Essex County OPP undergo training on 'Lifesaver' device to help locate missing persons
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.
The federal Liberals are trending downward on three key measures while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has surpassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to the question of who Canadians would prefer now as their prime minister, according to Nanos Research.
The Vatican on Thursday responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the 'Doctrine of Discovery,' the theories backed by 15th-century 'papal bulls' that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property law today.
It's been two weeks since a major fire ripped through a heritage building in the heart of Old Montreal, killing seven people and forever altering the lives of families across the globe. For the families of those who died, the grieving process is only starting.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, in a leaked cellphone call, commiserated with a COVID-19 protester about his trial while divulging to him there was an internal dispute over how Crown prosecutors were handling COVID-19 cases.
A 15-year-old girl shot to death in the community of Martindale early Tuesday morning, has now been identified by friends and police as Sarah Alexis Jorquera.
The Canada Revenue Agency will pilot a new automatic system next year to help vulnerable Canadians who don't file their taxes get their benefits. This week's federal budget says the Canada Revenue Agency will also present a plan in 2024 to expand the service, following consultations with stakeholders and community organizations.
Fire crews remain on scene of a blaze in east London. The call came in around 1:30 a.m. for a structure fire at 720 Cabell St. near Roberts Avenue and crews immediately started a defensive fight from outside the building.
The Canadian Press has learned that Ontario has granted a three-month funding extension for doctors to provide care through virtual emergency departments.
Parents had their say at a Vimy Ridge Public School town hall as the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board addressed concerns around harassment and bullying.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
The Canadian Press has learned that Ontario has granted a three-month funding extension for doctors to provide care through virtual emergency departments.
It's been two weeks since a major fire ripped through a heritage building in the heart of Old Montreal, killing seven people and forever altering the lives of families across the globe. For the families of those who died, the grieving process is only starting.
A young man found wounded late Wednesday night in the parking lot of a shopping centre in northeast Montreal is believed to be the victim of an earlier shooting in the same area. Montreal police (SPVM) reported Thursday morning that the 18-year-old man's life was no longer in danger.
A new regulation that comes into effect Thursday in Quebec prohibits the feeding of white-tailed deer outside of hunting season, from Dec. 1 to Aug. 31, except on l'ile d'Anticosti.
Two-and-a-half years after it was established, Nova Scotia’s Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) has recommended sweeping changes to everything from gun control to mental health services, although there’s no guarantee any will ever be implemented.
The eve of the release of the final report from the inquiry into Nova Scotia’s 2020 mass shooting is a reminder for residents of Portapique of their small community’s traumatic past.
A Winnipeg judge has acquitted a now-retired 93-year-old priest of assault after a residential school survivor accused him of forcing himself on her more than 50 years ago.
A bylaw officer in Manitoba is facing fraud charges for allegedly keeping the surrender fees when people gave up their pets, according to the Brandon Police Service.
A Manitoba family has launched a lawsuit alleging their 23-year-old son had a stroke days after receiving a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, leaving him legally blind.
A 15-year-old girl shot to death in the community of Martindale early Tuesday morning, has now been identified by friends and police as Sarah Alexis Jorquera.
The Vatican on Thursday responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the 'Doctrine of Discovery,' the theories backed by 15th-century 'papal bulls' that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property law today.
A 2021 plane crash at the Westlock Airport was caused by an "unstable visual approach" to the landing runway, a Transportation Safety Board investigator has found.
Alberta's energy regulator has defended its finding that the province's largest recorded earthquake was caused by oilpatch activity, saying the pattern of temblors since last fall clearly points to a water disposal well even though there's no suggestion rules were flouted.
The Riverview Hospital itself has been closed for more than a decade, but 289 people are currently receiving treatment for mental health, addictions or both at the old site.
Essex County OPP received 10 new Lifesaver Radio Frequency receivers in Essex County, Ont. on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor)
