The man responsible for implementing Project
Lifesaver in Rim country, Gila County Sheriff's Sgt. Terry Hudgens,
was honored Thursday by Sheriff John Armer and Tonto Rim Search and
Rescue (TRSAR).
Hudgens and TRSAR Commander Dave Pirtle
coordinate search and rescue missions in northern Gila County.
Through Project Lifesaver they've located several Alzheimer's
patients who have wandered off.
Project Lifesaver participants are disoriented
by illness or head trauma, and wear a bracelet that emits signals
from transmitters embedded in the device.
"Individuals with Alzheimer's, dementia,
autism and mental disorders are the ones who are most difficult to
search for and have been the source of unsuccessful searches,"
Pirtle said. "Sgt. Hudgens has found a program that, when
implemented, can change the outcome of these searches."
Before Project Lifesaver, rescue workers were
oftentimes unable to find missing patients.
"In years past, we have lost two Alzheimer's
patients who had wandered off," Hudgens said. "One was in a
wilderness area down south of Young and we spent a week and a half
using 250 people and we never found even a body.
"The other one wandered off on Doll Baby Ranch
Road and we searched for five days for him. When we got called, he
had been gone three days and it was the summer, so we knew we were
probably looking for a body. Five months later, some hikers came
across the body near the East Verde River. I just didn't want that
to happen anymore."
Hudgens researched tracking systems and found
Project Lifesaver.
"This particular radio directional finding
system seemed to be the best for our terrain," Hudgens said. "It was
expensive and my goal was to get $10,000 to get it started."
Hudgens, TRSAR and the Mogollon Health
Alliance together raised $10,000 to outfit the estimated 100
individuals who will benefit from Project Lifesaver in the Rim
country.
Pirtle said other private donors chipped in to
bring the program to fruition.
"The compassion and generosity of many
individuals and businesses have made this project possible," Pirtle
said. "The fund-raising efforts of Judy Baker of Mogollon Health
Alliance and Don Peters of TRSAR directly resulted in the rapid
implementation of the program."
Hudgens has been with the Gila County
Sheriff's Office for 19 years and before that spent 21 years with
the Phoenix Police Department.
Financial donations to Project Lifesaver can
be mailed to Tonto Rim Search and Rescue at P.O. Box 357,
Strawberry, AZ 85544 or the Mogollon Health Alliance at 308 E. Aero
Drive, Payson, AZ 85541. Please specify the donation is for Project
Lifesaver.
Kelly Crowley/Roundup
Gila County Sheriff's Sgt. Terry Hudgens, left, receives special
recognition from
Sheriff John Armer for his work with the county's Project Lifesaver
program.
