Former MP Bob Wood the face of Project Lifesaver awareness campaign

Bob Wood, the former MP for Nipissing, is the new face of the Project Lifesaver campaign in the District of Nipissing.

Wood is working with North Bay police, Ontario Provincial Police and North Bay Air Search and Rescue (BAYSAR) to promote the search-and-rescue project, which helps volunteers and officers track down people who wander off in minutes.

Bob Wood, the former MP for Nipissing, is the new face of the Project Lifesaver campaign in the District of Nipissing. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)

Wood lives with dementia and his short-term memory is quickly fading. He’s been a strong advocate for awareness about the effects of Alzheimer’s since his diagnosis in 2018 and he’s not shy to talk about why he’s been wearing a project lifesaver wrist transmitter since last year.

"Nobody ever sets out to have this. If I can help somebody, that’s the name of the game," Wood said.

The campaign is meant to encourage families of children with autism or loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer’s to register for the program.

"Bob Wood is able to tell the public that he wears Project Lifesaver to help keep him safe and that then sends the message to everyone else that it can be good for your family, too," said BAYSAR president Stan French.

The transmitter sends out a unique radio pulse once per second, 24 hours a day.

The frequency is recorded in the police database along with other client information. If the client goes missing, the family can call 911, where operators will send the transmitter’s frequency to searchers who use a receiver in the search.

The transmitter sends out a unique radio pulse once per second, 24 hours a day. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)

BAYSAR president Stan French said former MP Bob Wood is able to tell the public that he wears Project Lifesaver to help keep him safe and that then sends the message to everyone else that it can be good for your family. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)

"It gives me and my family peace of mind because about 60-70 per cent of people with Alzheimer’s will wander in some point," said Carol Wood, Bob’s wife.

A handful of North Bay police officers in each platoon are trained to use the equipment.

"In the search for missing people, it’s one of the most resource-intense things we do as a police service. We call out all the stops. We’ll call out the emergency response team and our drone pilots," said North Bay police Insp. Jeff Warner.

"To have somebody that’s wearing a Project Lifesaver bracelet, that saves us a vast amount of time."

In North Bay and area, 45 people are currently enrolled in the program.

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"At this time, we have over 34 kids with the bands on," said Katharine Strang, director of development and community relations at One Kids Place.

"We have had a few incidents but all of them were very successfully handled."

On average, it takes rescuers about 30 minutes to find a missing person enrolled in the program.

Carol Wood said that since her husband enrolled, she's felt a great sense of relief.

"Instead of waiting for a crisis and thinking 'What do we do?' we’ve got it covered," she said.

Those participating in Project Lifesaver pay $100 for an annual lease fee for the transmitter and a $100 deposit for the equipment. When it is no longer needed, the deposit will be returned. There is also a $20 monthly fee.

To register an individual or for further information, contact the North Bay Police Service at 705-472-1234, or a BAYSAR volunteer at 705-477-3713.

More details on Project Lifesaver can be found here. And a video on the program can be accessed here.

It was produced in partnership with West Ferris Secondary School’s Media, Film, and Visual Arts class through the help of teacher Robin Bartlett.

Bartlett agreed to take on the project as a learning experience for some of her students. The production team includes Grade 12 students Cyrus Hachkowski, Garrett Hersemeyer, Annabelle Francis and Rebecca Marshall.