The Firefighters of the Generalitat have asked citizens to carry geolocation systems when traveling to mountain areas without mobile coverage, especially during periods of high influx such as Easter. The warning focuses on outings to high mountain environments, where an incident can become complicated in a few minutes if the exact location cannot be provided to emergency services.
The main recommendation is not to rely solely on the mobile phone. Although a device allows calling 112 even without coverage from the same operator, that communication can be easily cut off in hard-to-reach areas. If the call is interrupted, rescue teams may lose contact with the affected person, and that makes localization difficult.
Devices that can be decisive in a rescue
Jordi Martínez Barriuso, inspector of the Lleida Emergency Region, has insisted that these devices can make a difference in an emergency. "They save lives", he warned, emphasizing that in many calls the problem is not only the accident or disorientation, but the impossibility of maintaining stable communication.
The Firefighters recommend carrying satellite beacons or smartwatches with integrated geolocation. These devices allow sending distress signals and sharing the exact location even when there is no phone coverage, an especially useful feature on high mountain routes or in valleys with poor reception.
Martínez has also highlighted that the cost of these devices is assumable in comparison with their usefulness in risk situations, and has recalled that the Parc Nacional d"Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici offers the possibility of renting GPS by the day for those who do not have their own.
Recent background in the mountain
The inspector recalled the case of a couple who disappeared in December 2024 at 2,600 meters of altitude between France and Andorra. It could not be located until months later. He also cited incidents registered in the Aigüestortes National Park, where several disoriented hikers could not alert emergency services due to the lack of coverage.
That type of situations, rescue teams emphasize, forces to expand the searches and delays an intervention which in the mountains usually depends on time, on the weather and on the precision with which the last known point can be delimited.
Planning before leaving
Beyond the use of geolocators, the Firefighters insist on preparing each outing well. They recommend informing oneself about the meteorological conditions, adapting the route to the physical and technical level of the group and maintaining communication with 112 for the maximum possible time in case of emergency.
The message from the emergency services is clear for these days of greater influx in the Catalan mountains. Carrying a system that allows sending the exact position can significantly reduce response time and facilitate a rescue when the mobile phone, by itself, ceases to be sufficient.