KING COUNTY - When Spokane Police got a call Monday of a student with a gun in a high school, they came armed with new technology.

Seattle-based Prepared Response just finished mapping the Spokane school with photos, floor plans and escape routes a couple weeks ago.

The SWAT team was able to download that crucial information on their way to the school.

"They specifically used the floor plans, the hazardous material locations," describes Jim Finnell, CEO of Prepared Response. "They used a component where the utility shutoffs are located and they used the pre-plans."

Spokane Police say the maps helped evacuate students less than 12 minutes after getting the 911 call, and helped officers stop the gunman, without anyone else getting hurt.

Spokane Police Chief Roger Bragdon says the maps made all the difference in the world. They were able to keep the gunman in a third floor chemistry room, and the maps showed officers all of the chemicals inside the room, and showed them where the natural gas shutoff was located.

The State Legislature allocated nearly $5 million to map all high schools in the state - that's about 460 schools.

Hazen High School in Renton will be the first finished in King County. By 2005, they'll all be done.

"When an incident takes place, it's either chaos or it's positive action," says Gary Kipp of the Washington Association of School Administrators. "And the difference between those two really comes down to communication and planning and practicing."

Educators say the maps will help that communication, as they face the grim reality that they need to be ready, not just for a school shooting, but any type of disaster.

So far the state has only freed up money to money to map the high schools, but they hope to do the same thing with middle and elementary schools.

The Seattle company that developed the technology is also hearing from private companies that want to map their office buildings.