Whole Community Preparedness Summit in Boston Highlights Public Safety Lessons Learned Over Past Year

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., May 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Rave Mobile Safety (Rave), the trusted software partner for campus and public safety, today announced the completion of the Fifth Annual Whole Community Preparedness Summit (May 6-7), an event bringing together safety leaders from across the country. Attended by officials from 9-1-1, emergency management, law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, the highly successful Summit featured interactive sessions covering a myriad of timely topics. This included a briefing by Professor Arn Howitt, executive director of the Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, on recently published research regarding response to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.  

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Joining Executive Director Howitt on the first day of the Summit in his review of the Marathon bombing was Joe O'Hare, deputy superintendent, Boston EMS, who provided details on lessons-learned from an emergency medical response perspective. Brock Long, former director of Alabama Emergency Management, and partner at Hagerty Consulting, led a session on mass evacuations that highlighted the February 2014 ice storm which brought Atlanta to a halt. Elizabeth Davis, special needs caucus chair of the International Association of Emergency Managers, discussed inclusive emergency management with an analysis of recent law suits against municipalities. Finally, a lively panel led by Washington, D.C.'s Office of Unified Communications Director, Jennifer Greene, and Thomas Komola, MIT's manager of Security and Emergency Management, discussed various aspects of active shooter response, including the November 2013 Naval Yard incident and the communications response to the fatal shooting of MIT Officer Sean Collier in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Following the first day, the Summit featured Rave's Smart911 clients discussing specific innovations the service brings to the nation's 9-1-1 system. Spearheaded by Charter 50 program members - the first to implement Smart911 in their state - this included open discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing public safety answering points (PSAPs), with a focus on operational and technical solutions.

"Given the rapid pace of technology change, the success and continued growth of our company, and developments in the public safety industry as a whole, close collaboration between public safety leaders and the vendor community is vital," said Tom Axbey, president and CEO, Rave Mobile Safety. "This Summit, and the open and productive dialogue of attendees, continues to provide a unique forum by which we can all learn from each other and advance best-practices." 

"This Summit epitomizes Rave's culture," said April Heinze, director, Eaton County (MI) Central Dispatch. "Each year we provide feedback and see this input reflected in the next version of Smart911. The result is a product that delivers what we need in terms of usability, one that brings great value to the response process. Other company's should take a page out of Rave's book and learn from their ability to listen to the needs of customers."

"NENA is very pleased that Rave has actively engaged us and the broader industry since the early formation of their Smart911 product," said Brian Fontes, CEO of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA). "Working groups that promote and share industry knowledge are critical to the continuing improvement of 9-1-1 service."

Hagerty Consulting, which provides emergency management services to federal, state, and local governments, colleges and universities, non-profits, and the private sector was the Platinum Sponsor of this year's Summit. "We commend Rave for putting together a fantastic event," said the CEO and President of Hagerty Consulting, Stephen Hagerty. "Sharing of information in an open and collaborative manner is critical to improving the capabilities of public safety agencies." AT&T and Intrado were Gold Sponsors of the event.

Smart911 allows citizens to create free Safety Profiles online at www.Smart911.com by entering vital data they want made available to 9-1-1 operators in the event of an emergency. This can include information about themselves and family members, residence and even pets, details on medical conditions, disabilities and/or special needs, photos, home addresses of cellphone callers, bedroom locations and other pertinent information.

Smart911 automatically delivers this information to supported PSAPs when a 9-1-1 call is made from any phone in a Safety Profile. As a result, first responders can arrive at the right location faster with the right resources and improved situational awareness. Fire crews can be aware of such things as how many people live at a home and location of bedrooms. EMS can know about specific conditions for fast, precise medical treatment. And because profiles can contain photos, in the event of a missing child, police can gain an advantage, receiving critical information in seconds versus hours. Because it is a national system, once a Smart911 Safety Profile has been created, it can be delivered with an emergency call in any area of the country if the local 9-1-1 PSAP is supported by Smart911.

Introduced nearly three years ago, Smart911 has been adopted in 33 states and more than 450 municipalities. Rave campus safety solutions are also now used by more than 1,000 campuses across nearly every U.S. state, with continued growth building upon a market leadership position that is punctuated by a 99 percent customer retention rate.

About Rave Mobile Safety
Rave Mobile Safety is the most trusted software partner for campus and public safety. Used by leading institutes of higher education and state and local agencies, the award-winning portfolio of Rave SafeCampus, Rave Alert, Rave Guardian, Eyewitness, Smart911 and SmartPrepare enables millions to feel safe, secure and connected. Rave Mobile Safety is headquartered in Framingham, MA. For more information, please visit http://www.ravemobilesafety.com.

Media Contact:
Marty Querzoli
Davies Murphy Group
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(781) 418-2433

SOURCE Rave Mobile Safety