Idaho's Lapwai District Deploys Crisis Management System

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 09/22/09

Lapwai School District #341 in Idaho has implemented Rapid Responder, a crisis management system from Prepared Response. The district is located on the Nez Perce Reservation and serves 531 students and their families. District facilities include an elementary school, a middle/high school, and an administration building that houses preschool students.

The company describes the Rapid Responder service as an "all hazards situational awareness solution" that combines four principal functions:

  • Pre-planning meetings with school facility managers and first responders to foster dialog and build relationships.
  • Site survey and data management for Rapid Responder, including 300 site-specific data elements of all critical areas.
  • Tactical simulations "under pressure" using Rapid Responder to step through an emergency to enable participants to test their response abilities.
  • Product training for facility staff and first responders.

The service provides the district and the Nez Perce Tribal Police, Nez Perce County Sheriff's Office, Idaho State Police, FBI, and other local, state, and federal first responders with access to campus information, including floor plans and aerial imagery, via a computer.

The district received a federal school safety grant in 2007 to install Rapid Responder and to use the company's consulting services to prepare the district's emergency preparedness plan and train staff.

"The Lapwai School District is very serious about security and safety in our schools," said Terry Smith, superintendent. "By installing a state-of-the-art crisis management system and training the staff in updated security procedures, we feel the district is better prepared to deal with emergencies in our schools. This process has added new dimensions to our partnerships with the various agencies and organizations involved in helping formulate a plan for our students and community that will be sustainable into the future."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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