Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
The Snowshoe Resort Community District wants to ensure that all its visitors are happy and safe while vacationing at the mountain. Thanks to the efforts of Chief Ranger Shannon Morris, there is a new level of security on the mountain that will add to families’ peace of mind.
After learning about Project Lifesaver when he was a police officer in Greenbrier County, Morris wanted to find a way to implement the program at Snowshoe.
Project Lifesaver is a program that provides training and devices to assist law enforcement, fire and rescue, and caregivers in protecting and locating individuals who have cognitive disorders.
As Morris was doing research, he found that Disney World in Orlando, Florida, has a Sensory Protection Program through Project Lifesaver.
“I thought, well, this is a resort area, too,” Morris said. “So, we have partnered with the Adaptive Program at Snowshoe, the SRCD Ranger Department and Shavers Fork Fire and Rescue to create the program, be trained and have members trained to use the equipment.”
Morris applied for grants to get the program started and received funding through the West Virginia Autism Society to cover costs of equipment, membership in Project Lifesaver, training and certification.
“We’re the second program in the U.S. to have something like that, especially in a resort area,” Morris said.
With Project Lifesaver, visitors who have a family member or friend with them who has a disorder such as dementia, Alzheimer’s or autism, can apply for the Project Lifesaver package when they book their stay at Snowshoe.
The family will be sent a tracking bracelet and fact sheet to fill out that will include a picture of the individual which they will give to the resort to keep on file.
“We have a handheld, and each bracelet has a specific frequency it can track,” Morris said. “In the event that they were to wander off, we’d have their face and all their information. We can mobilize our team, and their search time could be down to probably thirty minutes to an hour as opposed to several days.
“It really decreases the time that it takes to find them.”
It will also decrease the amount of manpower needed to find someone. With the bracelet tracking system, the search area will be narrowed down, so the search and rescue team will know where to focus its efforts.
The program also utilizes a drone for search efforts, which will also be able to track the bracelet.
Project Lifesaver International is a non-profit community-based public safety organization with its main headquarters in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and an office in Chesapeake, Virginia.
“What the SRCD is implementing on behalf of members of their most vulnerable population – not only local residents, but also Project Lifesaver-enrolled visitors to Snowshoe’s year-round resort area – reflects the essence of those who live and work to serve and protect others,” Chief Gene Saunders, Project Lifesaver International Found and CEO, said in a press release. “We’re honored to be working with Chief Ranger Shannon Morris and his team toward the common goal of ‘bringing loved one’s home’ quickly, safely and without consequence.”
To learn more about Project Lifesaver, visit www.projectlifesaver.org or contact Morris at 681-202-7173.