05/07/2026
The Cheraw Fire Department is offering Project Lifesaver to the citizens of the Cheraw Fire District. Project Lifesaver is a program that helps locate individuals with cognitive impairments who wander away from caregivers. It utilizes technology and community involvement to locate missing individuals rapidly, primarily those with Alzheimer's, dementia, autism, or other conditions that may cause wandering. The program provides enrolled individuals with a personalized transmitter bracelet that emits a unique radio frequency signal, allowing first responders to quickly locate them using specialized tracking equipment. This program comes at no cost to the individual's family. This is only made possible due to the generous financial support of the Cheraw/Chesterfield Purple Crusaders Working to End Alzheimers and the Rotary Club of Cheraw. “We are very thankful to these two great organizations for their support, and they have been on board with this program from day one”. Said Chief Murray. While there is no cost to the family, there are several commitments the families must agree to for the program to work. The way the program works is first, the individual must live in the Cheraw Fire Department response area because the battery in the transmitter must be changed every 60 days. The individual must also have a medically diagnosed cognitive impairment that would cause them to wander away from their caregiver. Then, if they qualify for the program, a member of the Cheraw Fire Department will meet with the individual and caregiver to set up the program and place the transmitter on the individual. The transmitter is a small device about the size of a watch that can be worn on the wrist or ankle. The transmitter is waterproof and is worn 24 hours a day, and can only be taken off by cutting the band. When the battery is changed by the fire department, a new band is placed on the individual. The caregiver is required to test the transmitter each day with the provided tester and record the test. The caregiver is also responsible for promptly contacting the fire department if the transmitter stops working or if the individual is missing. If you think you have an individual who may qualify for the program or would like more information, you are encouraged to the Cheraw Fire Department at (843) 537-5941.