Project Lifesaver program reports three recoveries in Pottawattamie County

POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY, Iowa - A program designed to help first responders find people at risk of wandering has been used in five call-outs and has helped locate three people since it began operating in Pottawattamie County, officials said during an episode of “Pottawattamie County Routes.”

The program uses battery-powered transmitters worn by participants who have cognitive conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, autism or other developmental challenges, according to public information from Pottawattamie County and the city of Council Bluffs. When a participant is reported missing, trained responders use receivers tuned to the person’s radio frequency to search for the signal.

Sgt. Aaron Soucie with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department, said the local program has grown to 44 or 45 clients, with two more expected to be added and the possibility of two additional clients within the month. He said two of the five call-outs ended when family members found the person before first responders arrived.

Captain Dan Morris with the Council Bluffs Fire Department, said the size of the need in the county has been eye-opening.

“I didn’t realize the scope of the need,” Morris said. He added the program serves children with autism and older adults with dementia or other memory-related conditions who may leave caregivers and become difficult to find.

Soucie said the technology is intentionally simple. “It doesn’t need internet. It doesn’t need cellular,” he said. “It’s just a very simple FM ping that goes out.”

That simplicity is important in rural areas where cellphone coverage can be unreliable, the officials said. Participants wear transmitters that use radio frequencies, and responders expand search areas from the person’s last known location until they detect the signal.

In one case, Morris said an elderly client had been gone for an unknown period of time, possibly from one hour to eight hours, before responders were called. He said searchers found the person in 29 minutes from the first call. Another recovery took less than 20 minutes.

Project Lifesaver was launched locally by the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office in partnership with the Council Bluffs Police Department and the Council Bluffs Fire Department. The program is intended for people who are at risk of wandering and who have a full-time caregiver able to check the transmitter daily and report immediately if the person is missing.

Soucie adds the program is offered at no cost to families and depends on donations to cover equipment, batteries, training and expansion. Continued community support is needed for long-term program costs.

Fred Gasch is a member of Cobia Lodge #631, and said Council Bluffs Masonic lodges became involved after learning about the program. He noted the lodges wanted to help promote Project Lifesaver and support its reach into rural parts of the county.

A public forum on the program is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, August 25th, at Friend’s Hideaway in Underwood.

Gasch said the meeting will include complimentary food and drinks and a presentation by public safety representatives. He added organizers hope families who may need the service will attend and ask about applying.

“It would make my whole day if just one family said I need this,” Gasch said.

Morris said the program’s daily contact with families has also helped first responders build familiarity with participants, with some children who were initially apprehensive now recognizing responders during battery changes and other program contacts.

Officials are unsure of how many county residents could qualify for the program. Morris said the number is difficult to estimate because it would involve medical information and because not every applicant is necessarily a good fit.

Still, Morris said recent enrollment shows the program is likely not reaching everyone who could use it. He commented that one neighborhood produced several applications after families learned about the service through word of mouth.

People seeking enrollment information may contact the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office or apply through the local Project Lifesaver page at https://www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/2616/Project-Lifesaver.