ELERTS safety app helps communicate during “active shooter” incidents

FBI study says active shooter events have more than doubled over the past seven years.

(Weymouth, MA) September 26, 2014 — During a shooting incident, seconds count. It can be difficult for police to receive real-time information about a shooter’s location and actions. ELERTS, a leading provider of mobile emergency response software, offers EVENT ALERT, a safety app that can help police and Security professionals better understand and respond to such threats.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a study this week that analyzed 160 active shooter incidents from 2000 through 2013. i The FBI found that the number of incidents more than doubled during the 2007-2013 period as compared to the previous seven years. Twenty-four percent of these shootings occurred in schools.

ELERTS Event Alert™ app provides two-way communication between the app’s users and police. In an educational setting, it allows teachers and school staff to submit details to first responders, including a GPS map and photos. Police can broadcast information through the app about the last known location of the shooter and issue commands to lock down, shelter-in-place, or evacuate.

“There is a great deal of fear and confusion during a shooting incident,” said Ed English, CEO of ELERTS. “Teachers struggle with the decision to either shelter-in-place or evacuate their classrooms. They don’t know if the shooter is far enough away that they can get the students out of the building. Our Event Alert™ app enables persons in a lockdown to get information about the threat and to respond situationally, using real time information shared from persons on the scene.”

Event Alert™ also works with the C•CURE access control system produced by Tyco Software House. The app triggers events that can prompt the C•CURE system to electronically lock doors, restrict building access swipe cards, and broadcast mass notifications.

ELERTS’ suite of safety apps includes Event Alert™, ELERTS Transit™, ELERTS Stadium™, and ELERTS See Say™. Each app is designed for the needs of specific groups, such as schools and universities, public transportation, stadium events, medical facilities, and more.

“The FBI study shows that, unfortunately, active shooter events are on the rise,” said English. “Each shooting incident is unique and requires a situational response. ELERTS apps help people communicate quickly during an emergency, allowing police and security staff to tailor their response to the situation.”

ELERTS

ELERTS Corporation (http://elerts.connectingsmart.com ), headquartered in Weymouth, MA, develops best-in-class emergency communication software, empowered by community-sourced reporting of safety and security concerns. The company’s cloud-based approach leverages smartphone technologies to provide robust, bidirectional communication between multiple parties. ELERTS mobile technology integrates with video surveillance, access control and mass-notification systems. The result is actionable information for emergency situations — to help first responders become faster responders.

CONTACT

Chris Russo
Executive Vice President
ELERTS
crusso@elerts.com
781-267-1500