Project Lifesaver

By Erika Westbrook
Project Lifesaver, a program now being used by the Wood County Sheriff Department, assists families and caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s, Autism, Down’s syndrome, Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and other related disabilities that may tend to cause individuals to wonder away and become confused or lost.

The program relies on proven tracking technology, combined with specially trained search-and-rescue teams, to return wandering adults and children to their loved ones. Each wristband emits a unique pulse carrier-wave radio-frequency tracking signal. When a participant is reported missing, a specially trained search-and-rescue team from the Sheriff’s Office responds to the wanderer’s area with the mobile locator tracking system. In areas where this system has been used, search times have been reduced from hours and days to minutes, which can mean the difference between life and death. The national average rescue time using Lifesaver is under 30 minutes.

Before Project Lifesaver, the only option available to locate these individuals was to conduct an extensive, costly and potential lengthy search that often involved hundreds of personnel from law enforcement agencies, fire departments and rescue squads. These searches could take up to several days or even weeks.

Project Lifesaver was established in April 1999 as an initiative of the 43rd Virginia Search and Rescue Company of the Chesapeake, Virginia, Sheriff’s Office, and is built on the work of the Stokes County (NC) Mountain Rescue program, which pioneered the use of special equipment and procedures to locate lost and wandering patients with mental disorders.

The Arc of Wood County is serving as the lead agency for program administration and fiscal matters. For more information, or to contribute to the program, please contact The Arc at 422-3151, ext. 107.