Pa. project pushes use of transmitters to find lost
"Lifesaver" program gets restarted
By Brian Callaway
The Morning Call
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Tim Stephens remembers searching for missing Alzheimer's patients several times during his years as a Bethlehem police officer.
Today he worries that his cousin, who struggles with the disease, could wander off and become lost as well.
"It's so distressing to the family not to be able to locate them, to find them," Stephens, now Fountain Hill's police chief, said last week.
His department and other local emergency squads are reviving a program that could help ease those fears, though.
Police, fire and rescue workers and volunteers from places such as Allentown, Fountain Hill, Upper Saucon and Coopersburg will receive training this week on how to use equipment designed to track people with Alzheimer's, autism and similar conditions who are vulnerable to getting lost.
Concurrent with the training, emergency officials and seniors advocates want area families to know about the search program, called Project Lifesaver, and sign people up.
The program uses bracelets with transmitters in them. If someone wearing a bracelet goes missing, search teams can follow a tracking signal to find them.
Project Lifesaver is used by more than 600 groups nationwide and has been credited with helping find hundreds of missing people faster.
However, it hasn't fared well in the Lehigh Valley region.
Officials from both Lehigh and Northampton counties have had the equipment for years, but haven't really used it because of worries they lack the manpower or other resources needed to effectively manage it.
After goading from some advocates, Lehigh County Sheriff Ron Rossi agreed to turn over his office's Project Lifesaver equipment for others to use.
Judith Lieberman, chairwoman of Lehigh County TRIAD, a local group that deals with senior issues, said making the Lifesaver Program active has been her top goal.
"This has been going on for three years," she said, "and it was my New Year's resolution to get it off, do or die."
The Valley has seen its share of high-profile searches over the years called because people with autism or Alzheimer's wandered off and couldn't be found.
Assistant Chief David Howells Jr. of the Allentown Police Department said city officials decided to participate in the program's new push in large part because of past experiences.
"We've had the occasion to look for Alzheimer's patients," he said, "and we've had some unfortunate experiences where we didn't get to people in time."
In March 2005, an 83-year-old man with Alzheimer's walked off from his son's Allentown home. He was found dead in Buck Boyle Park the next day.
Last year, an 11-year-old autistic boy vanished from Northampton's Canal Street Park, leading to fears he'd drowned in the nearby Lehigh River.
Searchers ultimately found him, unharmed, 13 hours later on a playground about 1 1/2 miles away. At least eight police and fire departments, two helicopters and about 100 volunteers participated.
Officials expect a relatively small number of families will join Project Lifesaver in the early months. Lieberman said she'd be happy with 10. Lehigh County TRIAD, which stands for The Right Information and Direction, is helping families interested in getting a Lifesaver bracelet. Lieberman said the bracelets could cost some families about $300, but organizers are cobbling together grants to help defray the costs for lower-income applicants.
The Western Pennsylvania Search and Rescue Development Center, a Pittsburgh nonprofit group that deals with search programs across the state, has agreed to help administer the Lifesaver Program locally.
Meanwhile, representatives from some local emergency agencies will begin training Friday in Allentown.
Howells said there's a waiting list to get into the training, and Lieberman said she hopes to help organize similar sessions later this year.
While only some of the area's emergency squads will have members trained to use the equipment, Lieberman said organizers will take applications from any family in the Valley who's interested in obtaining a bracelet.
Copyright 2008 Morning Call
By Brian Callaway
The Morning Call
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Tim Stephens remembers searching for missing Alzheimer's patients several times during his years as a Bethlehem police officer.
Today he worries that his cousin, who struggles with the disease, could wander off and become lost as well.
"It's so distressing to the family not to be able to locate them, to find them," Stephens, now Fountain Hill's police chief, said last week.
His department and other local emergency squads are reviving a program that could help ease those fears, though.
Police, fire and rescue workers and volunteers from places such as Allentown, Fountain Hill, Upper Saucon and Coopersburg will receive training this week on how to use equipment designed to track people with Alzheimer's, autism and similar conditions who are vulnerable to getting lost.
Concurrent with the training, emergency officials and seniors advocates want area families to know about the search program, called Project Lifesaver, and sign people up.
The program uses bracelets with transmitters in them. If someone wearing a bracelet goes missing, search teams can follow a tracking signal to find them.
Project Lifesaver is used by more than 600 groups nationwide and has been credited with helping find hundreds of missing people faster.
However, it hasn't fared well in the Lehigh Valley region.
Officials from both Lehigh and Northampton counties have had the equipment for years, but haven't really used it because of worries they lack the manpower or other resources needed to effectively manage it.
After goading from some advocates, Lehigh County Sheriff Ron Rossi agreed to turn over his office's Project Lifesaver equipment for others to use.
Judith Lieberman, chairwoman of Lehigh County TRIAD, a local group that deals with senior issues, said making the Lifesaver Program active has been her top goal.
"This has been going on for three years," she said, "and it was my New Year's resolution to get it off, do or die."
The Valley has seen its share of high-profile searches over the years called because people with autism or Alzheimer's wandered off and couldn't be found.
Assistant Chief David Howells Jr. of the Allentown Police Department said city officials decided to participate in the program's new push in large part because of past experiences.
"We've had the occasion to look for Alzheimer's patients," he said, "and we've had some unfortunate experiences where we didn't get to people in time."
In March 2005, an 83-year-old man with Alzheimer's walked off from his son's Allentown home. He was found dead in Buck Boyle Park the next day.
Last year, an 11-year-old autistic boy vanished from Northampton's Canal Street Park, leading to fears he'd drowned in the nearby Lehigh River.
Searchers ultimately found him, unharmed, 13 hours later on a playground about 1 1/2 miles away. At least eight police and fire departments, two helicopters and about 100 volunteers participated.
Officials expect a relatively small number of families will join Project Lifesaver in the early months. Lieberman said she'd be happy with 10. Lehigh County TRIAD, which stands for The Right Information and Direction, is helping families interested in getting a Lifesaver bracelet. Lieberman said the bracelets could cost some families about $300, but organizers are cobbling together grants to help defray the costs for lower-income applicants.
The Western Pennsylvania Search and Rescue Development Center, a Pittsburgh nonprofit group that deals with search programs across the state, has agreed to help administer the Lifesaver Program locally.
Meanwhile, representatives from some local emergency agencies will begin training Friday in Allentown.
Howells said there's a waiting list to get into the training, and Lieberman said she hopes to help organize similar sessions later this year.
While only some of the area's emergency squads will have members trained to use the equipment, Lieberman said organizers will take applications from any family in the Valley who's interested in obtaining a bracelet.
Copyright 2008 Morning Call
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