An emergency alert system still in its testing phase may have saved an elderly man with dementia from potential harm Sunday night.

Santa Maria Police Department officials decided to use the emergency message system to send out a description of a 72-year-old man with dementia, reported missing, to garner the public's help and to test for glitches in the program, said Lt. Dan Ast.

About five hours after he disappeared from his home, Robert Esquibel was recognized by passing motorists on South Blosser Road who had received the recorded message.

The Community Alert and Notification System was set up early last year to notify city residents of a widespread emergency, such as an earthquake, flood, toxic cloud or propane leak, and issue instructions, according to Mark van de Kamp, management analyst for Santa Maria.

There have been a few tests where informational messages were sent, but this was the first time it was used in an emergency situation, Ast said.

“There is a definite risk with missing people who suffer from Alzheimer's or dementia,” Ast said. “They often wander into the woods, making it difficult to find them before it's too late.”

Esquibel was in good condition when Carla Gonzalez and Jose Perez discovered him.

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The system was used to check its effectiveness; one glitch was found, Ast said.

The recording was only programmed to go to a specific section of the city, but it was sent to 22,000 homes and businesses.

It was unknown whether Gonzalez and Perez were among the unintended receivers of the message.

The Community Alert and Notification System is not fully operational and whether it will be used in future missing adult cases has yet to be decided, Ast said.

All land lines in the city are automatically entered into the notification system, but cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses can also be registered at www.ci.santamaria.ca.us or by calling 925-0951, Ext. 808.

January 13, 2009