October 2, 2002

Project potential lifesaver for area families

Michelle St. Amant pushes for local rapid response program

By LISA PERKINS
Herald staff writer

      Every minute counts when it comes to finding a missing person. That is why Michelle St. Amant, whose 16-year-old son is galactosomic and autistic, wants to bring Project Lifesaver to Traverse City.
      "I saw a news story about this program and I thought how great. I thought we have to have that here. I've been through it with my son and it can be very scary, " said St. Amant who has taken on the task of organizing an attempt to bring the program to the Grand Traverse area.
      Project Lifesaver, a non-profit organization established in 1999 as an initiative of the 43rd Search and Rescue Company of the Chesapeake Sheriff's office in Virginia, is an innovative rapid response program aiding victims and their families who suffer from Alzheimer's disease and other disorders such as Down's syndrome and autism.
      A Project Lifesaver bracelet emits a unique automatic tracking signal every second, 24 hours a day. When worn by an individual who tends to wander and get lost, the bracelet's signal can be picked up by receivers which are located with local emergency response teams.
      According to Project Lifesaver International, communities who have the program in place have reduced search time from an average of eight hours to under 20 minutes. Currently, communities in 17 states and Canada take advantage of the system. Reportedly, more than 200 searches have been successfully completed without any injury or death.
      "I think that so many families would find this such a great relief. They are always waiting for something to happen," said Susan Campbell an advocate for the Association for Children's Mental Health.
      St. Amant held an organization meeting last week, inviting representatives of local law enforcement and safety agencies as well as groups who would benefit from the establishment of Project Lifesaver.
      "I'm just looking to see what we need to get started. We need to get the law enforcement agencies on board, and of course funding. I think this would be such a great benefit to our community," St. Amant said.
      For more information about Project Lifesaver, call Michelle St. Amant at 935-1855.