Montgomery County First Responders unveil new system to enhance school safety

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Dozens of law enforcement officers, firefighters, and community leaders recently gathered at The Woodlands Emergency Training Center to celebrate the unveiling of a new system to be used by schools throughout Montgomery County.

The Rave Panic Button mobile safety application has been deployed in approximately 130 public and charter schools. The application is available through Rave Mobile Safety, a Motorola Solutions company specializing in mass notification and incident management.

This past October, the state’s Legislative Budget Board and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) authorized more than $17 million in grants so that schools can purchase and install this and similar panic button systems. An additional $400 million in funds is expected to be available in 2023 for a wider range of school safety enhancements.

Summoning police assistance quickly, and helping on-site personnel be informed and engaged throughout an emergency situation, can make all the difference when seconds count. When an authorized user activates the Rave Panic Button app, 9-1-1 and key school employees are quickly notified so that first responders and users who have deployed the app are simultaneously informed about the emergency type and incident location.

In a series of exclusive interviews at the unveiling event, several key individuals discussed the platform and its implications with Woodlands Online.

Jason Millsaps, executive director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for Montgomery County and also chief of staff to County Judge Mark Keough

“Today we’re rolling out this system to teachers, administrators and employees of our school districts. We’re the first county in the state to implement this system; it’s currently in use by Willis Independent School District; the 911 District here is paying for its use for this year and the next. It’s actually inexpensive; only about $1,200 per year per campus. This is in partnership with the Special Threat Committee that we put together years ago, the first such committee in the state designed for such emergency events. Now the county also has the active shooter training facility on the east side that we use to train our first responders. This is one more tool in the toolbox to keep schools safe.”

Todd Miller, senior vice president of strategic systems at Rave Mobile Safety

“We’re really excited to be here today to showcase what Montgomery County has done to be proactive in school safety, for every situation from minor medical events to gas leaks outside, to life-or-death emergencies, this is a system that can be used for all types of emergencies. Montgomery County has used Rave components for years for emergency notifications, our smart 911 solution, and this is the next evolution. When someone pushed the Panic Button on the app, we get all the relevant information such as who pressed the button, where they are, what type of emergency, while at the same time delivering critical information to 911 and emergency responders like floor plans, emergency responses, locations of lock boxes, and more. This system can also be configured for landlines and standard mobile calls, something much more comprehensive than has been done in the past.”

Chip VanSteenberg, executive director of Montgomery County 9-1-1

“This is a product the schools can use to communicate with 911 dispatchers, first responders, law enforcement, and each other during a school emergency. This has been a long time coming; it’s the result of a partnership between my district and all the school districts and law enforcement agencies that serve them in Montgomery County. We’ve been partnered with Rave for nearly a decade to support a variety of products that help increase our safety and security. The system provides information that visitors might not know about the locations in question – such as names of buildings or special entry requirements – as an improvement to school safety.”

Additionally, State Representatives Steve Toth. 15th District, and Shawn Thierry, 146th District, attended the event. Taking the podium, Ms. Thierry stressed the importance of all schools having access to systems such as this, and informed the gathering that her drafted legislation, House Bill 699, was on its way to the Governor’s desk for expected passage before this current session ends. The bill works on getting this technology to all school districts in the Lone Star State. Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson expressed his gratitude to not only his officers but every emergency responder in Montgomery County, and also pointed out that several local private schools already use the Rave Panic Button System, including Woodlands Christian Academy and The John Cooper School.