As part of a statewide safety initiative, Arkansas Deploys Rave Panic Button to Better Protect Every K-12 Student in the State. Effective September 1, 2015, every public K-12 school in the state will have Rave Panic Button for faster and more precise response to active shooter and other crisis situations. State Representative Scott Baltz, State Representative, Bruce Cozart and State Senator, Jane English, today announced, as part of the 2015 School Safety Act (Act 950), every public school student, faculty and staff member in the state will be protected by Rave Panic Button for a faster response to active shooter and other emergency situations. The act was sponsored by Representatives Baltz and Cozart, and Senator English, and widely supported by Arkansas state legislators. In time for the 2015-2016 school year, Rave Panic Button will enable authorities to respond to crises much faster and with greater precision, providing a higher level of protection for the more than a half million students, faculty and staff across more than 1,000 public schools statewide.
Due to our continued proactive commitment to the safety of our children and community, the Benton School District and Benton Police Department were chosen to pilot this program and was the state’s first test site.
Research has shown active shooter situations are often over within minutes, so it is critical for authorities to be notified and dispatched quickly and for school employees to be able to take immediate action. Today’s response plans require calling 9-1-1 as the critical first step, and should be done immediately. By providing teachers, administrators and School Resource Officers with the ability to receive rapid notifications of an incident and to contact and inform 9-1-1 directly of an active shooter or other emergency, like a life-threatening medical condition, outcomes are improved.
Rave Panic Button, provided by Rave Mobile Safety connects 9-1-1, first responders and school personnel in the event of a crisis and shortens the time between the onset of an incident and the arrival of first responders on-scene. Through a simple five button interface, faculty and staff activate the app by selecting the type of emergency – active shooter, police, fire, EMS or other – which immediately connects to 9-1-1 while simultaneously notifying selected on-site personnel of the location and nature of the emergency. 9-1-1 and first responders automatically receive critical data such as the caller’s exact location, floor plans, emergency exit locations, emergency contacts and key procedures and can deliver critical emergency notifications to on-site contacts.
Integrating directly with Smart911TM, the existing 9-1-1 service available across the state, all Arkansans now have the assurance that in an emergency at home, work, their children’s school or anywhere across the state, 9-1-1 and responders will be better prepared to provide a fast and effective response.
For more information about Rave Panic Button, please visit http://www.ravepanicbutton.com or contact (888) 605-7164.
