Essex County OPP undergo training on 'Lifesaver' device to help locate missing persons

Essex County OPP received 10 new Lifesaver Radio Frequency receivers in Essex County, Ont. on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor)

Many people with autism and dementia tend to wander, the Essex County OPP now has 10 new devices to help find them.

“We really want people to be as independent as possible, but safe in their community as well,” said Rosemary Fiss, program manager for the Alzheimer’s Society Windsor Essex.

The organization helped buy 10 new Lifesaver Radio Frequency receivers.

Nine members of the Essex County OPP have been training this week on how to use the RF device.

“We certainly utilize this program to locate individuals in our community that are at risk to bring them home safer to their family as quickly as possible,” said detachment commander Angela Ferguson.

According to the Alzheimer's Society, six in 10 people with dementia will get lost at some point. Having a safety plan in place is important.

“This is a search tool, another tool we utilize that help our community members and help the caregivers have a bit of peace of mind to know we have another tool to locate them,” said Ferguson.

During an exercise the person at risk wore a transmitter that is registered with both the OPP and Windsor Police Service.

“This scenario was a child with autism departed from school and he never returned,” said const. Rob Belanger.

He and his partner were led to a park next to the Woodslee Library.

“As we got closer and walked, we switched from long range to a medium range and that told us we were in the right area,” Belanger explained.

The RF signal can be picked up easier than a GPS device.

“They might be found in a shrub or in a culvert or under a front porch so having the locating device is really helpful,” said Fiss.

It took officers about 10 minutes to find the transmitter, which was located in a play area behind the library.

Time is of the essence according to Fiss.

“Fifty per cent of people who are not found within 12 hours have an extreme risk of health as well so we really want to find people quickly,” she said.

Anyone who signs up for this project has an initial cost of $200 and a refundable security deposit of $100. It then costs $20 per month for registration.

The Windsor-Essex branch of the Alzheimer's Society helps fund the project locally every year.

“Project Lifesaver allows us to keep family members in their homes longer and to be with their families longer without having to go into a nursing home,” said OPP const. Jacquie Winand-Bacon.

She says many lives have been saved since she helped bring the program to the province in 2005.