Search & Rescue (SAR) operations, in particular for victims lost in forests, is one of the challenging tasks faced by the Fire & Rescue Department Malaysia (JBPM). Based on statistics obtained from JBPM, the number of incidents of victims lost in forests has increased over the years, in particular for 2016-2021. Based on JBPM’s current abilities, the modus operandi of JBPM’s SAR teams is based only on paper maps and compasses for navigation, while communications depend on walkie talkie, which only have an effective range of 300 m in forest environments. During SAR operations, the difficulties faced include locating victims and coordinating movement of the SAR team members. Furthermore, due to inefficient communications, SAR operations tend to be time consuming, which reduces the chances of safely rescuing the victims. To this end, the Science & Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE) in collaboration with the Kuala Kubu Bharu Fire & Rescue Station (BBP KKB), JBPM developed a low cost Long Range Locator (LRL) Beacon that utilises Long Range (LoRa) communication to transmit position data from Global Positioning System (GPS) to a receiver for a range of 8 km, without depending on mobile phone coverage that is typically poor in forest environments. The communication range of the beacon can be improved using relay stations. Five trials of the beacon were conducted in strategic locations. Based on the results of the trials, it was found that the beacon is able to ease and speed up SAR operations in forests. It is also able to increase the effectiveness of SAR operations in terms of time saving, as well as workforce, equipment and logistics required. It is able to replace the present use of papers maps and compasses with more effective digital mapping. In addition, it is user friendly, easy to carry and durable.