Frequently Asked Questions:

What is this guide for?

The aim of the Pilot Safety Info card is to help pilots get help as fast as possible, in the event of an accident or incident in the Roldanillo area.

It is designed to streamline communication between pilots and the Bomberos, and provide them with the information they need to be able to find you.

If you have an accident whilst flying and need medical assistance, the quicker you can get help to arrive, the better for you.

Who are the Bomberos?

The local Bomberos (Firefighters) are a mostly volunteer run organisation based in Roldanillo (as are all the firefighters in Colombia). They are primarily the people that will be helping rescue you, in the event of an incident/accident. They will also contact other stations if you are not in their area (Toro/San Francisco/Zarzal for example).

What should I do in case of an accident / incident?

Follow the steps on the card, I.e:

Tell the Bomberos – Who you are, your coordinates, and if you require medical assistance or not.

If you are ‘just’ stuck in the trees but not injured– they will still help you, if you cannot get down safely by yourself. Its better to ask for help, than to risk falling a long way from a tree. Depending on where you are, its possible locals may come to help you first.

If it seems you don’t have enough phone signal for whatsapp, send an SMS to the number. Send a Whatsapp message as well – you might have weak or intermittent internet signal, so it might just take a little longer to get through.

Try calling on the radio – if you can’t make contact directly with the Bomberos, because the radio is out of reach, its still possible that someone in the air is able to relay your message, or someone from one of the take-offs (El Pico, AguaPanela have radios switched to 145.700)

Finally, if you cannot reach them by either of those methods, and are injured, then call 112 (emergency services) – This will put you through to an operator in Cali, who in most cases will contact the Bomberos themsleves.

I had a tree landing / reserve throw / other type of incident whilst flying but I don’t need help, what should I do?

If you are absolutely certain you do not need help (medical or otherwise), then it would still be courteous to let the Bomberos know your position and that you are ok.

It’s very possible that if someone else from the air saw you throw your reserve, or they flew past a reserve in a tree, they contacted the Bomberos themselves to notify them.

What should I do if I witness an accident from the air?

If you see an incident from the air, you can also use the same channels to report it, as long as it is safe to do so. Please only state the facts of what you saw, and if it is reasonably obvious that they require medical assistance (or not) – You saw a pilot spiral to the ground and didn’t throw their reserve – it would be fair to assume they need medical help. Use your common-sense.

Is there a helicopter Rescue?

There is no helicopter available for rescue in the Valle de Cauca

Are there any limitations or other things I should know?

Needless to say, the Bomberos are interested in preservation of life and helping you – they are not there to help you get your glider/reserve out the trees if it is not accessible. They have many other demands on their time, including other pilots that may need emergency medical help.

If your reserve or glider is in-accessible, you’ll need to figure that out for yourself.

General advice

Many other things should go without saying, but in essence:

Be a responsbile pilot.

Accidents can happen, but at least make it easy for the people that might be rescuing you to find you. Use a satellite or mobile phone tracker. Make it publicly available. Make it easy for people to find you if you need help. When you land, bundle up your glider so that pilots in the air don’t think an accident has occurred if it hasn’t. Check-in with your friends / flying buddies when you land.

Is everyone accounted for?

If you don’t have a satellite tracker, consider signing up for a livetrack24.com account and using an app that tracks to that whilst flying (XCGuide for Android, FlySkyHy for Apple for example).

Take the link for your own profile page and keep it saved somewhere accessible on your phone in case you need it.

Use an app on your phone that can tell you your coordinates at any given time.

Safe flying and happy landings to all.