Project Lifesaver Program Helps Locate Lost Senior Citizens
Project Lifesaver has been active in Alabama since 2006. It was implemented after law enforcement officials realized that the most difficult search and rescue missions were for elderly people, and those with Dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Autism.
This is where the technology used in this program shines brightest. The patient wears a wrist band similar to a smart watch. The device can be worn around the wrist or ankle and is completely waterproof. Each band has its own unique radio frequency. When a person is lost, the frequency of their band is put into a receiver. The receiver can then search for that missing person from ground level or by air.
The range of the receiver is about one and a half miles on land, but that range increases to ten miles from the air. Officials with Alabama Law Enforcement Agency say that on average it is nine hours from the time a person is reported missing to the time they are rescued. This device shreds that time to within one hour.
So far in Alabama, Project Lifesaver has a 100 percent success rate in finding missing persons. Each sheriff department in all 67 Alabama counties participate in the program.
For information on eligibility for the project, call your local sheriff’s office, or
