Montgomery County, Texas Adopts Rave Panic Button to Enhance School Safety and Foster Collaboration with Local Law Enforcement

Rhea-AI Summary

Montgomery County, Texas has deployed the Rave Panic Button mobile application across approximately 130 K-12 schools, benefiting 124,000 students and staff. This initiative comes with support from $17 million in grants for purchasing safety technology, with an additional $400 million expected in 2023 for broader safety enhancements. The Rave Panic Button, used in 46 states, enables immediate communication with 9-1-1 and key staff during emergencies, ensuring rapid response. Educational leaders emphasize prioritizing safety in schools, paving the way for advanced emergency preparedness.

Positive

• Deployment of Rave Panic Button across 130 schools enhances safety for 124,000 students and staff.
• Support from $17 million in grants for schools to purchase safety technology.
• Rave Panic Button has a proven track record in 46 states and has been successfully used since 2018.

Negative

• None.

124,000 K-12 students, as well as staff, across six school districts will benefit from the innovative safety technology

THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- As part of its progressive, proactive approach to helping protect students, faculty, and staff, Montgomery County, Texas announced today that they have deployed the Rave Panic Button mobile safety application 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.

Educational leaders throughout the state of Texas have been looking for ways to increase safety in and around K-12 schools. In 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 panic alarm systems. An additional $400 million in funds is expected to be available in 2023 for a wider range of school safety enhancements.

“The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is and will always be our number one priority. Our school community should be focused on learning, not worrying about their safety,” said Andrea Shepard, associate director at Montgomery County 9-1-1. “Montgomery County 9-1-1 and School Districts firmly believe that Rave Panic Button is the right solution for the times, and we are proud to be seen as leaders in the state and to serve as a resource for others looking to advance school safety.”

Prior to the recent statewide push, Montgomery County 9-1-1 and School Districts researched, vetted and purchased panic button technology – ultimately choosing one of the country’s most widely deployed solutions for its schools, so that educators, staff, 9-1-1 dispatchers and first responders can activate a rapid, effective response to any type of school emergency. The Rave Panic Button app that Montgomery County selected is a fast, smart, reliable technology utilized by thousands of schools in 46 states. It has been successfully utilized by the Willis Independent School District (ISD), located within the county, since 2018.

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.

Schools, community leaders and local public safety officials interested in learning more about panic button technology can attend a forum taking place on Thursday, January 5 at 9:00 a.m. at the Woodlands Emergency Training Center. The 90-minute program, hosted by Montgomery County and Rave Mobile Safety, will feature experts discussing panic button capabilities and a demonstration of the technology. Register here.

The Rave Panic Button is part of Motorola Solutions’ Safe Schools ecosystem of technologies, which help schools to secure campus perimeters, manage access to buildings and seamlessly coordinate with law enforcement. The ecosystem includes access control, video security, body-worn cameras, critical communications, command center software and weapons detection technologies.

About Montgomery County

The Montgomery County Emergency Communication District (MCECD) is a special purpose district authorized and created under Chapter 772 of the State of Texas Health and Safety Code. The MCECD vision is to ensure all citizens of Montgomery County can easily and quickly obtain the emergency services needed to protect life, health or property. Montgomery County 9-1-1 provides systems which allow anyone, at any time, from any place within the County, using any kind of telephone, to connect with emergency service providers by dialing 9-1-1.

About Rave Mobile Safety

Rave Mobile Safety is the leading provider of critical communication and collaboration technology used to save lives, manage crisis incidents, increase resiliency and help with everyday emergencies and operational efficiencies. The Rave platform enables critical data sharing, mass notification and emergency response coordination. Rave has become the trusted communication and collaboration partner for 10,000 customers worldwide, thousands of K-12 schools in the U.S., more than 75% of the nation’s higher education student population, a growing number of corporate and healthcare facilities, as well as the cities of Chicago and New Orleans; Suffolk County, NY, and the states of California, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Carolina and Oklahoma. Founded in 2004, Rave enables you to Do all you can today® to keep everyone safe. For more information, visit www.ravemobilesafety.com, read our company blog, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

About Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI)

Motorola Solutions is a global leader in public safety and enterprise security. Our solutions in land mobile radio communications, video security & access control and command center software, bolstered by managed & support services, create an integrated technology ecosystem to help make communities safer and businesses stay productive and secure. At Motorola Solutions, we’re ushering in a new era in public safety and security. Learn more at www.motorolasolutions.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221220005660/en/

Media:

Amanda Maguire

rave@v2comms.com

Source: Rave Mobile Safety

FAQ

What is the Rave Panic Button and why was it deployed in Montgomery County?

The Rave Panic Button is a mobile safety application that allows immediate communication with 9-1-1 and key staff during emergencies. It was deployed in Montgomery County to enhance safety for students and staff across 130 schools.

How much grant money has Montgomery County received to improve school safety?

Montgomery County has received $17 million in grants to help schools purchase and install safety technology, including panic alarm systems.

What additional funding is Montgomery County expecting for school safety improvements?

An additional $400 million in funding is expected in 2023 to support a wider range of school safety enhancements.

How many students will benefit from the deployment of the Rave Panic Button?

Approximately 124,000 students and staff across six school districts will benefit from the deployment of the Rave Panic Button.

When is the forum about panic button technology in Montgomery County?

The forum discussing panic button technology will take place on January 5 at 9:00 a.m. at the Woodlands Emergency Training Center.