Riverside, CA
(January 12, 2009)

On February 1, 2009, the LEOSAR satellite system will be decommissioned, leaving an estimated 180,000 aircraft in the U.S. virtually undetectable by 121.5 MHz emergency locator technology (ELT) signals. To address this critical need in search and rescue (SAR) success, Firestorm Emergency Services Ltd. (fsems.com) announces the launch of Tigerstrike^TM, a next generation software driven hand held device now being released on the market.

Developed by search and rescue professionals with more than 65 years of combined experience in SAR operations, TigerstrikeTM is a versatile receiver, able to detect multiple frequencies with the most advanced computer chip technology as well as the latest HB9CV antenna system, which is far more sensitive than traditional antenna designs. It also features SignalSmart^TM technology, which effectively lowers the earth’s ambient noise floor to allow for greater, more precise signal detection, often without the triangulation, or multiple signal readings, required by existing ELT signal detectors.

“Tigerstrike^TM represents a quantum leap forward in search and rescue ground team mission efficiency at a critical time in history with the loss of the LEOSAR satellite system,” says Firestorm President Bob Miller. “The need is so dramatic here in the United States that government and military agencies have already started purchasing TigerstrikeTM before they were even made available to the public.”

The Tigerstrike^TM combines the most advanced applications in GPS and signal detection technology—a horizon and inclination reading from a single fixed location is all that is often required to pinpoint an ELT within 0.1 degrees accuracy. This location is then sent cellularly to the mission base, as well via Blue Tooth to the handheld ultra mini PC equipped with Delorme X-Map topographical software, immediately providing SAR teams with critical topographical and route information.

“This technology can effectively save state and local agencies tens of thousands of dollars per mission in their search and rescue budgets,” says Miller. “But more importantly, Tigerstrike^TM will save precious minutes and countless lives, especially among those aircraft no longer detected by the LEOSAR satellite system.”