OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said it’s common to see elderly residents and children or adults with disabilities wander away which is why they are using the “Project Lifesaver Program” to locate missing residents faster and safely.
“This aids the sheriff’s office search specialists with locating the victim in an event they become lost. The average rescue time losing project lifesaver is approximately 30 minutes which in the past it’s taken hours to locate a missing person. Sometimes days,” Sheriff Marco Lopez said.
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Project lifesaver consists of a bracelet with a radio frequency device that helps deputies or a search specialist with locating the missing person.
According to the sheriff’s office, most who wander are found within a few minutes from home and search time has been reduced from hours and days to minutes using the bracelet.
The program is cost-free for all residents.
“We do have a lot of older people that are retiring here, and dementia is real so just putting some of these bracelets on them, getting them involved in this program could potentially make the difference between life and death,” Lopez said.
Click here to find more information on how to join the program.