Project Lifesaver is sponsored by the King County Sheriff's Office through the King County Search and Rescue (volunteer) Association.

Each year, volunteer groups along with Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue personnel respond to numerous incidents involving lost or injured individuals. When a person who has a disease or other ailment that affects memory or judgement wanders from safety, a full-scale search is launched. With the introduction of Project Lifesaver, a search that might have taken days may now be successfully concluded quickly.

Each Project Lifesaver client wears a one-ounce electronic bracelet that emits a unique radio signal 24 hours a day. If the person wanders, a call to 911 by the caregiver triggers a rapid response by a trained team within King County Volunteer Search and Rescue. Under the direction of the Sheriff’s Office, a search is started to locate that client’s unique radio signal as soon as possible. At this time, a grant from the Washington State Search and Rescue Council is paying for 30 bracelets and three tracking devices.

King County is one of 19 counties in Washington State to join the program, which was started in 1999 in Virginia. Agencies using Project Lifesaver have reduced search time dramatically. Searches that lasted hours and utilized dozens of search and rescue personnel are now accomplished in under an hour by small specialized teams, and fatalities have been reduced significantly.

If you have a loved one or know someone who could benefit from involvement in Project Lifesaver, please contact the King County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit at (206) 406-2607.

If you would like to make a donation or become involved in the project please contact KCSARA:
KCSARA, Project Lifesaver
7300 Perimeter Rd South Rm. 143, Seattle, WA 98108
Project Lifesaver Information Line: (206) 406-2607
Web Site: http://www.kingcountyprojectlifesaver.org*
Email: info@kingcountyprojectlifesaver.org

The Alzheimer’s Association of Western Washington endorses and supports Project Lifesaver. We recognize that this new technology will provide an important safety net for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias in our community.

Being a personal caregiver for someone else is a difficult task; the responsibility is enormous and can be draining. The situation can be dramatically intensified when the person that is being cared for begins to wander away. The caregiver is thrust into a situation where they cannot let their guard down for a minute.

The tendency to wander is prevalent among people that are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. People with Down Syndrome, Autism, Prader-Willi or a traumatic brain injury also exhibit this tendency. Reasoning, judgment, the ability to communicate, and other behaviors can be affected by these conditions. It is estimated that 59% of people with Alzheimer’s disease will wander and become lost. Many victims will wander repeatedly.

The dangers to the wanderer are numerous. If an elderly Alzheimer’s patient is left outside for more than 24 hours their chance of survival drops to 50% due to the risk of exposure. A lost person with Alzheimer’s or a related disease or injury represents a critical medical emergency. The wanderer’s inability or unwillingness to communicate has frustrated caregivers and searchers alike. Traditional search methods rely heavily on the ability of the lost person to respond to searchers when they call. When this ability doesn’t exist or the person elects not to respond, search efforts are time consuming and can take a tragic turn.

Project Lifesaver is designed to help us find these vulnerable citizens quickly and safely.