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.