Newtown Students Head Back to Safer Schools as the District Implements Innovative School Safety Emergency Preparedness System
Aug 18, 2016, 10:53 ET
NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio, Aug. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In preparation for the 2016-17 school year and with a concern for safety few schools can imagine, the Newtown Public School District in Newtown, CT has implemented a cloud-based school safety system that directly connects first responders with a school's critical safety information.
The system – known as NaviGate Prepared® – stores important school safety plans and associated information, such as call lists, personnel photos, building maps, detailed floor plans, 360-degree photographs of key building areas, including life-safety and shut-off valve locations and more, in a secure cloud environment. It offers authorized users and first responders, including 911 dispatchers, immediate, real-time access to this information – from any Web-authorized device. No matter the severity of the situation, NaviGate Prepared ensures necessary safety information is accessible, even if a building is not.
"Newtown, like all districts across the country, works diligently with safety officials to provide an optimal environment for teaching and learning," said Superintendent Joseph Erardi. "The launch of NaviGate Prepared in all of our schools represents state-of-the-art proactive technology that fits deeply into our district's safety plan."
Michele Gay, mother of 7-year-old Sandy Hook victim, Josephine, past teacher, and co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools, A Sandy Hook Initiative was instrumental in bringing NaviGate Prepared and Newtown Schools together. Gay travels the nation speaking to groups and organizations, offering resources and recommendations on processes, protocols, technologies and more to help schools better prepare and respond in the event of an emergency.
The components of NaviGate Prepared address a variety of school safety needs including safety plan creation, organization and dissemination of safety documents and providing access to interactive floor plans and site plans to local first responders. Apps within the program put emergency procedures in the hands of teachers and staff for immediate access to step-by-step directions and enable them to account for students, by name, during drills and emergencies.
"NaviGate Prepared brings great value at a minimal cost and school officials throughout the nation are quickly recognizing the benefits it delivers to the protection of our most valuable assets – our kids," said Thom Jones, director of sales for NaviGate Prepared with 15 years' experience as a school principal. "We are humbled to be such an important part of the Newtown Public School District's safety regimen. As we continue to improve and advance our solutions, the lessons learned at Newtown will play a pivotal role in the ongoing development of NaviGate Prepared."
About NaviGate Prepared®
NaviGate Prepared® is a proven school safety emergency response system designed to assist and prepare school officials and first responders for emergency situations. The secure, cloud-based platform offers 911 dispatch centers and emergency personnel real-time Internet access of a school's facility and safety information before, during and after a crisis. NaviGate Prepared is SAFETY Act Designated as an anti-terrorism-level technology by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and has been awarded the Campus Safety BEST Award in 2015 and 2016. For more information, visit www.NaviGatePrepared.com or call 866-861-7400.
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SOURCE NaviGate Prepared