Panic button app for emergency situations coming to Suffolk County schools
SUFFOLK COUNTY (WABC) -- An emergency mobile application for active shooter scenarios is being implemented to schools in Suffolk County.
The county is spending $2 million for the licensing with Rave Mobile Safety and its Rave Panic Button, and it is available at no cost to all public school districts and private schools.
"We are going to do everything that we can in Suffolk County, in partnership with our schools, to keep our kids safe," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said.
The application requires one press of an active shooter panic button to connect with 911, local police and alert all faculty and teachers on their phones.
It is preloaded for responding law enforcement officers with floor plans and contact information for people on site. Each school district would decide who specifically would have access to the application.
Eight school districts, including Kings Park and Central Islip, have expressed interest in getting the app.
"It's our hope to partner with as many schools as possible," Bellone said.
The application has been available in all Suffolk County libraries throughout the past year.
"Like libraries, schools share the same concerns," said Kevin Verbesey, the head of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System. "We're open, public spaces and nothing is more important to us than keeping that space safe."
Verbesey said the application has helped in emergency medical situations at some libraries.
Nassau County began using the Rave Panic Button in its schools in August 2016.
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