Just a few moments of a turned back and diverted attention and Dante was gone. He hustled out of school and went straight to a nearby lake to play in the partially frozen water.

A passer-by soon saw Dante, who was then about 4 years old, and he was taken out of the water before he sustained any injuries.

Parents of all children have nightmares about them wandering away and getting lost. However, that nightmare comes with another layer of fear for parents of children with special needs who have a tendency to wander and might not be aware of certain dangers or ask someone for help if they’re lost.

Dante, now 6 years old of Waconia, is one of those children. He has autism - a disorder that affects communication - and a fascination with water. There have been a few other occasions when he’s been able to quickly slip away unnoticed. Twice, including the time when he left school and ended up in the freezing Lake Waconia, he went to water.

Dante’s parents Mario and Cheryl Cortolezzis have added extra safety precautions to their home to reduce the chances of him wandering and are vigilant with both Dante and his 9-year-old sister Michela, but precautions and vigilance can’t guarantee safety.

Now Mario is gearing up to launch a program that he feels has the potential to prevent injuries and save lives of children with special needs and Alzheimer’s disease patients.

Search and Find Emergency Responders or S.A.F.E.R has been Mario’s obsession for three months. Families who sign-up for the program will buy a one-ounce transmitter that can be worn on the wrist like a watch or around the ankle. Each transmitter will send out a unique signal 24 hours a day that can be tracked up to a mile.

If someone wearing the transmitter wanders, the family or caregiver can call 9-1-1 and along with the police or sheriff’s office, the S.A.F.E.R team will respond with equipment that can track the signal from the transmitter.

That part of the program is much like another one offered by an organization called Project Lifesaver, which is where Mario got the idea for S.A.F.E.R. However, the two programs differ because Project Lifesaver only works through public safety departments putting the onus on those professionals for tracking down people who’ve gone missing.

S.A.F.E.R offers families and caregivers the opportunity to purchase their own tracking equipment so they can be proactive in the search for their loved ones. Aside from the tracking equipment, S.A.F.E.R will also offer an invisible perimeter fence that will sound an alarm if the person wearing the transmitter leaves the fenced area. Families can adjust the fence, so during the day the person with the transmitter can have more freedom while at night they can make the area smaller so they can react faster if the person wanders.

“This gives families more responsibility,” Mario said.

That aspect of the program is also popular with local public safety departments like the Carver County Sheriff’s Department and the Minnetrista Police Department, where Mario volunteers as a member of the reserve unit.

“I think this is a great collaborative effort we could be a part of,” Carver County Sheriff Bud Olson said. “I really like it.”

Minnetrista Public Safety Department Chief Dave Kolb said he also liked the concept and the fact that families will have a part in searching out their loved ones.

Aside from giving caregivers more responsibility, S.A.F.E.R will also be its own non-profit organization outside of government agencies. While Mario is asking public safety departments to endorse and recognize the program, he is not asking them to fund it. In a time of state mandated levy limits for counties and many cities; this could help the program get off the ground earlier and save it from budget cuts.

However, this means that families must purchase their own equipment. S.A.F.E.R has packages that range from about $246 to about $1,400 depending on the number of items included in the package and an option to rent a transmitter for $35 per month. Plus there is a monthly fee of less than $10 to replace the transmitter batteries.

Mario doesn’t want cost to prohibit families from taking advantage of the program. “We have payment plans and grants available for families,” he said. S.A.F.E.R will also offer free training on the equipment to all participants.

In the three months Mario has spent working “non-stop” on launching S.A.F.E.R, he’s raised funds for the program, gotten Carver County Sheriff Deputy Derek Lee and Waconia’s School Resource Officer Ben Karnes on board, received inquiries from hundreds of people wanting to participate in or volunteer for the program and received a donated response vehicle. Now he’s waiting for the equipment he’s ordered to come in and to attend training sessions in October before the program can begin. Since this is a start-up organization, at first S.A.F.E.R will only be offered in Carver County, but Mario is also speaking to other counties about future expansion.

A free informational meeting about S.A.F.E.R will be held Oct. 22 at the Waconia High School auditorium starting at 7 p.m. for people interested in the program. Seating is limited, so those who want to attend should get a free invitation card available at Mackenthun’s or by e-mailing info@safermn.net.

More information about S.A.F.E.R can be found at www.safermn.net or by calling (952) 486-3852.