The Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office announced the official program launch of “Project Lifesaver” in Marlboro County.
Interim Sheriff Larry McNeil with the support of the Pilot Club of Bennettsville has partnered to bring this lifesaving technology to Marlboro County.
Six deputies have been certified as electronic search specialist instructors following a three-day training which included 15 live search and rescue operations as part of the evaluation to achieve certification.
Bringing “Project Lifesaver” to our community to help our citizens is just the start, as we hope to grow the program to include other agencies in the area and with the invaluable training we received, we are able to train and help others implement the technology as well.
Project Lifesaver is a program for Marlboro County residents who are caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease, autism or other conditions that make them likely to wander away from caregivers, or who have difficulties communicating with rescuers.
This technology uses a unique frequency programmed to each individual that the equipment we have can locate, with the range being up to 3 miles on the ground, mobile search capabilities using an alternate sonar and can be extended to a 7-mile range if used from the air. The current statistics include a 100% find rate on individuals fitted with the bracelet and over 4,000 searches completed, with the average search time of less than 30 minutes.
This is a drastic improvement based on traditional searches that can last on average 9 hours and have a cost of $2,500 per hour.
The Pilot Club of Bennettsville made the initial contribution to not only get our Deputies trained, but to allow the first twenty applicants who will be approved all of the necessary equipment at no cost for an entire year.
For transparency’s sake, this comes to about $350 per client upon initial start-up and an ongoing maintenance cost. MCSO officials said they intend to keep this program at no cost to residents so that it can be as effective as possible.
If interested in making a donation to help purchase more bracelets for clients, email Deputy Brittany Brew at Bbrew@marlborocounty.sc.gov or call 843-439-0213.
Be part of Project Lifesaver, where you can help rescuers find a loved one who has wandered away.
In order to participate in the Project Lifesaver Program, the prospective client must meet all of the following requirements: -Live within Marlboro County. -Be diagnosed by a certified physician as having Alzheimer’s disease, other dementia disorders, autism, Down’s syndrome or similar disorders. -Be known to wander away from caregiver.
Information about Project Lifesaver can be found on the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office Facebook or call the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office at 843-479-5605 or Brew at Bbrew@marlborocounty.sc.gov or 843-439-0213.