REGINA — A rescue advocate is hopeful Project Lifesaver can expand to other major cities in Saskatchewan, including Regina.
The search-and-rescue program, which is found worldwide, including in Saskatoon, gives traceable wristbands to clients primarily with Alzheimer’s, other dementias, and younger people with autism.
“This gives families a lot of peace of mind, and we hear that all the time from people that they can just breathe a little bit easier knowing that there's some sort of backup in place if their loved one does go missing,” said Shelley Ballard-McKinlay, member of Saskatoon Search and Rescue (SSRA), the organization which brought the project to Saskatoon.
SSRA started the local Project Lifesaver in 2018, which required a large local investment, said Ballard-McKinlay.
“Through the Saskatoon Police Service Foundation, we got a $20,000 grant. And that allowed us to bring certified trainers to train our team. We also got a few transmitters and 10 receivers.”
Nearly a decade later, Ballard-McKinlay said the group now has 60 transmitters.
“It is a lot of cost, but it also takes a lot of administrative work and dedication to keep it going.”
How it works
Each wristband issued to a client contains a unique radio frequency that can be monitored by transmitters.
“If a person goes missing, we put that frequency number into the receiver, and, if within range, it makes a ping noise, just a beep, and as you get closer to the transmitter, the beep gets louder, and the receivers are directional as well,” said Ballard-McKinlay.
Each client has a caregiver, who will immediately notify the police of a missing person. Trained SSRA members will also help locate the missing individual.
Ballard-McKinlay said the wristbands have helped quickly locate missing people in several cases.
“In general, their average time to locate someone is about 30 minutes. And with very few exceptions, our experience has been right around that time.”
Ballard-McKinlay said locating people more quickly can help free up resources for Saskatoon police.
“Missing person cases can sometimes take hours, weeks or months, so it really frees their time for other needs.”
Since starting locally in Saskatoon, Project Lifesaver has partnered with roughly 140 clients.
Currently, 44 clients use the service with 60 transmitters in stock.
In the next decade, Ballard-McKinlay is hopeful other areas in the province will jump on the program.
