$105K grant will be used to help response time for emergencies in Harford County schools
A nearly $105,000 grant will be used on technology that will help first responders respond to emergencies at Harford County schools.
A blueprint mapping of the school aims to help first responders deal with future crisis calls more efficiently.
"If I were to send you into a building for an emergency, and I told you, 'Hey, someone's having a heart attack, you need to respond into this building, it would be really nice if you had already walked through that building virtually, and you knew where the AED was, and maybe a trauma bag, or those types of things," said Maj. Eric Gonzalez, with the Harford County Sheriff's Office.
The new technology, which has been in the works since a deadly shooting at Joppatowne High School on September 6, 2024, also identifies cameras in the building, which 911 operators can access in real time.
"We'll be able to identify the camera, so that basically the people that are sitting behind a screen can also guide the people in the building, and everybody has access to the same information live, " said Missy Valentino, the facility planner with Harford County Public Schools.
The mapping will also be utilized for training exercises for law enforcement, along with support drills, reunification planning, and hazard mitigation efforts.
HCPS will begin with high schools, but hopes to have all 55 schools in the district complete by the end of next year.
"Improving public safety response"
Valentino says district leaders are always looking at the best ways to ensure safety in the schools, and this is just another tool in the toolbox for first responders.
"They know right where they're going when they get in, the best way to get into the building, the quickest access, even as much as which parking lot to pull into to get into the building faster, and how to get into that area of the building," Valentino said.
Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly is also excited about the project, saying in a statement, "These large buildings are complex to navigate, and having this tool available will only improve public safety response."
