(CALEDON, ON) – On August 21st, 2014 at approximately 5:30 pm, an 83-year old male wandered from his residence on McLaughlin Road. Shortly before 11 pm, family members contacted officers from the Caledon Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to report the family member missing. Police immediately contacted ERT (Emergency Response Team) and K-9 officers to conduct a search of the area.
At 1:00 am, the male was located in a field outside the residence. On-scene Paramedics deemed the male to be in good condition however was disoriented. The missing male was not enrolled in Project Lifesaver.
Project Lifesaver was adopted by the Town of Caledon in June 2006. The Project Lifesaver system involves using radio technology to locate those who have a history of wandering due to a cognitive disability or impairment, such as those suffering from Autism, Alzheimer’s or other similar type conditions. People who are enrolled in Project Lifesaver wear a personalized bracelet that emits a tracking signal. When caregivers call 911 to report a missing person, a search and rescue team responds to the area and starts searching with the mobile locator tracking system, thus significantly reducing search time.
For information about Project Lifesaver or to enroll, please contact Erica Opoku, Region of Peel at 905-791-7800, ext. 5936.