FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Monday, October 4, 2004

Washington State High Schools Lead National Safety Initiatives as New Statewide Emergency Preparedness Program is Activated
New Technology Created to Improve First Responders Ability to Plan, Prepare and Respond to Emergencies at Schools and other Critical Infrastructure

SEATTLE— October 4, 2004 – Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC), along with Prepared Response, Inc., has completed the first major steps of a multi-phase initiative to make schools safer by mapping every high school facility in Washington State using Rapid ResponderTM - a Web-based and standalone software program which allows emergency responders to act quickly, decisively, and safely during any emergency incident.  The most important phase of implementation, which includes extensive mapping of critical facility information of more than 400 high schools, is currently being made available for first responders to access.  Emergency and school personnel will be systematically trained and given direct access to information such as complete floor plans, site maps, utility control locations, hazardous material locations, tactical and evacuation plans, and school contact information.

The initiative was launched in September 2003 when WASPC, in conjunction with the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP), Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA), the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), legislators and Prepared Response, Inc., saw an immediate need to greatly improve emergency preparedness and planning for schools.  They announced a statewide program designed to give police, fire and other first responders access to an interactive emergency response database system - Rapid Responder – which allows emergency personal to view critical site information en route to an emergency, access building safety plans specific to the crisis, create and manage an incident plan, and communicate in real-time with other crews through a secure internet connection.   

Legislature spent $3.5 million to implement the program.  All of the high schools plans will become available for responders by January 2005.

“Our children’s safety is not a risk that we’re willing to take.  Our priorities are simple, and Prepared Response has allowed us to take control and plan for emergency situations better than we’ve ever been able to do,” said Joe Pope, Chairman of the Washington State Safe School Advisory Committee (WSSSAC).  “In order to provide an environment where children are able to learn and grow, we must ensure that they feel completely safe in their surroundings.”

There are numerous examples of the need to enhance and improve response for emergencies, especially within schools both nationally and worldwide.  This new software has already proven valuable at a shooting incident at Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, Washington, in September 2003, when a student shooter was contained after only 12 minutes.  Rapid Responder completed its installation of Lewis and Clark only a few weeks prior to the incident.   

“In emergency situations, seconds are valuable and this investment of time at the front end can have significant impact on the outcome of the situation,” said Joe Hawe, Washington State Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, (WASPC) “It allows responders to focus on what’s most important.”

The current release of Rapid Responder was created after analyzing a variety of real emergencies, such as the tragedy at Columbine, to develop practical and effective tools that will improve planning, preparedness and response for police, firefighters and other public safety professionals.  The software program reduces the need for paper-based emergency plans, and has enormous potential for both public and private venues. 

About Rapid Responder

Rapid Responder is an interactive emergency response database system. It gives first responders directions to sites, staging areas and buildings, in addition to floor plans, site plans and both indoor and outdoor photos of each facility. It allows first responders to adequately prepare through pre-planning, actual response and recovery, providing the means to effect the highest level of organization and dissemination of all incident plans, site information and communication. For example, an incident commander and emergency communications managers can view critical site information en route to an emergency, access building safety plans specific to the crisis, create, manage and distribute incident plans.