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Project Life Saver bracelets assist police
BOS appoints interim admin TRACY BELL
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tbell@insidenova.com
ormer Spotsylvania County Administrator C. Douglas (Doug) Barnes has been appointed interim county administrator by the Stafford County Board of Supervisors. Barnes will fill the position vacated by Anthony Romanello, who is taking a position as deputy county manager in Henrico County. Supervisors C. DOUGLAS BARNS plan to name a permanent county administrator by January 2017, according to county spokesperson Shannon Howell. Doug Barnes served Spotsylvania County in many capacities for 38 years. He was hired initially as the landfill supervisor in 1977 and was the director of solid waste management from 1986 to 1992. He was director of public works from 1992 through 1998. He was the director of general services from 1998 through 2003. He served as interim county administrator, interim deputy county administrator and deputy county administrator from 2003 to 2008. He became county administrator in October of 2009 and retired on May 31, 2015, Howell said. Barnes has been active in the Spotsylvania community through his volunteer work with the fire department, rescue squad and as an EMT. He INTERIM has a B.A. in Economics, PAGE 13 with a minor in Business
Cece Warford shows off her personal transmitter, which she calls her ‘watch,’ with her parents, Lee and Maria Warford, at their North Stafford home. ALEKS DOLZENKO | INSIDENOVA
TRACY BELL
tbell@insidenova.com
hen a loved one with limited verbal abilities goes missing, Project Lifesaver can be a godsend, according to the Stafford County Sheriff ’s Office, which participates in the program. People enrolled in Project Lifesaver typically have autism, Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s or another condition that limits their verbal abilities. Through the program, clients wear a small personal transmitter around their wrist that emits an individualized tracking signal. The signal helps authorities quickly find people who are lost or missing. Most people who use the system are found within a few miles of their home, according to the international program, which estimates an av-
erage 30 minutes of search time. The lightweight, battery-operated bracelets direct a radio signal to hand-held receivers the deputies use, according to Stafford County Public Information Officer M.C. Morris Moncure. It’s been a lifesaving system that is efficient and affordable. Stafford Deputy Jim Hamilton manages the system as part of his duties. “Most clients and caretakers are appreciative that their calls are taken care of promptly,” he said, noting the program’s existence in the 12 years he’s been with the sheriff ’s office. Hamilton said that in his experience with the program since 2004, there have been about 12 calls from family and caretakers of missing people who have the bracelets. They were all located between 20 minutes and just over an hour
with the program, Hamilton said. Afterward, local rescue workers are called in to determine if medical services are necessary, he added. One local couple learned about the program about 10 years ago in Spotsylvania before moving to North Stafford. Their daughter, who has Down syndrome, went missing from a shopping trip with her mother in Fredericksburg, Hamilton said. The family later began using the PLS bracelet. “The program has given them peace of mind ever since,” Hamilton said. Lee and Maria Warford’s daughter, Cecilia –Cece as she is nicknamed --got separated while shopping with her mother at Fredericksburg’s Central Park a decade ago . LIFE “It’s been really good, PAGE 13 although we haven’t had
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