A 69-year-old missing man was located safe on a TTC bus by the York Regional police helicopter crew tracking signals emitted from the personalized wristband he was wearing.
Officers in Air2, working with the search and rescue unit and front-line officers on the ground, obtained a Project Lifesaver signal 1,000 feet up in the air from the missing Markham man’s wristband tracker among a slew of vehicles at McCowan Road and Finch Avenue in Toronto, a York Regional Police newsletter said.
They were able to narrow the signal down to the bus, where the man was located by officers who stopped to check the bus.
In a video released by police, the search team's delight at successfully tracking the man to the bus can be heard. "Let's go, nice!," "Wow, that's insane!" and "No way that could have been done without this helicopter," they said.
Project Lifesaver is a rapid-response program designed to assist police in protecting and locating vulnerable citizens with brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, Autism or other health related conditions.
Individuals who are a part of the Project Lifesaver program wear a personalized wristband that emits a tracking signal. When caregivers notify York Regional Police that the person is missing, a search and rescue unit team responds to the area where the lost person was last seen and searches the area with a mobile location tracking system.
The Project Lifesaver wristband is a one-ounce, battery-operated wrist transmitter emitting an FM radio frequency-based signal that emits a signal every second, 24 hours a day.
For more information on Project Lifesaver, contact York Regional Police Community Services at 1-866-876-5423 x6668 or visit the website.
