Public alert system credited with saving man's life
Police were alerted of a missing man through the system
Colleen McCarthy
The Courier
BLUFFTON, Ohio — Bluffton Police Chief Rick Skilliter told Village Council on Monday he believes a free public alert system saved an elderly man's life last week.
Bluffton police received a report of a missing elderly man at 6:46 a.m. Wednesday. The man, who suffered from several medical conditions, was last seen by his wife before midnight the night before.
Officers determined the man had taken a truck that was reported missing from the neighborhood, after an Allen County Sheriff's Office dog tracked his scent to where the truck was parked.
Police sent out a Nixle alert message to Bluffton subscribers with the vehicle's description at 7:20 a.m. and received a call from a citizen who saw a truck matching the description just north of town on Bentley Road. The man was located eight minutes after the message was sent out. He was taken to Bluffton Hospital and later transferred to Lima Memorial Hospital, where he is recovering.
Nixle is a free service that allows public safety officials to send text and email alerts to subscribers. The system is used to alert the public about traffic advisories, weather-related issues, road closings and emergency public safety issues.
There are about 504 Nixle subscribers in Bluffton.
The police chief said he was certain the man would have frozen to death if authorities had not located him with the help of the public.
"I cannot stress the importance enough and we encourage people to sign up," Skilliter said.
Bluffton residents can visit http://www.nixle.com to subscribe. Anyone with questions may contact Chief Skilliter at 419-358-2961, ext. 109.
Separately, Village Administrator James Mehaffie told Village Council he expected the waterline project on Sunset Drive to begin soon. He said the village would order the materials this week, and the work would begin as soon as materials arrive.
Mehaffie was hesitant to put a firm deadline on the project, but said he expected the materials to arrive within two weeks.
A Sunset Drive resident complained during the last council meeting that he and his neighbors had rusty water for months, and the situation was the worst it had ever been.
The Sunset Drive project is the last of a number of waterline and water main replacement projects undertaken recently throughout the village.
Copyright 2012 Courier, The (Findlay, OH)
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