San Juan County Schools Adopt Panic Button App
The Rave Panic Button will be installed at the Aztec and Bloomfield high school campuses, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced Thursday.
- By Jessica Davis
- January 28, 2019
Two high schools in San Juan County will be the first in New Mexico to adopt a new system designed to help users rapidly report emergency incidents to 911 using a smartphone app.
The Rave Panic Button will be installed at the Aztec and Bloomfield high school campuses, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced Thursday.
The Rave Panic Button app can be used by staff members to report incidents requiring immediate 911 help and to request help from fellow staff. In an emergency, there are buttons in the app representing a variety of emergencies—fire, medical, police, active shooter—and the user can press the appropriate button to request help.
If the user hits the active shooter button, they are immediately connected to 911 and an emergency alert is also sent out to every Rave Panic Button app user.
If the medical button is activated, critical administrators and staff members with medical training will be alerted.
"The threats are evolving, and we should have the best communication tools, the best training and the best technology implemented," Balderas said.
According to director David Ripley, the San Juan County Communications Authority is implementing and paying for the system. The app is being offered to schools for free.
Aztec schools Superintendent Kirk Carpenter said staff members will be trained before the app is deployed.
The county communications authority hopes to add the system to more schools, Ripley said.
About the Author
Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.