Combine FirstNet & CrisisGo for an Optimal Response

Choosing CrisisGo

Bill Bryson III, Technology Director for Virginia Minnesota Public Schools informed that the district plans to use CrisisGo for handling lockdowns, emergency alerting, digital access to emergency plans, and accounting for students. Bryson stated, "Our plan is to be using CrisisGo as the main backbone of our crisis management system." By utilizing CrisisGo as part of their emergency communication and safety protocols, Virginia Minnesota Public Schools can:

• Escalate emergencies to first responders and request FirstNet priority access.
• Provide digital access to situation-specific emergency plans.
• Enable staff to check in students in real-time through a digital roster with observable data.

Utilizing FirstNet

Virginia Minnesota Public Schools started using FirstNet to provide a robust wireless infrastructure and unlimited bandwidth supply for their bus fleet, which is also used as an emergency evacuation system for the city of Virginia and a hospital in the area. The district's safety team also utilizes a select number of mobile phones that are connected to FirstNet to ensure they stay in consistent communication as an emergency unfolds even during times of network saturation.

Bryson stated, "In the event that something does happen, we're going to make sure that those administrators have the ability to use their phones even if there is network saturation, and talk to fire [department] and the rest of the team."

Combining CrisisGo and FirstNet

Bryson informed that the local fire department is the emergency contact who can escalate the district's FirstNet connected devices to be Priority 1 and CrisisGo can help the district accelerate the response. In addition to using CrisisGo as the districts emergency management platform, Bryson also plans to use CrisisGo to directly connect with their local fire department, police department, and 911 dispatch. He stated, "The whole first responder network will be notified off of a CrisisGo action, which will be so much faster than having to call 911."

Bryson added that first responders will be immediately notified when a CrisisGo Alert is sent, and the responding agencies will each have a specific digital checklist for their response protocols. Bryson referenced their setup for the fire department and stated: "I want to have in CrisisGo their account set up so that when we initiate a lockdown, or fire, or whatever, and when the alarm goes off on their device, it pops up with a checklist for them specifically that says step 1: Escalate Virginia's FirstNet phones to Priority 1."