Front, device worn by patients in Project Lifesaver. Left, Mosquito Department helicopter that tracks patients.

WEST CAPE MAY –– A helicopter circled Les Rea’s Farm seeking the location of K-9 Officer James Peterson of the County Sheriff’s Office among the trees and brush April 29.

K-9 Officer Russ Norcross waved a mobile antenna to trace a signal emitting from Peterson’s wrist. The receiver chirps more rapidly as Pilot Lynn Hayward of the county Mosquito Department curves the helicopter in the direction of the signal to find Peterson’s location.

The recovery took only about 15 minutes, but 15 minutes can seem like an eternity when a loved-one is missing.

The purpose of this hide-and-seek rescue training is to prepare for an actual rescue mission, see how long it takes to locate someone and test communications among the pilot, patrol officers, and ground crew using cutting-edge equipment through Project Lifesaver International.

Project Lifesaver is a rescue program for wandering victims of Alzheimer’s disease and related mental disorders such as Down’s syndrome and Autism. The Cape May County Project Lifesaver program is a partnership between the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office, Mosquito Department and the Department of Aging.

Patients wear a tracking device on their wrist or ankle that emits a unique radio frequency continuously every second, 24 hours a day. The tracking signal can be detected by a mobile-locator in a rescue mission.

When caregivers notify the County Sheriff’s Office of a missing person, officers dial in the wristband’s frequency number to deploy teams specially trained in communicating with persons with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders. The radio technology assists recovery teams to positively identify and return them to their homes before they fall victim to the elements, accidents or predators.

Batteries last 30 to 40 days and each patient has a contact officer who visits them to replace it monthly.

“There’s a level of familiarity and emotional support for the patient and the caregivers who are often isolated,” said Project Lifesaver Coordinator Kelly Peterson of the Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.

The wristband device regularly costs $375 each and $15 a month to maintain, however, the cost for Cape May County residents is completely subsidized through donations from area civic groups and fundraising on part of the Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.

“Cape May County Sheriff John Callinan is very supportive of the program. While some agencies charge patients for batteries and maintenance, he wants it to be free and available for Cape May County residents so the cost is not an issue to keep them from joining,” Peterson said.

Project Lifesaver was started in 1999 by the Chesapeake, Va. Sheriff’s Office; now 1,653 patients use the program throughout the country with 353 agencies in 42 states reporting a 100 percent success rate in which victims are found alive.

New Jersey is the first state where the State Police Aviation Unit has been trained and certified with Project Lifesaver.
All equipment is interchangeable, so participants from other states are able to vacation here and maintain the program.
“Alzheimer’s patients are more likely to run when their familiar routine is disrupted,” Peterson said.

There are currently eight clients using the program in Cape May County, mostly children; Peterson said the program is beneficial to the elderly and all ages in between.

Some officers decorate the device with stars so kids feel like they have something special.

“I tell them it makes them play basketball better,” he said. He wraps the battery and tracer with plastic wrap to waterproof the device so kids can go swimming.

Project Lifesaver will not replace regular search methods but it will aid recovery missions and reduce time. Local police and K-9 officers will continue to be dispatched but, with the additional technology, most Project Lifesaver recovery missions average less than 30 minutes.

The antennae have a five to seven-mile range in which the frequency can be detected.

In the event of a missing person, ground crew would be dispatched first, starting from the place where the missing person was last seen, using a bloodhound trail.

“Project Lifesaver is an additional feature to help us reduce time and manpower for a search,” Peterson said. “Time is a critical factor because often wanderers are not cognate of the weather and are usually dressed inappropriately making them vulnerable to hypothermia and the elements,” she said.

The K-9 Unit received two $6,000 handheld infrared heat detectors though a County Emergency Management Grant that are used to look for footprints and scan forests. The infrared detectors can sense heat signatures up to 300 feet away.

The Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit would like to thank Les Rea for allowing them to use his farm for training drills.

Officers encourage those who would benefit from the program to call the County Sheriff’s Office at: (609) 465-1306, to receive information about Project Lifesaver and local resources available, or to make a donation.

Contact Truluck at (609) 886-8600 Ext 24 or at: ltruluck @cmcherald.com.