Police are urging people who head into bushland to be aware of where they are following two recent rescue incidents.

A hiker became disorientated over the weekend and was unable to be found by emergency services, before finding his way back onto the Mountain Creek Carpark where rangers were stationed.

Senior Constable Peter Ribbott says this is in contrast to a recent rescue of a mountain biker on One Tree Hill, who provided accurate details.

“We were able to sort out an access road to the person and get emergency services to the person and extract them,” Ribbott said.

“Had we not been provided the details it would’ve taken longer to get to that person.”

The mountain-biker, who was one of a group of riders, was able to give emergency services a precise location using ‘What 3 Words’ from an emergency location app on his phone.

AFP SAR Specialist, Acting Sergeant Andy Craig said the difference between the rescues showed the value of taking a few simple measures.

“These two rescues, while both in relatively remote ACT areas, were quite different from the outset,” Acting Sergeant Craig said.

“For the first one, we knew where the injured cyclist was, and we were able to get accurate information about their condition because they were not alone. This sped up the response considerably.

“The second incident was made more difficult because the hiker couldn’t tell us where he was in the dark, and nobody knew he was running late.

“A few small steps could have made a large difference. Little things like wearing appropriate clothing, carrying extra food and water, and not going alone are a good start. And having a smartphone or another device that can determine your accurate location can save hours if someone has to find you.”

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