South Fayette police officers trained on Project Lifesaver
Officer Mike Blocher demonstrates the Project Lifesaver transmitter, which can track up to one and a half miles.
Officer Blocher holds the bracelets, which are given to those likely to wander off and can be tracked just over a mile.
One of the worst fears caregivers face is when their loved one – an adult or a child – wanders away.
In the next few weeks, Project Lifesaver will be implemented through the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office to help track, with a frequency signal emitted by a bracelet, an individual who goes missing.
Recently, two officers in the South Fayette Police Department earned certification to operate the system and are ready to respond when an individual – referred to as a client by Project Lifesaver – is lost.
Officers Mike Blocher and Bryan Monyak spent two days in mid-September in training sessions. There are about 40 certified responders in Allegheny County affiliated with 16 police departments. The system is expected to be operational by the end of October, said Tom Swan, deputy district attorney in Allegheny County.
The South Fayette Police Department was selected to participate because of its location in southern Allegheny County, said police Chief John Phoennik.
Swan said the project is funded completed through drug forfeiture money and does not involve any taxpayer dollars. The service is free to the clients and their families. Currently, about 40 clients are registered with about half of those elderly and the other half with some type of cognitive disorder, Swan said.
The response has been so great, Swan said he had to order additional bracelets.
Blocher and Monyak will be on call around the clock.
The concept is relatively simple – a client is fitted with a thin white bracelet, usually worn on the dominant wrist to make removing the bracelet more difficult, Blocher said. The bracelet holds a small transmitter operated by a battery that is set to a distinctive radio frequency. If the client wanders away, the caregiver notifies the district attorney’s office and the emergency responders are notified.
“If they wander, we put their (radio frequency) in the receiver and we hear a chirp,” Blocher said as he demonstrated the receiver in Phoennik’s office. “The louder (the chirp) is, the closer they are.”
The receiver’s range is up to a mile and a half.
“If they wander, we go to the last location where they were seen and we do a 360 (degree turn) until we hear a chirp,” Blocher said.
Once a chirp is received, the responders follow an almost grid-like area until the chirp is louder.
“When we get closer, we like to have the caregiver near as well,” Blocher said.
The receiver works on a nine-volt battery with an extra battery available when the responders are in the field.
Phoennik, who has a 53-year-old sister with special needs and knows the importance of providing every level of protection and security, said when he was approached by Swan he jumped at the chance to help.
According to Project Lifesaver’s website, the nonprofit organization was founded in 1998. Its motto is “Bringing Loved Ones Home” and lists offering added protection to those with autism, Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s, dementia or other cognitive conditions.
For more information, caregivers or guardians may call Swan at 412-350-4401. If the client is eligible, the name will be placed on a waiting list until additional bracelets are received.