MUKILTEO, Wash. – If you're worried about your favorite hiker, a Western Washington man has the solution for you. He's offering space-age technology online that can save a lost person.

By the time the first search helicopters are launched, lost hikers may have spent several hours lost in the wilderness.

It could take days to find them unless they have a PLB – personal locator beacons.

"Well, this will basically save their life," said Kevin Stoltz, co-founder of an online PLB rental company.

"Tell us when you're going and sign up, and we ship it to make sure you receive it at least a day before your trip," he said.

The hiker then simply tucks the device in a pocket or pack, and activates it if lost.

"You basically just flip the antenna and rotate it up, that exposes the red button," explained Stoltz.

Pressing the red button is like shooting an emergency flare into space.

"It sends a distress signal to satellites which are orbiting the Earth monitored by NOAA. From there the distress signal and the information is transmitted to the Air Force Rescue Information Center," he said.

The rescue teams then are dispatched to the hiker's exact location.

The technology became available a few years ago and Stoltz's company offers two models – one for hikers, one for boaters. The units rent for about $60 to $70 per week and already are credited with finding a missing hiker in the Olympic National Park and another in the Grand Canyon.