By Ian Holmes

Tracking bracelet credited for swift rescue of Parksville senior

Jan 8, 2019 | 3:21 PM

PARKSVILLE — The president of Arrowsmith Search and Rescue says a simple bracelet may have saved the life of a man with dementia who wandered off in Parksville.

Nick Rivers responded to a report of a missing man late Monday afternoon, but the search was short-lived as he was found on Jensen Ave. near downtown Parksville just 12 minutes later.

Rivers said the quick and happy result was made possible by the Project Lifesaver bracelet the man was wearing.

“Seeing that happen is hugely beneficial to this program and shows how well and efficiently it works,” Rivers told NanaimoNewsNOW. “That search could have taken hours to conclude and there’s the potential that it would not have had a great result.”

Rivers said the man, believed to be in his 70s, was about eight blocks from his home and walking with his dog for about an hour in the opposite direction.

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He said the man was nowhere near prepared for a potential overnight spent in the frigid outdoors.

“Darkness is setting in, we were getting the temperatures overnight of minus two, minus three in that area. Definitely having a fast result is what we want,” Rivers said.

Project Lifesaver, administered by Nanaimo Lifeline, involves a bracelet with a radio frequency chip, which Rivers said allows their members to find missing people quickly.

He said a beeping sound intensifies as searchers get closer to a missing subject.

Rivers said Project Lifesaver, used for the first time since the program launched locally five years ago, hasn’t taken off the way Arrowsmith SAR hoped it would.

“Hopefully this success story touches a chord with people and inspires others who could benefit to get signed up.”

Rivers has personally responded to similar calls which didn’t end successfully.

“If you look back at those situations and say ‘Man, if Project Lifesaver would have been used here would the outcome have been any different?’”

Nanaimo Lifeline executive director Tammy Paton said four people are enrolled in the program in the Oceanside region, which she said is the only regional jurisdiction currently capable of supporting the initiative.

According to Project Lifesaver, the 20-year-old organization with affiliates throughout North America has helped rescue 3,500 people.

The agency stated Project Lifesaver members are found within 30 minutes 95 per cent of the time.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes