EVERETT — He finds his way into homes across Snohomish County.
The retired construction worker who spent years crushing concrete has a gentle touch with vulnerable people.
Fred Mack, 76, brings an electronic tracking bracelet and a knack for convincing the reluctant and reassuring the confused.
Often, he is placing the device on a wrist or ankle, giving searchers a huge head start if a grandparent with Alzheimers disease or a child with autism should wander off.
Mack is the primary technician for Project Care Track, a program coordinated by Snohomish County Search and Rescue.
It is not just his special knowledge, but his patience and soothing approach that his colleagues admire.
Mack was recognized in February as the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office volunteer of the year.
Sheriff’s department leaders wrote: “As you can imagine, strapping a bracelet onto the wrist of someone who has a severe cognitive disability can cause confusion, anxiety, and even fear. Fred’s calm, gentle manner is comforting to both clients and family members alike. His gift is what makes him a wonderful and distinguished asset to our volunteer ranks.”
Distributing and maintaining the bracelets is part of Mack’s duties as a volunteer. He also works out of the sheriff’s office south precinct with its citizen patrol program, providing a visual presence and another set of eyes and ears in the community.
With Project Care Track, he signs up clients, issues transmitters and responds when the bracelets are lost or need a battery replaced. When a client wanders, a call to 911 triggers a rapid response from a trained search and rescue team.
The transmitters emit a radio signal with a one-mile radius for searchers on the ground and six miles by helicopter. With Project Care Track, the missing typically are found in about an hour. The average search time for someone without a bracelet or tracker can be up 12 hours, increasing the likelihood of a bad outcome.
Mack began volunteering for the sheriff’s office in 2008, two years after he retired. He always had an interest in law enforcement and sometimes listens to the police scanner in his garage.
He said he finds Project Care Tracker particularly gratifying.
He often spends time with caregivers, hearing their stories about the loved ones they care so much about. He has strapped bracelets on toddlers and octogenarians. He’ll take their pictures, which speed up the searches.
Mack understands some people view the bracelet as a sign of lost independence.
He tries to reassure them that it is a symbol of someone caring.
“I tell them, ‘That’s a love bracelet. If someone didn’t love you so much, you wouldn’t be wearing it,’?” he said.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
More info
To learn more about Project Care Track, call 425-388-3825 or 425-388-3082.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
