When an elderly Putnam County resident went missing earlier this month, sparking a brief Silver Alert before being found, it only highlighted the fragility of those most vulnerable in the county, according to Chris Schafer.
The Chief Deputy of Putnam County CERT and Program Coordinator for Putnam County Project Lifesaver said those with Alzheimer's, Dementia, Autism, Down Syndrome and any other cognitive condition that is often coupled with a strong propensity to wander and inability to find their way home on their own are those that are in need of Project Lifesaver the most.
According to Schafer, Project Lifesaver is an advanced search and rescue program specifically designed to locate those at most risk of wandering and not being able to find their way home.
"Project Lifesaver places a transmitter about the size of a watch, on their wrist or ankle. This includes a band that cannot be removed by anyone other than a "Project Lifesaver" Member. This transmitter is programmed to a unique radio frequency assigned to each client - no two are the same. The transmitter emits a signal every 2 seconds and is only detectable by hand held receivers operated by the Project Lifesaver team. This signal can be detected up to 2 miles away. The best part of this is that we do not need to rely on making visual contact to find the transmitter or the person. The transmitter signal picked up by the receivers will direct the team first to the direction that the signal is coming from, then to the exact location as the search party moves closer to its location. Imagine doing a search in a wooded area or corn field or anywhere with obstructions or places where people can be concealed. Unless you're right up on that person's location, you will likely not see them. That causes long search times and searching in areas where the missing person isn't," Schafer told The Putnam County Post.
However, with Project Lifesaver, those missing can be found much faster, according to Schafer.
"Project Lifesaver technology allows us to find these people much faster, within minutes of when the signal is detected. For those primary caregivers of loved ones who are prone to wandering, this is a huge help in the reduction of the terror they face when they think their loved one has gone missing. And it is free to anyone in Putnam County," Schafer said.
The incident this month was the second incident where a person went missing.
However, Schafer notes there was a sharp contrast between the two incidents.
"The missing person in May went missing at night, in the woods, in very rough terrain. He was a Project Lifesaver client, so he had the transmitter on his wrist. It took only 12 minutes to locate him in the dark, in the woods, in the cold. Between the two searches for elderly persons this summer, this would have been a much more dangerous situation because of the temperature, terrain, and exposure to water during the time he went missing. Because he had the transmitter, he was located in just minutes using the Project Lifesaver Receiver," Schafer said.
The most recent case was not a Project Lifesaver client, according to Schafer.
"She went missing in the evening during the summer when it was warm out. The weather was not dangerous at the time, but had it been during the day, the temperatures and humidity would have played a more dangerous part. She was not a Project Lifesaver client, so her search began around 8 pm at night and she wasn't found until after 10 am the next day. She spent all night outside, even though searchers were looking for her. When she was located, she was dehydrated. She ended up being found in an area that was previously searched hours before. The difficulty with standard searches is that they take a lot of manpower and a lot of time. It is hard to search in large areas when you don't know whether she may be there or not, so you look in places she isn't. It's kind of like a needle in a haystack and is often unsuccessful, in spite of all of the skilled search resources that are deployed. Add weather elements that could severely impact the ability to survive, and it is a very dire situation," Schafer said.
Schafer said Project Lifesaver is looking for anyone in Putnam County who needs the program to help protect a loved one.
"We offer it free of charge to ensure that no one who needs it is excluded because of the ability to pay. Enrollment takes only about a half hour once the forms are completed by the primary caregiver. Help is available for all of you primary caregivers of those who wander. The program works. It really is lifesaving," Schafer said.
For more information on the program, contact Schafer at damage@pccert.com or by calling 317-341-5630.
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