Project Lifesaver

Project Lifesaver is a 501 (C)(3) community based, public safety, non-profit organization that provides law enforcement, fire/rescue, and caregivers with a program designed to protect, and when necessary, quickly locate individuals with cognitive disorders who are prone to the life-threatening behavior of wandering.

The organization was founded in 1999 in Chesapeake, Virginia. The necessity of this program was determined through the correlation between cognitive conditions and the act of wandering. With the dramatic increase of cognitive conditions since the inception of the organization, the program has grown from a localized program to a program recognized internationally as a proven and effective method of “bringing loved one’s home.”

Project Lifesaver was the first to apply such locating techniques to aid in the search and rescue of individuals, and is the most widely used and proven most effective program in the nation that is specifically designed to protect the “At-Risk” populations in our communities.

The search times for certified Project Lifesaver agencies have been reduced from hours, potentially days, down to minutes. Recovery times for Project Lifesaver agencies average 30 minutes, which is 95% less time than standard operations without Project Lifesaver.

The Greensburg Police Department will be the lead agency locally for Decatur County. Over time as this program grows, we hope to involve other agencies in our county. The method relies on proven radio technology and specially trained search and rescue teams. Citizens enrolled in Project Lifesaver wear a small transmitter on the wrist or ankle that emits an individualized frequency signal. If an enrolled client goes missing, the caregiver notifies their local Project Lifesaver agency, and a trained emergency team responds to the wanderer’s area.

This program will not only target younger individuals with Autism, Down Syndrome, and Traumatic Brain Injuries; it will also be available to individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease. If anyone in Greensburg or Decatur Co. is interested in this program you can contact Officer Brendan Bridges at (812) 663-3131. At this time all equipment will be provided by the Greensburg Police Department free of charge.