Optional Safety Services

Project Lifesaver is a premier search and rescue program strategically designed for ‘at risk’ individuals prone to the life-threatening behavior of wandering. Project Lifesaver provides timely response to save lives and reduce potential injury for adults and children with the propensity to wander due to a cognitive condition. The at-risk individual wears a transmitter on their wrist or ankle at all times with a known frequency. Rescue personnel can dial into this frequency and locate the individual who is wandering up to two miles away. Recovery times for Project Lifesaver agencies average just thirty minutes, which is 95% less time than standard search and rescue operations lacking this life-saving technology.

The Blue Envelope Program uses communication tools to assist individuals with developmental disabilities during interactions with law enforcement and emergency personnel. The envelope has space on the outside for information about the disability and/or medical conditions of the driver or passenger of the vehicle. A copy of an ID/driver’s license, vehicle registration, and vehicle insurance card can be kept inside the envelope which would be handed to a law enforcement officer during a traffic stop.

A three-inch car decal features the program logo and can be placed on a vehicle’s windows to discreetly communicate to law enforcement and first responders that the occupants participate in the Blue Envelope Program. Packets are available for free to anyone with a developmental disability. Learn more about the Blue Envelope Program by contacting your SSA or Lea Perrine, MUI Investigative Agent, at 419 332 9296 ext. 141

The app IamResponding when merged with an iPad or tablet, shares important health and safety information volunteered by individuals with the very personnel arriving on scene in response to an emergency.  IamResponding was designed for individuals of all ages with cognitive or communicative disabilities and is utilized by all Sandusky County Fire Departments. Learn more about IamResponding by contacting your SSA or Lea Perrine, MUI Investigative Agent, at 419 332 9296 ext. 141

The Sandusky County Board of Developmental Disabilities offers the “This Is Me” ID Card designed to support individuals during interactions with law enforcement. This card can be customized to reflect an individual’s specific needs such as difficulty understanding or following directions, unable to respond verbally, or physical agitation if spoken to, touched, or approached too closely. The card can also communicate that the individual is not intentionally refusing to cooperate and may require assistance.

Additional information on the card includes the individual’s name, address, and date of birth. If the individual has a legal guardian, the guardian’s name and phone number are listed, along with the Sandusky County Board of DD Crisis Line phone number. For more information about the “This Is Me” ID Card, please contact Lea Perrine, MUI Investigative Agent, at 419 332 9296 ext.

The Roth ID Tag along with the Julie Roth Memorial Foundation were created after the tragic passing of Julie Roth. On December 23, 2022, Julie was traveling with her two small children on the Ohio Turnpike when they became caught up in a 47-car pile-up. Julie and her unborn child did not survive, but her two other children did.

Julie’s two toddlers waited hours to see a familiar face while emergency responders worked to identify them and contact their father, who was at work at the time of the accident. The goal of the Roth ID Tag is to keep families connected in emergency situations by providing First Responders information about the child including medical conditions and contact information of parents/guardians. For more information about how to purchase a Roth ID Tag, go to rothidtag.com.

This verification form may be completed and submitted to add or remove persons or license plate numbers from the database of those who have been diagnosed with a communication disability or a disability that can impair communication. The database utilized is not public record. For more information, go to this link Communication Disability Verification Form | Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities.

Keith’s Law, builds upon Communication Disability Law, enabling first responders to have information shared by individuals with disabilities when responding to countywide 9-1-1 calls.

This legislation modifies the Communication Disability Law by broadening the scope of the existing voluntary statewide registry to include individuals diagnosed with various disabilities, not just communication disabilities. Individuals diagnosed with a disability, as well as parents or legal guardians of minors with disabilities, will be able to submit a disability verification form. This information will be included in a database, accessed by countywide 9-1-1 systems that opt in, to inform local law enforcement officers, emergency medical personnel, and firefighters about an individual’s disability when responding to a 9-1-1 call, enabling them to respond with greater awareness and preparation.

OOD is currently working with the Ohio Department of Public Safety (DPS) to update the disability verification form. Once updated, the form will be available on the OOD, DPS, and Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities websites.