Project Lifesaver will be launching in Collingwood and the Town of the Blue Mountains starting next month.
On Oct. 22, members of the Collingwood/Blue Mountains OPP, as well as representatives from The Alzheimer Society of Simcoe County signed a contract to offer Project Lifesaver in the two municipalities.
Project Lifesaver is an international program that combines the use of radio technology with a coordinated police response to efficiently locate individuals who may be lost or wandering, and there is a concern for their safety. Individuals who sign up for the program are given a transmitter to wear. If the person goes missing, OPP are then able to use radio signals to hone in on their location.
“It’s a great program that supplements our efforts to locate wandering or missing individuals,” said Const. Martin Hachey, media relations officer with the Collingwood OPP. “It works very well.”
Project Lifesaver Simcoe was launched on May 7, 2018, in Barrie through a volunteer organization operated by Kris Hughston of Hughston Insurance Solutions and Darren Buck from Cober Evolving Solutions/Georgian Bay Volunteer Search and Rescue.
The program was initiated in hopes of preventing another loss of life by a vulnerable member of the community following the tragic death of 72-year-old Mandy Thompson, who had wandered from her Barrie home due to her dementia.
On a cold February 2017 day, Thompson left her Barrie home and despite many efforts from family, police and concerned residents, Thompson’s body wasn’t located until March 2018 at an Oro-Medonte golf course.
Since launching, Project Lifesaver Simcoe expanded to be able to support individuals through partnership with the South Simcoe Police, and now will be reaching broader across Simcoe County to include the partnership with the Collingwood/Blue Mountains OPP.
“This adds another tool to our toolbox to be able to respond to missing persons,” said Hachey. “It allows us to find them a lot faster. We’re happy to have it here.”
Individuals interested in the program pay a one-time fee of $500 for a sensor. Sensors can be used for any vulnerable person, from seniors to those with intellectual disabilities or children.
For more information on Project Lifesaver Simcoe, click here.
