Schools add panic buttons to communicate during emergencies

EVERETT — Just months after the fatal shootings at Marysville Pilchuck High School in October, Snohomish County school districts are adding panic buttons to more than 80 campuses.

The buttons are part of a smartphone application that will be used by school staff, emergency dispatchers and first responders for communication during campus emergencies. Two Everett schools started a pilot program in August.

Participating school districts are Arlington, Everett, Lakewood, Marysville, Monroe, Snohomish, Stanwood and Sultan. Meetings are planned next week to begin the larger rollout.

Eventually, the idea is to add firefighters, medics and private schools to the notification network, officials said.

The program is funded by a $250,000 grant from the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Each district is expected to start with the buttons at one school to get the hang of it. Not everyone is notified of every emergency, as school administrators decide on specific groups in advance.

Rave is made by the same company as Smart911, the program rolled out in the county in 2014 that encourages people to share information about their households for dispatchers in case of an emergency.

The panic buttons are for all emergencies, including school shootings, said Kurt Mills, the executive director at SNOPAC, the dispatch center based in Everett. For example, the buttons could summon help if someone suffers a heart attack on a playground, or a hazardous chemical is spilled in the science lab.

If pushed, the button automatically calls 911 and sends alerts to the designated groups. As the call is connected, school officials are notified that something is happening on the campus.

That means more notice to start making a plan, said Crystal Ayco, SNOPAC operations coordinator.

“It’s not a huge amount of time but it’s critical seconds,” she said.

SNOPAC and Everett Public Schools worked together to get the grant. They were part of the company’s development phase for Rave, offering feedback and suggesting changes. That partnership that saved money, Mills said. The schools won’t face any maintenance fees.

Lessons are being applied to emergency planning from the October shootings that left five students from Marysville Pilchuck High School dead, he said.

“The concept is faster dissemination of information,” he said.

That means more details about what exactly is happening being sent to staff, Ayco said. That includes bus drivers, as buses coming and going often add to the confusion during emergencies. Buses could be diverted before that happens, Mills said.

Rave is just one prong of ongoing efforts to improve school security, said Everett police Sgt. Tim Reeves, who supervises the department’s school resource officers. That means more communication among neighboring campuses, even during routine lockdowns, he said.

“It’s all part of the puzzle,” he said.

The more accurate information is available to school officials, the more quickly it can reach families, regardless of what’s being said on social media, Everett district spokeswoman Mary Waggoner said. Recent bogus threats have proven that need.

Everett Community College started using a tool similar to Rave in December to notify staff, students, parents and neighbors during emergencies, spokeswoman Katherine Schiffner said.

Unlike the EvCC program, Rave is not available to the general public.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Everett mall renderings from Brixton Capital. (Photo provided by the City of Everett)
Topgolf at the Everett Mall? Mayor’s hint still unconfirmed

After Cassie Franklin’s annual address, rumors circled about what “top” entertainment tenant could be landing at Everett Mall.

Everett
Everett man sentenced to 3 years of probation for mutilating animals

In 2022, neighbors reported Blayne Perez, 35, was shooting and torturing wildlife in north Everett.

The Washington State University Snohomish County Extension building at McCollum Park is located in an area Snohomish County is considering for the location of the Farm and Food Center on Thursday, March 28, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Year-round indoor farmers market inches closer to reality near Mill Creek

The Snohomish County Farm and Food Center received $5 million in federal funding. The county hopes to begin building in 2026.

Dorothy Crossman rides up on her bike to turn in her ballot  on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett leaders plan to ask voters for property tax increase

City officials will spend weeks hammering out details of a ballot measure, as Everett faces a $12.6 million deficit.

Starbucks employee Zach Gabelein outside of the Mill Creek location where he works on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mill Creek Starbucks votes 21-1 to form union

“We obviously are kind of on the high of that win,” store bargaining delegate Zach Gabelein said.

Lynnwood police respond to a collision on highway 99 at 176 street SW. (Photo provided by Lynnwood Police)
Police: Teen in stolen car flees cops, causes crash in Lynnwood

The crash blocked traffic for over an hour at 176th Street SW. The boy, 16, was arrested on felony warrants.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.