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Media Advisory - School Shooting Anniversary

WHAT:
Thursday, April 20th  - 7th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting
NEWS SIGNIFICANCE:
It can happen again.  A recent study by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute indicated that a large number of schools across the country are unprepared and have emergency plans that fall short of what’s expected.
 
Only one state, Washington, has created a unified, statewide crisis management system (CMS) to protect schools and other public buildings in the state. All public high schools are currently “digitally mapped” so police can respond quicker and more effectively.  
 
INTERVIEWEE:
Jim Finnell, president and CEO of Prepared Response, is prepared to talk about the statewide system in Washington state and how it has successfully protected schools and saved lives during an actual school shooting incident.  
 
CONTACT INFO:
Gary Sabol
Public Relations Manager
Prepared Response, Inc.
206.223.5544
gsabol@preparedresponse.com 
 
BACKGROUND:
The state of Washington has created a unified, statewide crisis management system (CMS) to protect schools and other public buildings in the state. The system provides police, fire, and other first responders with mission-critical information about schools and other critical infrastructure, allowing them to respond faster, more effectively, and in a coordinated manner. 
 
Two weeks after the program was installed at Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, WA, a gunman walked into the school and started shooting. Using the CMS, police were able to contain the gunman in 12 minutes and evacuate two-thousand students in less than 20 minutes. The only person injured was the gunman. If more states adopted Washington’s system, emergency responders would have the extra tools they needed to protect students and reduce damage to school property.  
 
Media Contact
For further information, please contact:

Gary Sabol
Public Relations Manager
gsabol@preparedresponse.com
O 206.223.5544
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