The H.E.L.P. program aims to assist those who may wander away and become lost or confused due to Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism, or other intellectual or developmental disabilities.

This program helps police officers locate your loved ones in the event they go missing. It also assists officers if they encounter a missing person who is unable to provide personal information.

Although all reasonable efforts will be made to locate and provide assistance to special needs citizens, participation in the program is voluntary and cannot provide complete assurance for every situation.

Register for H.E.L.P.

Here’s how to register for the program:

1. Complete the H.E.L.P. form.
2. Submit the form and a current photograph of your loved one to the Folsom Police Department at 46 Natoma Street (12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday) or via email.

After you register your loved one in the program, we will contact you every six months to verify that the information is still accurate.

Additional Information

For questions regarding the H.E.L.P. program, please email us.

Project Lifesaver Requirements

To participate in the Folsom Police Department Project Lifesaver Program, the prospective client must:

• Live within the city limits of Folsom.
• Be diagnosed by a certified physician as having Alzheimer's disease, other dementia disorders, autism, Down syndrome, or similar disorders.
• Be known to wander away from caregivers.

How It Works

The administrator of the Folsom Police Department Project Lifesaver program will give qualified participants a plastic bracelet containing a water-resistant radio transmitter. Each participant's transmitter is assigned a radio frequency that is unique both to them and to their geographical area of Folsom. The bracelets may be worn on the client's wrist or ankle.

If a Project Lifesaver client goes missing, the caregiver should contact the Folsom Police Department immediately by calling 911. Trained officers will respond to the location and begin searching for the missing person using Project Lifesaver radio-frequency tracking equipment.

Project Lifesaver is a free, voluntary program. However, the bracelets will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis to residents who meet the eligibility requirements.

In order to participate, caretakers must agree to assume the following responsibilities:

• Test the client's radio transmitter battery daily.
• Check the condition of the bracelet daily.
• Maintain a monthly log sheet provided by the Project Lifesaver Team.
• Notify the Folsom Police Department Project Lifesaver Team promptly if there are any problems with the equipment.
• Most important, immediately call 911 if a Project Lifesaver client goes missing.

Application To-Do List

Think Project Lifesaver might be the right program for your family member? Please complete the following steps:

1. Complete the appropriate Project Lifesaver Client Profile-Personal Data Questionnaire. Select the correct questionnaire for the client's age.
   • Project Lifesaver Client Profile-Personal Data Questionnaire – Adult
   • Project Lifesaver Client Profile-Personal Data Questionnaire – Child
2. Read through and sign the Project Lifesaver Program Contract.
3. Obtain a doctor's note which includes the diagnosis and doctor's signature.
4. Return all items in a single envelope to Folsom Police Department, Attn: Project Lifesaver, 46 Natoma St, Folsom, CA 95630.
5. Please make and keep copies of all records for your files.

Additional Information

Project Lifesaver Informational Brochure

Vitals Aware Services Program Background

Folsom is home to hundreds of people with Alzheimer's, dementia, Down syndrome, autism, and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Statistically, more than half of these individuals will wander at some point and become lost. Due to their conditions, they may be fearful of others, unable to verbalize who they are or where they belong, or even to respond to the first responders or others who may be looking for them.
Vitals Aware Services is designed to help individuals with various conditions and disabilities communicate with first responders in real-time -- allowing for safe interactions, a more in-depth understanding, and an enhanced person-centered care approach.

Learn more on the Vitals Aware Services website.

How It Works

Each client or their caregiver completes and manages their personal profile that includes important information about client that can be voluntarily shared with law enforcement or other first responders.

Each client is given a beacon that transmits a private and secure signal to authorized first responders that are within 80 feet, which allows them access to critical information about the client.

First responders are notified in real-time that they are in proximity to a client and are automatically given the personalized information provided by the client or caregiver, allowing them to have a better interaction with the client and allowing them to better assist them to safety or back to their caregiver.

Application To-Do List

Think Vitals Aware Services might be the right program for your loved one? Please complete the following steps:

1. Complete the appropriate application. Select the correct questionnaire for your loved one’s age.
   
   • Adult application
   • Child application
2. Return the application to Folsom Police Department, Attn: Vitals, 46 Natoma St, Folsom, CA 95630.
3. A Folsom Police Department representative will contact you with information about how to set up your client profile and receive your beacon.
4. Please make and keep copies of all records for your files.

As part of a recent grant, the Folsom Police Department is pleased to be able to offer all participants in our Project Lifesaver, Vitals Aware, or H.E.L.P. programs a Ring Doorbell to place at a door on their residence. 

The Ring Doorbell will use the home's Wi-Fi network to notify caregivers of movement at the door where the camera is placed and it will capture a brief video. By using these cameras, caregivers would be able to provide vital information to the Folsom Police Department should their loved one go missing such as what their loved one was wearing at the time they left, which direction they may have headed in, and whether they left by foot or if they used another mode of transportation such as bike, scooter, or vehicle.

If you are a caregiver of a client of Folsom Police Department's Project Lifesaver, Vitals Aware or H.E.L.P. Program and you wish to receive a Ring doorbell, please contact Jessica Hess at jhess@folsom.ca.us. Supplies are limited.