Project LifeSaver Moves Forward
By Cathy Patton
A meeting at the County Commission Thursday morning moves the highly touted search
and rescue program Project Lifesaver one step closer to implementation in McDowell
County.
Project Lifesaver uses wrist transmitters to track individuals with cognitive disabilities,
such as Alzheimers, autism or other mental impairments.
The program, Deputy Sam Harmon said, has a 100 percent success rate. Rescues take an
average of 22 minutes and greatly decrease the expense, time and man power associated
with searches.
Harmon joined FACES Director Kathie Whitt, Martha Dalton and 911’s Teresa VanDyke
in discussing who would be best suited for the Steering and Eligibility Committees
required to implement the Project LifeSaver Program.
Representatives from Council on Aging, Adult Protective Services, Child Protective
Services, the BOE Director of Special Needs should comprise the Eligibility Committee,
Harmon said.
Steering Committee Members should have representatives from the Family Resource
Network, 9-1-1, Special Education and the three certified operators, Whitt added.
Members of the Steering Committee could come from the Eligibility Committee, Whitt
said.
In offering the support of FACES, Whitt said that she is willing to write a grant to pay for
a part-time employe to do the paperwork and documentation that is a part of the program.
Per capita, McDowell County has the highest elderly population in the country, she said.
The 2000 census, she said, lists 639 McDowell County residents as having Alzheimers.
Project LifeSaver is expected to be self-funding because participants pay a monthly fee
for the service, Harmon related. The fee varies from county-to-county, but it is likely to
be $8.50 per month here.
Harmon explained that the Sheriff’s Department is in charge of McDowell County
Project LifeSaver because of jurisdiction issues. Harmon, War Mayor Tom Hatcher and
Berwind Fire Chief Claude Adams are currently the only local certified Project
LifeSaver operators . Harmon’s long-range goal, he said, is to insure that every county
deputy, every city officer, every fire department and as many ambulance attendants as
possible become certified operators.
After he attends 16 additional hours of operator training and 40 hours of training at the
State Police Academy, Harmon said that he will be certified to teach Project LifeSaver
locally. Currently, officials from Wood County, where the program is headquartered,
teach the classes. Wood County trainers were in McDowell County in November to
provide the initial training, he said.
To implement the program, the County Commission has placed $5000 in the Sheriff’s
budget, Harmon said. The commission’s contribution will now enable the department to
order 30 more transmitters. The program currently has only 2 transmitters.
“We’ll shoot to have the transmitters here by the first of the year,” he said. “That will
give us time to get everything up and running.”
Meanwhile, Harmon said that he is available to speak to church and civic groups about
Project LifeSaver. He may be reached at the Sheriff’s Office at 436-8541.
Anyone interested in acquiring Project LifeSaver for a family member when it becomes
available in the near future may also phone Harmon now, he added.
The Project LifeSaver Committee will meet again at the County Commission, January 4
at 10 a.m.
