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District safety coordinator says Rave panic-button app delivers faster alerts; committee hears training, geofencing and grant details
Summary
District safety coordinator Dan Giacomo demonstrated the Rave panic-button system and Rave Command View, saying the app integrates with 911, geofences school campuses, and delivered a districtwide test to 1,581 staff in 1.5 seconds; the rollout was funded by a federal Safer Communities Act grant and has been used in multiple medical scenarios.
Dan Giacomo, the district coordinator for safety and security, told the Warwick School Committee on Feb. 11 that the Rave panic-button smartphone app and command console have restored real-time emergency communications across the district and with local first responders.
Giacomo said the system is integrated with 911 and uses geofencing to send location-specific alerts. "With a push of a button, the panic button app begins a communication workflow, instantly connecting you with 911, first responders, and necessary personnel," he said, describing how the platform delivers incident type and location to emergency dispatchers and other stakeholders.
The district funded the deployment with a bipartisan Safer Communities Act grant and the system is currently on a three-year contract, Giacomo said. He described a district test that reached 1,581 employees with an alert in about 1.5 seconds and noted that Rave has already been used more than three dozen times in the district, primarily for medical incidents.
Committee members asked about training, false activations and parent notifications. Giacomo said every school has had training and testing, and that parents are not automatically integrated into the Rave notifications; standard post-incident principal notifications are used to inform families. "It's not connected to parents," he said, adding principals send follow-up messages to families after incidents.
He also described the app's nonemergency capabilities for large-group messaging and explained that administrators can access floor plans, rosters and reunification points through the platform.
What's next: The committee voiced broad support for district adoption; members asked administration to provide committee members and other authorized stakeholders with app access and training so they receive alerts directly.
Sources: Presentation and Q&A at the Feb. 11 Warwick School Committee meeting by Dan Giacomo, district coordinator of safety and security.
