Project Lifesaver wants your vote

PROJECT LIFESAVER® INTERNATIONAL CHIEF
NOMINATED FOR AMERICA’S MOST WANTED ALL STAR RECOGNITION
March 4, 2008

Gene Saunders, founder and CEO for Project Lifesaver International and Chief for the Virginia 43rd Search and Rescue, has been nominated for the America’s Most Wanted All Star Recognition for his contributions to the community and nation.

Like many others during his career in law enforcement, he faced finding, coordinating, or in some cases discovering the whereabouts of missing persons who were identified to have a wandering condition. Realizing that searches didn’t always end with a positive outcome, he set out to find a means that would not only help to locate the missing faster, but a method that would help to save taxpayers money too.

In 1999, he founded the program known nationally as Project Lifesaver International to help locate citizens identified to have conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Autism and other conditions that could lead them to wander away from the safety of their own home.

People who are enrolled in the Project Lifesaver Program wear a personalized wristband that emits a tracking signal. When caregivers notify the local Project Lifesaver agency that the person is missing, a search and rescue team responds to the wanderer’s area and starts searching with a mobile locater tracking system.

Project Lifesaver is a non-profit (501 (c) (3) organization that assist public safety agencies and other organizations in starting the program, providing training, equipment and grant opportunities, Funding is a result of private and corporate donations and grants. Most important is that all of the funds go back into the program to improve equipment, training and services.

Today his vision has spread nationwide to over 653 public safety agencies in 42 states and into Canada. Thanks to this vision and determination, there are thousands of clients on the program. To date, Project Lifesaver has had 1,659 national searches with a 100% recovery rate and no fatalities. The average find time of a client on this program is less than thirty-minutes.

This program is not only a lifesaver, it gives piece of mind to families facing the challenges of protecting their loved ones who cannot or may no longer have the capability to do so themselves.

Before Project Lifesaver, searches across the country were averaging 9 hours and costing taxpayers approximately $1,500 per hour. Many searches actually took days, with hundreds of responders, resulting in much higher costs and many with tragic endings. One search in Chesapeake in 1979 cost the city $342,000 and was unsuccessful. The basic cost to start this program in an agency is less than $8,000, finding someone alive is priceless.

He is a retiree of the Chesapeake Police Department (Police Captain) where he received numerous awards and recognition for his outstanding work and remains the Chief of the Virginia 43rd Search and Rescue that is a part of the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office.

Please visit www.amw.com and go to the All Star icon on the left where you may cast your vote for the hero of your choice. Or put in the name Gene Saunders; if you wish to recognize his dedication for a lifetime of helping others.