Washington State is the first state to install a DHS-Certified statewide crisis management system. More than 800 schools in Washington have been digitally mapped to ensure fast and effective emergency response. School districts in six other states have also deployed the system.

The school shootings that occurred in Colorado on Wednesday, Massachusetts on Thursday, and Wisconsin Friday morning highlight the fact that schools remain vulnerable targets.

Washington state has created a unified, statewide crisis management system (CMS) to protect schools and other public buildings in the state. The CMS system emphasizes pre-planning among police, fire, and school officials and instant access to a database with more than 300 data points about each school facility in the state.

Joe Hawe, a former sheriff who works with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, and Jim Finnell, president and CEO of Prepared Response, Inc., are 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.  

Gary Sabol
Public Relations Manager
Prepared Response, Inc.
206.223.5544
gsabol@preparedresponse.com 

 

The state of Washington has created a unified, statewide crisis management system (CMS) called Rapid Responder 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. The system has been Certified by  the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under the SAFETY Act as a “Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology.”

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 2,000 students in less than 20 minutes with no loss of life. If more states adopted Washington’s system, emergency responders would have access to critical information they need to protect students and staff.

Rapid Responder runs on laptop computers and allows first responders to instantly access more than 300 site-specific data points, including tactical and emergency plans, floor plans, satellite and geospatial (GIS) imagery, interior and exterior photos, staging areas, hazardous materials locations, utility shut-offs, and evacuation routes for any school building. Rapid Responder is deployed in more than 7,600 facilities including school districts and other critical infrastructure across the U.S.