text messages, but I realize that is not the usual case.

and all of this could be ignored if people learned the principles of Leave No Trace. the first principle is plan--leave a plan in your car. tell someone where you are going and when you plan to come back. plan for no cell service. have a map, on your phone, and physically. turn on a tracker app on your phone.. you can follow it back.

if it is a hike, or a wander around the woods.. bring those ten essentials.

Do you have a particular tracker app you can recommend? I got lost in the park 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 when the walking trail opened to ballfields. I wasn’t in any danger, but couldn’t find my way back to my car without a little help from a police officer. I tried using my GPS but ended up walking in circles. My walk was twice as long as anticipated so I got a little nervous. A tracker app could have prob helped me.

That sounds like a good safety! Can he use it to get back to where he started too?

I like the idea of texting where you are and then calling 911 - I admit I have no idea how to change my message - I don't think I even added one on my cell LOL. I think texting and then 911 is better because it takes less energy and 911 puts you on hold and since its a cell may not even register with the correct 911 service. Had that happen to someone recently and it went to another city.

i use RunKeeper for every single run, walk and hike. It plots my route no matter if I have service or not.

Plus bonus is you can sync it to city strides which will creat a life map for you of every singly street, trail etc you have ever walked. It’s neat.

twice while hiking ive actually had to use it to find my way back to car(even with a paper trail map) - it was just super confusing - it’s reassuring to have your route mapped for you / trails can be confusing

I used to leave a note in my apartment in college..I lived alone, and I would put a note of where I was going, when expected back, because I had visions that if I disappeared no one would know where to start looking. (in 1977--no cell phone to track).

My mom still likes us to call or text when we are leaving town and when we get to our destination, no matter what time. I’m 48 I should set it so she can track us on our trips.