MOUNT FOREST – Police officials are once again singing the praises of the Project Lifesaver program, which has a 100% find rate and helped locate a missing man here just last week.
On April 29 at about 3:05am, Wellington County Ontario OPP responded to a report of a missing person from an address on Birmingham Street in Mount Forest.
Police say the missing person, a Project Lifesaver client with dementia who was wearing the GPS bracelet, was last seen at 1am.
Uniform officers searched the area with Project Lifesaver equipment, assisted by the Emergency Response Team and Wellington County OPP Canine unit.
“Officers picked up a signal with the equipment and at 4:15am the missing person was located laying down on the ground in a parking lot and unable to get up,” police stated in a May 6 press release.
“They were transported by ambulance to a local hospital as a precaution and later returned home.”
Project Lifesaver Guelph Wellington assists caregivers by helping to locate those with Alzheimer’s, autism, dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment.
Participants wear a battery-operated bracelet that sends an FM radio signal 24 hours per day. Volunteers from Victim Services Wellington visit each client once a month to change the battery.
“When a caregiver tells their local police service that a client has gone missing, trained police officers will use the Project Lifesaver equipment to search for and locate the missing person,” police stated.
“The average time it takes to find a missing person with Project Lifesaver is 30 minutes – 95 per cent less time than without.”
Project Lifesaver has a 100% find rate.
For more information contact Victim Services Wellington at 519-824-1212 ext. 7205.
