Project Lifesaver tracking devices are relief to parents of kids with autism who may wander
Project Lifesaver technology is a great relief for parents of kids with autism
Project Lifesaver technology is a great relief for parents of kids with autism
Project Lifesaver technology is a great relief for parents of kids with autism
Wednesday marked the last day of Autism Awareness Month, and in Northwest Indiana, a tiny tool is providing huge relief to parents of children with autism who may be prone to wandering off.
Several local fire and police departments are signed up for a program called Project Lifesaver. The program involves distribution of a purple plastic device on a wristband, which looks like a watch — but does not tell time. It reveals location.
A first responder carries a transmitter to track the device.
"As soon as we turn it on, it starts searching for that frequency," said Crown Point Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Cusak. "We start hearing the beeps as long as that receiver is close."
The Crown Point Project Lifesaver database includes the elderly and people with autism — two groups that are prone to walking off.
"We go to the last known location of where the client was last seen, and we will start a grid based on how long they've been gone," said Crown Point Fire Department Project Lifesaver Coordinator Natalie Ferrantella.
About 30 people wear tracking bracelets in the Crown Point area of Northwest Indiana. Calls to track them may be infrequent, but Project Lifesaver did not get its name by accident.
"It just could have been so awful," said Misty Montalbano.
Montalbano's older son, Declan, has autism. He recently took off from the family's Crown Point home a few years back and wound up barefoot on a busy road.
"There's no sidewalks there. There are yards that are open with swimming pools. He loves water. Many of these autistic kids do," Montalbano said. "It was a little over 20 minutes before he was located, but it was the longest 20 minutes of my life."
Lake County, Indiana deputies told Declan's parents about Project Lifesaver that day. Declan now wears a Project Lifesaver ankle monitor.
"This stays on him 24/7," Montalbano said. "He sleeps in it, showers in it."
Declan has not wandered away again. But thousands of Project Lifesaver participants have.
At least 4,443 rescues across the U.S. are credited to the technology.
The person with the Project Lifesaver receiver follows where the signal seems strongest.
The Dyer Fire Department, 13 miles from Crown Point, is also now part of Project Lifesaver. It is one of the newest agencies in the country to offer the program to residents — for free.
"It came from the need that arose from a few instances of EMS calls where people were wandering," said Dyer Fire Chief Joe Martin. "Obviously, there was a delay in finding them. It was kind of like finding a needle in a haystack."
Expanding the Project Lifesaver network is a goal.
"The more fire departments that get involved, the more clients we can serve," said Ferrantella.
Families like Declan's are very pleased Project Lifesaver is out there.
"Being the parent of a special-needs child is a lot of anxiety," Montalbano said. "I can't even tell you how thankful I am that something like this exists."
Some people are surprised that Project Lifesaver technology is low-tech, and based on radio frequency. For this purpose, it actually works better than some popular products like Apple Watches.
The nonprofit that runs Project Lifesaver said its bands only need batteries replaced every month or so, instead of needing to be charged daily.
The devices even work underwater.
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