‘Panic button’ app makes difference in emergencies, schools say

EVERETT — School officials say the playground game of telephone isn’t reliable in emergencies.

Information becomes inaccurate when it is passed down the line.

Up until a few years ago, word of mouth was the system employed by many campuses.

Since 2014, seven Snohomish County school districts have implemented panic button software for mobile phones. An additional two districts are considering the transition. Any employee can opt in by downloading the software. In an emergency, the panic button could be pushed to notify 911, first responders and school staff. It is not available to the public.

The program was developed by a Massachusetts-based company called Rave.

In terms of day-to-day use, the panic button is most often used when students fall on the playground.

Everyone receives an alert with the same information at the same time, said Molly Ringo, assistant superintendent with the Everett School District. The information doesn’t get jumbled between messengers.

The state House Education Committee has reviewed a proposed bill that would bring the panic-button app to schools statewide.

The bill is not expected to advance out of committee. Supporters of the bill instead are considering the option of seeking state funding to encourage use.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Information originally provided $250,000 in 2013 to launch the program.

SNOPAC, the 911 dispatch center in Everett, tracked 85 instances when the panic button app was used between December and January, said Rich McQuade, operations coordinator.

Ringo said schools in the Everett district make more than 300 emergency calls using the app each year.

“There’s not really a day that goes by that we don’t use it,” she said.

The phone application has five buttons labeled active shooter, police, fire, medical and other.

The majority of calls from schools are medical-related, McQuade said.

Kids have fallen and gotten hurt while at recess or lunch, Ringo said. A teacher can notify 911, paramedics and the administration all at once with the push of a button. That way the teacher can stay with the child until help arrives, instead of running to the main office.

Last fall, a staff member at the Everett district’s headquarter office saw a group of teenagers vandalizing Memorial Stadium, Ringo said. She used the panic button to call police, who were able to stop the kids.

The panic button can be employed during severe weather. Homes in Sultan flooded last year, SNOPAC Executive Director Kurt Mills said. Staff at the local middle school were notified. They were able to open the school in the middle of the night for families to stay.

School districts can upload maps of campuses, faculty contact information and emergency plans to online profiles archived by Rave. If someone pushes the active-shooter button, these materials can help police who may not be familiar with the campus.

During any emergency, updates can be sent to teachers’ phones.

Schools have begun providing bus drivers access to the panic button so they can be alerted to divert their routes or to stay put during emergencies.

Mills and Everett police Sgt. Tim Reeves relayed those stories during a hearing with the House Education Committee last month. Reeves supervises the district’s school resource officers and youth services.

“When you have a crisis, the key to solving it quickly is communication,” Reeves said.

Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.

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