NEWBERRY COUNTY, N.C. (WCNC) – In the case of an active shooter, teachers and administrators in Newberry County, South Carolina now have panic buttons installed on their cell phones that will alert first responders in seconds.
“We have 13 campuses spread out over 620 miles of county,” said Todd Johnson, Chief Deputy for the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office.
With 620 miles of county to cover the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office is turning to technology to help them reach schools faster in the case of an active shooter.
“The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, the Newberry County Public Safety Department, and Newberry County Memorial Hospital all share this app,” said Johnson.
The app is a panic button, by the company RAVE. This school year the app was installed on every full-time employee’s cell phone in the school district, including administrators, teachers and cafeteria staff.
In the event of an active shooter scenario, school staff just have to hold the panic button for a few seconds.
“We’re notifying in most cases more than 100 people. Not just the faculty of the school, but all of the first responders in under five seconds. That normally could take three to five minutes,” said Johnson.
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