Primghar, Iowa — O’Brien County Emergency Management is promoting a new tool that they say people can take advantage of if they have a dependent loved one who is prone to wander.
O’Brien County Emergency Management Director Jared Johnson says the primary mission of “Project Lifesaver” is to provide timely response to save lives and reduce potential injury for adults and children with the propensity to wander due to a cognitive condition.
To enroll in this new program, Johnson says the person must live in O’Brien County or Sioux County. O’Brien County EMA and Sioux County EMA have formed a partnership to help offer this program in this area. He says they must be known to wander away from caregivers.
According to Johnson, you can contact O’Brien County EMA to learn more information about the enrollment process, transmitter expense, and requirements of the caregiver. The office can be reached at 712-757-4305, or you can email jjohnson@obriencounty.iowa.gov.
He tells us that clients enrolled in Project Lifesaver wear a small personal transmitter around their wrist or ankle that emits a specific FM radio frequency which can be located by Electronic Search Specialists during an incident, using special equipment. If the client goes missing, the caregiver notifies the O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office or the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office and a trained search team responds to the wanderer’s last known area.
Not to be confused with OPERATION Lifesaver, the railroad safety organization, PROJECT Lifesaver was established in April 1999 as an initiative of the 43rd Search and Rescue Company of the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office. Project Lifesaver’s mission is to use state-of-the-art technology in assisting those who care for victims of Alzheimer’s and other developmental disabilities and victims who become lost. These victims include the elderly and even the youngest in our community who are afflicted with Down Syndrome and Autism. Clients with developmental disabilities tend to wander from their homes. Project Lifesaver places personalized radio transmitters on identified persons with developmental disabilities. These transmitters assist caregivers and local emergency agencies in locating those who cannot help themselves.
Again, for more information, contact O’Brien County EMA.
