MOVILLE, Iowa (KTIV) -
When someone near and dear to you disappears, even temporarily, you want to be reunited as soon as possible.
Minutes apart can feel like an eternity and every second matters.
Liz Ford has gotten into this helicopter hundreds of times. This time, it's a training exercise to find a lost little girl.
"These kiddos can disappear in the blink of an eye," said Ford. "And they scoot fast. They can be blocks away and nobody will know it."
Once a child gets lost, Ford's job begins. Using a state-of-the art tracking device and a book with client traits, including height, weight, hair color and favorite things, they search together.
"I'm looking for obstacles in the way, and he's trying to listen to my partner in the back, who's giving him directions where the client potentially is," said Adam Longman, an air care paramedic.
The crews are looking for a little girl. She has an ankle bracelet with a radio transmitter that will help Ford and her crew find her quickly. They start wherever the client last was tracked.
"Current location is north, four-two-two-eight by west niner six zero seven," said Matt Harvey, the pilot, while flying over Moville.
From the time that Mercy Medical officials left the ground in Sioux City to the time that they were able to spot their client in Moville was about five minutes.
"I got her," said Ford, as her device began beeping.
"Clock position?" asked Harvey.
"Go to three o'clock for me slowly. Now, back up...level," said Ford.
Once the device starts beeping, Mercy begins narrowing its circles.
"I got a playground at 2-3 o'clock. Go to there," said Ford.
"We're going to attempt to isolate further, and then we'll hover," said Harvey.
Mercy touches down in the middle of an open field. There, they team with local police and another ground crew (often the Coast Guard) to focus their field even more. Meanwhile, their client is hanging out on the bleachers at a park in Moville
"Everybody's on their toes at all times, but it's nice to know there's an extra safety net," said the mother.
And that net has secured another client.
There are currently 29 people enrolled in Project Lifesaver, with five more on the waiting list. Client range from Sioux City all the way to Oto, Iowa.
