Shootings Spur Security Upgrades

After the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999, schools around the nation updated their security and emergency plans.

One of the communities that actively sought out better ways to handle emergency situations was Spokane, Wash. Technology company Rapid Responder worked with the high schools in the city to integrate the schools’ floor plans and maps into software that can be utilized by police and fire officials to quickly respond to emergencies.

Then, before U.S. federal judges held their annual conference in Spokane last year, they asked The Davenport Hotel to implement the technology to ensure the safety of the judges.

Over about three months, the software company inputted all the hotel’s emergency and operating manuals, along with its floorplan, and developed a program allowing hotel staff, as well as emergency officials and the U.S. Secret Service, to quickly find emergency exits, water shutoff valves and other information.

“The Vice President [Dick Cheney] was here for a few hours recently, and we made this available to the Secret Service,” said Chris Powell, director of security for The Davenport.

Because the software includes photos of the various types of guestrooms, the technology also could be used in a case of domestic violence or someone with a gun, to determine where in the room the incident was happening.

Another application could be a pipe break. The night security officer could quickly locate the shutoff valve for that pipe.