Project Lifesaver
Encyclopedia
Project Lifesaver International is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...

 founded in October 1998, by Chief Gene Saunders, regarded as the Father of, and subject matter expert on electronic tracking of persons at risk, and 2010 Presidential Citizens Medal nominee, in association with, the Chesapeake, Virginia
Chesapeake, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 199,184 people, 69,900 households, and 54,172 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.6 people per square mile . There were 72,672 housing units at an average density of 213.3 per square mile...

 Sheriff's Office. The organization was formed to develop a program for locating missing persons with dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...

, Epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...

, Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...

, autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...

, Down syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...

and other related illnesses. The program involves identifying at-risk persons of wandering by attaching a radio transmitter device to their wrist or ankle by way of a plastic or nylon wristband. The battery operated radio transmitter emits an inaudible pulse once per second, in the FCC allocated and licensed 216 MHz frequency range, that can be picked up by a receiver operated by trained and certified public safety officers.

Project Lifesaver, with offices in Florida and Chesapeake, Virginia provides training and support for public safety agencies anywhere in the world. Project Lifesaver assists agencies in establishing the program in their area, trains them to manage their at-risk clients by enrolling at risk persons, recognition of the disorders they may deal with and how to interact with them. These agencies are also trained in search techniques and use of the approved equipment. In addition, Project Lifesaver provides a secure, web based client management system for use by the agencies in the administration of their program.

Project Lifesaver utilizes radio frequency tracking technology,from several approved manufacturers, which is tested by member agencies before being approved for field use.

As of September 26, 2011, another milestone was reached with 2,436 rescues in an average time of less than 30 minutes, normally using only two to three public safety responders.

Project Lifesaver, in addition, to its recovery program, also provides training for public safety personnel in dealing with the disorders they may encounter in their daily duties. The program is also recognized as an authority on searches for persons with Dementia or other disorders, not using the Project Lifesaver program, as well as, continually researching and offering new, additional technology to assist those caregivers and agencies dealing with these situations. It has also been hailed as a tremendous community relations program, bringing public safety and the community closer together.

The program is now in over 1,200 agencies covering 46 states, three provinces in Canada, one agency in Australia and Washington, DC. The program was founded and is administered by active and retired law enforcement officers, familiar with searching for missing persons. A milestone for the program occurred in October 2009, when the Bureau of Justice Administration awarded Project Lifesaver a grant totaling over $900,000.00. A second grant has since been awarded totaling over $500,000.00. These grants will enable the program to add over 150 new member agencies, while assisting agencies, already in the program, with advanced equipment.

External links

www.projectlifesaver.org Official website
Follow us on Facebook & Twitter at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Lifesaver-International-Headquarters/149423649721
http://twitter.com/#!/ProjectLifesavr
Subscribe to our You-Tube Channel at
http://www.youtube.com/user/Plifesaver99?feature=mhum
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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