2 days ago
Project Lifesaver launches in Chicopee to help locate wandering individuals
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – The Hampden County Sheriff's Department is keeping individuals with cognitive conditions safe in the city of Chicopee with a new program.
This program is called 'Project Life-Saver,' and it provides the city's most vulnerable population with a small tracking device to wear, which can be used to locate them if they get lost.
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Project Life-Saver is a safety system for those with cognitive conditions such as autism or dementia. If they wander off or get lost, which for some could be days or weeks, it helps protect them and bring them back home.
'We always want to hear the word 'rescue' and not the word 'recovery,' and that's just the blunt fact,' said Chicopee Mayor John Vieau. 'And the goal is to rescue people, and that's what we're hopeful this will help us do.'
This is a key initiative under the Hampden County TRIAD program, founded in 2021. Members of the Chicopee Police and Fire Departments completed comprehensive training to support the program.
The program requires participants to wear a bracelet that can be tracked using radio frequency in case they go missing. Lt. Greg Moss from the Hampden County Sheriff's Department explained how this helps to find them.
'We punch in their specialized radio frequency from the transponder on that, and then we go from where the person is last known, last known location,' Moss said.
This helps speed up emergency responders' search and recovery time to under 30 minutes.
'We can pick up their signal no matter where they are,' said Deputy Elizabeth Rodriguez, Triad Officer for the Hampden County Sheriff's Department. 'If they're in the water, if they're in a basement, if they're under a bridge.'
Deputy Rodriguez said this not only ensures their safety and well-being, but also brings a peace of mind to their caregivers or loved ones. Each bracelet is free and can work on a person's wrist or ankle. Families interested in enrolling a loved one is asked to call the Hampden County Sheriff's Office at (413) 858-0060.
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