i g | NEWS £ : Poli to roll out new rapid response, rescue program & Halton police is set to launch Project Lifesaver _ who have wandered, more than double over _ months an‘d has not yet been found. said police. § later this month the previous year in both categories â€" 877 _ Project Lifesaver, approved for implementaâ€" Recovery times for Project Lifesaver clients § The new rapid response and rescue program, which comes into effect January 26, is beâ€" ing implemented to deal with an increasing number of wandering people in the region. In 2016, more than 45 people fell under this category, up from 31 in 201 5. Most wanderers are those with cognitive impairments such as dementia, Alzheimer‘s or autism. Also on the rise are officer hours and officer dollars associated with searches for those hours and $38,913.41 according to a reâ€" port presented by Sgt. Dave Tutte of the Regional Community Mobilization Bureau, during the Halton Police Services Board Deâ€" cember meeting. When looking at the rise in officer hours and dollars over 2015, the drastic increase was largely as a result of the case of Helen Robâ€" ertson, a Burlington woman with Alzheimâ€" er‘s who went missing during the summer ES P & mt C PAYMENTS! DANGELO | Financing For 12 Months ‘OAC 905â€"276â€"7776 |____ _QuaALITy woORKMANSHIP FoR over 35 years | cart TODAY ror your FREE INSPECTION: tion in October, is a not for profit organizaâ€" tion based out of Virginia and a leader in the search and rescue field for more than 17 years, said Tutte. In Ontario, the service is used by Niagara, Peel, York and Guelph poâ€" lice, among others, he said. How it works Once approved by Halton police as someone suitable for the program, a client would wear a small waterproof personal transmitter on their wrist or ankle 24/7, 365. Every 60 days a member of the Victim Services Unit, which administers the program, would visit a client to change the battery. If the participant goes missing, their caregiver notifies Project Lifesaver, which then deploys a trained emergency team to respond. Halton police has purchased two receiving antennas, one to be located at police headâ€" quarters on Bronte Road and one in Milton so "it‘s evenly spread out across the region." Each client has a designated frequency number, which responders are able to track through the receivers. "Most who wander are found within a few miles from home and search times have be en reduced from hours and days to minutes," average 30 minutes, 95 per cent less time than standard operations, said Tutte, who added, "The intention is really to get as many people registered who have a tendency to wander; have them registered and signed up into the program and just have it expand in our community." Candidates for the program will be identified through police reports, community partners, word of mouth and the Halton Region webâ€" site, he said. Financial assistance for eligible lowâ€"income clients can be arranged through Halton Region. One of the benefits is the battery life of 60 days whereas other programs might get 12 hours of battery life or 24 hours at best, said Tutte. Visits from Victims Services to change a batâ€" tery presents an opportunity to check in on a client, develop a rapport with the client and determine if perhaps there are other commuâ€" nity services that might be engaged to help the client, he added. Currently, there are eight officers trained as Project Lifesaver instructor. The 70 remainâ€" ing emergency services officers were to be trained as basic operators before the project‘s rollout. www.edwardjones.ca Thank You for Four Years in a Row! When you‘re satisfied, we‘re satisfied. Ranked "Highest in Investor Satisfaction with Full Service Brokerage Firms" 4 years in a row. emmmmmmwmxsm rms in the J.D. Power 2013â€"2016 Canadian ms«mnmmmsmmm.mwmmmumummm fullâ€"service investment firms, surveyed Mayâ€"June ZOIG.thmm.Vum.m. n on . Call or visit your local Edward Jones advisor today. Brett J Strano, CFP®, FMA, CIWM Financial Advisor 330 Bronte Street South Suite 217 Milton, ON L9T 7x%1 905â€"864â€"9969 Carlee MacQueen Financial Advisor 310 Main Street East Suite 103 Milton, ON L9T 194 905â€"864â€"6959 EdwardJones . MAKING sENSE oF invEesting MKTâ€"1924Eâ€"Câ€"ADY Member â€" Canadian Investor Protection Fund