Bit of a side track about what SPOT might have done for these ladies. I think we all agree, these four women should have done everything possible to make sure the SAR mission was called off as soon as possible. It's possible they didn't have cell coverage after they made the first call for help. It's also possible that they called 911 again as soon as they could, but other hikers got the word out first (seems unlikely). Climbing a peak to get service was probably not a good idea with all the smoke around. We just don't know how much effort they put into getting another 911 call out to cancel the SAR mission. That seems to be the crux of the matter.
The take-a-way lesson here, as I see it, is to head back out of the wilderness while trying to call 911 to get this resolved before resuming your hike or doing anything else for that matter. And Steve's point about SPOT is clear. I have a simple Personal Locator Beacon that only sends one message and my GPS coordinates to a government center. I was planning on an upgrade when the battery expires in a few years, might have to rethink that plan.
