Cumberland County schools to get new safety system

December 10, 2005
By David Kernodle & Web Staff
News 14 Carolina

The Cumberland County School System will soon have something no other school system in the state can claim: an emergency response system.

The county will use the $700,000 it received Friday from the U.S. Department of Education to pay for the system.

School officials say it’s the latest thing in school safety.

“We are going to be the first school system in the state to utilize this program,” said Security Supervisor Jimmy Black. “And we are one of the first in the U.S. to use this program.”

The program is called Rapid Responder. It will act much like an intranet web site. It will include school blue prints, aerial photos, and detailed school information. Only authorized personnel will have access.

“It gives first responders to an emergency situation in a school all the information they need in order to respond to it properly,” added Black.

Those emergency situations include fires, shootings, and extreme weather. The program is designed to cut out unnecessary time and speed up the response.

The system costs more than $700,000, but parents say it’s worth every penny.

“I can’t put a price tag on it. I would love for my kids to be looked at 24/7 but that can’t happen,” said Gregory Graham, a parent in Cumberland County.

“You have agencies involved, principles involved, the S.R.O.’s involved at the school, even the janitor staff in the pre-planning of this program,” continued Black.

School officials say installation and planning will began after the holidays. School officials say the program will be online and running next school year.