First responders shared a spicy rescue that occurred in northwest Washington state last Wednesday. The King County Sheriff’s Air Support Unit responded to a rescue request on Jan. 22 after receiving a SOS alert from an Apple Watch worn by a backcountry skier. As they flew a helicopter to the coordinates, rescuers only knew that a male skier had been injured after a 1,000-foot fall near Union Peak in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

　　The King County rescue team arrived just after sunset and found steep terrain that made it difficult to extract the injured skier. During the rescue, the team learned that a second skier was also injured and couldnt walk. So the team airlifted both injured skiers, along with the Rescue Specialist who lowered down from the helicopter to facilitate the rescue.

　　The incident was documented in a 7-minute video posted to YouTube by the King County Sheriff’s Air Support Unit.

　　Play Apple Watch SOS: A Newish Feature Apple added emergency SOS features to new-model iPhones starting in 2022 with the iPhone 14. Basically, the tool allows owners of iPhones 14, 15, or 16 to contact emergency services when their cell service isn’t working and they’re out of range of Wi-Fi. Apple said it spent years to make the SOS feature a reality, which could threaten the market dominance of longstanding alternatives like Garmin inReach.

　　Some reports have suggested the feature has already saved lives, such as this stranded Alaskan snowboarder in December 2022.

　　The newer iPhones also offer Fall Detection and Crash Detection modes, which can automatically send an SOS signal in the event of an accident that incapacitates the user.

　　However, those modes may have a tendency to make unnecessary 911 calls, The New York Times reported in 2023. Sometimes, sudden falls or movements can result in emergency SOS messages. Thats because a car crash or sudden fall will trigger a 20-second countdown. If a user doesnt respond or realize whats happening, the SOS goes out to authorities.

　　Its possible to deactivate those features. But if youre relying on them for backcountry safety like the skiers rescued in Washington last week — youll want to make sure theyre turned on.

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