California School District Selects Crisis Management System -- Security Today

California School District Selects Crisis Management System

Aug 27, 2008

The Santa Ana Unified School District in California recently announced the installation of the Rapid Responder crisis management system to protect its students and staff during emergencies.

Police, fire and other first responders will be able to use the online solution to instantly access critical facility information such as floor plans, 360 degree imagery, hazardous materials quantities and locations and evacuation routes for all of the district’s 78 elementary, middle, high school and administrative buildings.

The system and installation are being funded by a $709,810 Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Grant SAUSD received from the Department of Education in 2007. SAUSD is the largest district in Southern California to install the Rapid Responder crisis management system. Eleven school districts in Northern and Southern California are currently using Rapid Responder to protect their campuses.

Rapid Responder from Prepared Response Inc. will provide school security and first responders with campus information allowing them to respond faster, in a more coordinated manner with other agencies, and with enhanced situational awareness to better protect both students and staff during emergencies. Rapid Responder has been used during a campus shooting, bomb threats, lockdowns and other emergency situations on school campuses throughout the country.

“Deployment of the Rapid Responder emergency management system is a step forward in ensuring that our schools and staff members are becoming better equipped to protect our students in the event of an emergency,” said superintendent Jane Russo. “The fact that we are partnering with the police and fire agencies is another positive in reaching a common goal. We thank all our supporters, especially our elected officials who rallied behind us in seeking the School Readiness Grant that makes this all possible.”

“Prepared Response is pleased to work with the Santa Ana Unified School District and local first responders to further improve the district’s response to emergencies.” said Jim Finnell, president and CEO of Prepared Response Inc. “Rapid Responder was used during a school shooting in Washington state to help first responders contain a gunman in 12 minutes and evacuate 2,000 students in 20 minutes. Rapid Responder is a tool that can be used to help protect students during any emergency that may occur on campus. ”

Rapid Responder is certified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s SAFETY Act as a “Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology.” Rapid Responder is being used in 12 states with over 5,000 end users including more than 500 public safety agencies and 275 school districts.

This system, endorsed by the National Sheriffs’ Association, was recognized in the Harvard/Noblis Innovations Award in Homeland Security that was presented to the State of Washington in September 2007 and was selected for the 2006 National Homeland Defense Foundation’s Innovations in Homeland Security award.

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