Project Lifesaver to benefit those with special needs

By Ed DiOrio

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    GREENSBURG, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — Project Lifesaver is now available for families throughout Westmoreland County.

The nationwide effort uses radio frequencies to locate missing people with conditions such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism, and Down syndrome.

“There’s no other technology available to caregivers for free that they can use for their loved ones,” Westmoreland County public safety spokesperson Cassandra Kovatch said. “About three years ago, we started the process of writing the grant for [Project Lifesaver] and applying. The Department of Justice asked if we wanted $150,000 to start it off, and we took the $150,000 to get it up and running.”

First response units in North Huntingdon, Greensburg and Penn Township, among others, now offer Project Lifesaver.

“We wanted residents, regardless of which municipality they live in, to be able to apply for the program and to be able to be a part of it,” Kovatch said. “There was a lot of work on the back end. We wanted to make sure that we had all the right agencies on board to make sure that we could implement this and have it be successful.”

The operation is more dependable than other options.

“This works off of the radio frequencies, which is way more reliable than the GPS that can be impacted,” Kovatch said. “It depends on the weather conditions and terrain. If it’s foggy or rainy, that can impact it. If you’re in an area with valleys and hills, that can impact it.”

The person with a special need wears the wristband all the time. It’s waterproof and feeds a signal back to a receiver. The receiver and antenna on top of cars work in tandem.

If the receiver is pointed in the right direction of the missing person, the beep is loud. If it’s in the wrong direction, it gets quieter.

The frequency of how often authorities could use this tech may surprise you.

“We have several searches each month that come in that we dispatch out for,” Kovatch said. “There’s a need out there, especially in Westmoreland County with our aging population and those who might be more prone to Alzheimer’s or dementia, or even within our county for those with special needs.”

“It happens very frequently,” said Dr. Rebecca McGee, student services director of the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit. “It’s not at all rare for children, both typically functioning children and children with disabilities, to wander off from where they’re supposed to be. In the case of a child with a disability — say, autism — they might be writing on something that they want to go outside to see.”

McGee has worked with people on the spectrum for decades. She said that wandering off has led to some scary situations.

“We have had students who have wandered out of their homes in the middle of the night, and it’s ended up in a 12- or 16-hour search,” McGee said. “There are so many different reasons. And unfortunately, many children with severe autism are unable to communicate effectively.”

While the operation started this week, there’s already a demand for it.

“Since we launched yesterday, we’ve already received 10 enrollment forms of individuals trying to sign up their loved ones,” Kovatch said. “We got it out to a lot of the other human service agencies and special education directors at all the school districts. We’re really trying to get the word out so that those who could benefit from this know about it.”

The beeping could lead to not just missing people, but also relief for their loved ones.

“Not only is it going to bring peace of mind for the caregivers, it’s going to help law enforcement save their manpower and their time,” Kovatch said. “It should really make the residents of Westmoreland County feel good to know that there are so many agencies and organizations out there that want to do the best for them and that want to bring this type of program to their loved ones.”

As of now, there are 100 wristbands available. However, there were leftover funds from the DOJ grant. Those could be used to buy more. It depends on the demand.

If you know someone who could use a Project Lifesaver wristband, we have enrollment information here.

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