Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office rescues an at-risk missing person
SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue (SAR) team rescued an at-risk missing person on Saturday morning through their Project Lifesaver program.
Around 4 a.m., the Santa Maria Police Department requested assistance from the Sheriff's Office to locate the missing adult who had been gone for several hours from the area of South Pine and West Boone Streets.
The Sheriff's Office enrolled the missing person in Project Lifesaver, an electronic monitoring system that locates persons with Alzheimer's, Dementia, Autism, Downs Syndrome or similar cognitive disorders.
Project Lifesaver provides the participants with non-removable wristbands containing transmitters that emit silent signals picked up only by unique receivers and directional antennas.
Special antennas allow rescuers to pinpoint the transmitter's location from up to a mile away, but if the antenna is held in an aerial position then the signal can be detected up to seven miles away.
If a participant wanders off and someone notifies the Sheriff's Department, such as the event on Saturday, the department then deploys the SAR team using Project Lifesaver's specialized tracking equipment to locate the missing person.
On Saturday morning, 10 SAR volunteer team members responded to search for the at-risk missing person and tracked them to Main Street, and continued narrowing the search area from there.
After an hour of tracking, SAR found the missing person lying in a muddy field on West Main Street between Blosser and Black Road. The Sheriff's department said he was unable to get to his feet and his clothes were soaked and covered in mud.
Fire and medics responded to treat the missing person for cold exposure and ultimately transported him to an area hospital for further care and is expected to recover.
To learn more about Project Lifesaver in Santa Barbara County, click here.
To learn more about the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue (SAR) team, click here.
For those interested in volunteering for the SAR team, SAR will be hosting a recruitment meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 6:00 p.m. at 66 S. San Antonio Road in Goleta.
