North Bay man becomes national Project Lifesaver instructor as interest expands
North Bay’s Project Lifesaver uses radio frequency tracking to find missing clients in under 30 minutes
Project Lifesaver, a radio frequency tracking program operating in North Bay since 2020, is expanding quickly—reaching 85 registered clients and prompting new calls for volunteers to keep up with demand.
It is unique in that it is the only way to find missing people quickly using radio frequency tracking technology.
“It is what the police prefer because we are able to know that our clients are wearing these devices 24 hours a day, and the family just has to call 9-1-1 when someone has gone missing,” explained Stan French, President BAYSAR Air Search and Rescue, North Bay.
“Our clients normally wear the transmitter on a strap that is attached to either their wrist or ankle, depending on comfort and age. So, the majority of the kids that are in the program are on the autism spectrum; because their hands are too small, they usually wear it on their ankles. But for seniors with dementia, they normally wear it on their wrist.”
Up to 80 per cent of the registered clients are children on the autism spectrum.
Since its inception, local Lifesaver volunteers have conducted a half-dozen searches.
“We’re averaging about one (missing person) a year. Every person that we have had to search for has been found in less than 30 minutes, so the program has worked tremendously well. Because of the way it is set up and how well it works, the best benefit out of the program is for the family members, just having that peace of mind and knowing that if the worst thing happens and someone goes missing, that we are able to find them so quickly,” explained French.
Daphne Lovegrove can attest to the fact that the program brings peace of mind and saves lives when a vulnerable loved one living with dementia goes missing.
“Project Lifesaver saved my husband’s life. If he hadn’t been wearing the transmitter, they told me they probably would not have found him because he had tripped in the bush and couldn’t get up. He wasn’t being observed anywhere from the roadway. He wouldn’t have survived staying overnight in the bush. He was so close to the edge of the water that if he had rolled over, he would have been in the water,” shared Lovegrove.
“All I had to do when he went missing was call the police station and explain that my husband is a vulnerable adult, and he was registered with Project Lifesaver.”
Its coverage area stretches from Verner to the west, as far east as Mattawa, with clients near South River and Restoule.
In addition to establishing an agreement with the North Bay Police Service, there is also a memorandum of understanding with the North Bay and the West Nipissing OPP.
Demand for the program is increasing, and so too are the responsibilities French has taken on.
“I have recently been elevated in status to a national instructor. So, Project Lifesaver has entrusted me to be able to instruct other agencies anywhere in Canada,” shared French.
“Last year I did the first training for the team called Bimaajitoon, the volunteer search and rescue group in Parry Sound, and there is another team in Ontario that I will be teaching probably this winter. But the latest exciting news is that there have been groups in Alberta that are looking at starting up Project Lifesaver in Calgary and near Edmonton. So, I have been asked to be the consultant for these people to look at how to start it up, and if it does come to pass, I would probably be the instructor too and go out to Alberta to help set it up.”
French says interest in the program grew there following the high-profile search for a young boy on the autism spectrum who went missing in Calgary this summer.
Tragically, the remains of 11-year-old Parker Wells, who also identified as being nonverbal, were found inside a stormwater drainage pipe system.
“The question, of course, is with Project Lifesaver, would he have been able to be found even though he was underground and in that underground system? First off, it is likely his signal would have been picked up before he got into that.”
French explains that the signal does go through concrete.
“It is not as strong, but it does go through, and we have had experiences where one transmitter was actually in a sewer system, and we knew where it was. We were getting the signal right from the road, right through the asphalt and the ground.”
When the program was first initiated locally, the original expectation was that the number of registered clients would be between 25 and 30; it has subsequently surpassed that number for a total of 85 clients.
“So, the growth has been absolutely unbelievable, and because it has been such a good service in the area, we’ve been finding that families with vulnerable people have actually moved into the area knowing that they will have this type of protection”
Without additional volunteers, the program may soon reach maximum capacity.
“A recent recruiting drive, not just for Project Lifesaver, but for ground search and rescue in general, resulted in 50 respondents requesting information about becoming volunteers. It was an overwhelming response. It was gratifying to see so many people in the public want to serve the community in that way,” shared French.
“Right now, we’re just bringing online a new volunteer in the Sturgeon Falls area, which is going to help us dramatically, cutting down on volunteer travel time there. Adding on a few more Project Lifesaver volunteers in the North Bay area would be great as well because having people who have the time to be able to do in-home visits to maintain the equipment is the limiting factor for us. Right now, adding a few volunteers will probably ensure that we can at least maintain and possibly grow a little bit more.”
Anyone with a family member who they think would be a good fit for Project Lifesaver could go on to the Basar website and learn more about how to register that individual and any costs involved.
“The fact is, the faster you find somebody, the risk is reduced dramatically for injury or death for the person who is missing,” French pointed out.
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