Search Teams Put RFID to the Rescue to Help Find the Missing

The average time required to locate and recover a missing person with the Lifesaver program is less than 30 minutes. So far, the program has been used in about 1,500 searches nationwide, and every search has led to a recovery. The time spent searching is reduced, and the number of search responders, typically up to a dozen, can be lessened to as few as two. Thus, Carter says, the project has led to an estimated savings of $15 million.

Participating Project Lifesaver agencies can make the wristbands available free to the individuals wearing them, or they can charge up to $250 apiece (or a fee of $25 per month). Participating agency personnel visit each individual monthly to replace batteries and confirm the wristbands are functioning properly. They also retrieve old batteries and provide an inspection sheet updating the agency as to each user's status, including a health update and the likelihood of that person wandering. "That's good community relations," Carter says, adding that the system has drawn interest from other countries as well, including New Zealand, Spain and India.

Late last month, Locator Systems announced it was updating the tracking system to include GPS and cell phone technology options, which could further reduce the time needed to locate missing persons. With the updated product offering, the company will make available an alternative wristband that incorporates an RFID tag, a GPS tracking device and a cellular radio. A participating agency, alerted that a wristband wearer is missing, can log into a Web-based system hosted by Locator Systems, enabling it to search for and locate the individual on a map of the area (the GPS device cannot locate a missing individual indoors, however). The GPS device allows personnel to pinpoint the wearer's location, which the cellular radio transmits to the server. The RFID tag provides a redundant tracking mechanism, McIntosh says, if GPS data is unavailable.

Additionally, the GPS-cellular version will enable alert options based on geofencing—a virtual boundary within a geographical area. This will allow a caregiver to dictate a normal route to be traveled by a particular person wearing a wristband. If the individual strays from that route, the system can alert emergency personnel and the caregiver.

Pricing for the new product version has not yet been determined, McIntosh says, though it will cost somewhat more than the existing RFID-only wristband. He declines to reveal the cost to Project Lifesaver for the wristbands and readers.