The Allen County Sheriff’s Office and Lima Memorial Health System have partnered to bring Project Lifesaver to the Lima/Allen County community.
The program’s mission is to use state-of-the-art technology to search for and locate individuals who have become lost or missing, and who are unable to provide for their own safety and welfare. Project Lifesaver benefits those who are prone to wandering or becoming lost including Alzheimer’s patients, and those with Down’s Syndrome and Autism.
“The Sheriff’s Office hopes that by offering Project Lifesaver to the community, that they will help to further enhance this community’s reputation as being a community of people who put people first,” said Sergeant Brian Snider.
LMHS agrees. “We were very excited about joining this project. Not only is such a partnership between law enforcement and health care unprecedented, but more importantly, it is a partnership that is working today to make a safer tomorrow for all of Lima and Allen County’s residents,” said Michael D. Swick, LMHS president and CEO.
Once enrolled in Project Lifesaver, the client is equipped with a bracelet containing a transmitter. The transmitter is battery powered and emits a radio frequency, or RF signal, unique to that client’s transmitter. Upon becoming lost and/or missing the client’s caregiver notifies 911 of the situation and a team of trained professionals, using specialized equipment, will begin tracking the signal emitted by the client’s transmitter.
Since Project Lifesavers inception in 1999, there have been nearly 2,000 searches conducted nationwide. Out of those, Project Lifesaver boasts a 100 percent recovery with the lost person only having minor or no injuries.
