For the past two weeks there have been flashing lights and loud sirens going off in the area of Woodhaven-Brownstown schools. Those disruptions have been part of a new safety alert system that is being implemented.
The district is onboard with the Centegix CrisisAlert System, which will allow every employee to connect to 911, coordinate tailored protocols for any emergency and have access to reporting everything from a health crisis to serious situations.
The district has been in safety training the past couple of weeks and issued a heads up on its website that residents in the area might see and hear some of the emergency testing.
School Superintendent Mark Greathead said his district will be one of the first in the county to go live with the system that for employees, comes in in the form of a coded key card on a lanyard.
“It’s a wearable badge to activate staff and alert them to medical emergencies, assistance needed for a fight or adult support,” Greathead said. “It can be used to put the school on lockdown if the situation arises. We should be online about the second week in October.”
The superintendent said activating the badge will allow district officials to know who activated it, where they are on campus, and what type of emergency they are dealing with at the time.
That information can be shared directly with 911 dispatchers. It provides seamless, real-time communication, empowering the school district to respond quickly and be informed.
“We were researching for a rapid notification system that didn’t rely on a cellphone or desktop phone,” Greathead said. “Centegix checked all the boxes.”
Some use of the device practices have already been incorporated in school drills. Woodhaven and Brownstown police departments are onboard.
Greathead said there are three liaison officers among the two communities and all are up to speed with the new alert system.
“I’m very excited and thrilled the board of education prioritizes safety and this will be in the hands of every employee,” the superintendent said. “Help will be just a few clicks away.”
According to the Centegix website, there are about 700,000 CrisisAlert badge users and about 98% of them say the alert system helps them feel safe and supported.
“We are dedicated to our mission of innovating safety solutions to empower and protect people (every day),” the website said. “We believe our values of empowerment, innovation, and advocacy keep us committed to creating workplaces where all staff feel supported to get help in an emergency, from the everyday to the extreme.”
Anyone can trigger an alert anywhere on campus, so when they see something, they can say something.
One law enforcement user calls the device a “force multiplier.”
He said putting the technology in the hands of thousands of his employees gives him thousands of eyes to help keep his campuses safe.
