METAMORA, Ohio (WTVG) – School is about to start again and teachers are starting to prepare, and that includes more than just setting up classrooms. A Fulton County school district has a new safety system that it says will allow them to respond to emergencies faster than ever before.

Evergreen Local School District officials received $300,000 in state safety grants and invested the money to install the 911Inform security system.

The school administration has been working on setting up the system since last summer and it will be fully operational this school year.

For school superintendent Kathy Zumfelde, safety is always a top priority. She said her district will implement a groundbreaking safety measure this year.

“I mean, it will save lives one day,” Zumfelde said.

In an emergency, Zumfelde is the only first responder on site.

“I’m the only one here, I’m the only SRO, I’m in charge of the high school, the middle school, the elementary school and we have the bus garage because we have some classes there,” Zumfelde said.

This school year, she’ll have more than one pair of eyes on the ground thanks to 911Inform. Through the program, dispatchers can access school cameras, activate door locks and turn on security systems to secure a building when an emergency call comes in.

While the rescue teams are on the way, dispatchers can better prepare not only them but also the school staff for the emergency situation.

The system creates a text thread that informs the school’s security team about what is happening where.

Lucas Burkholder, principal of Evergreen Middle School, said communication is key to success in an emergency and that 911Inform allows for the rapid dissemination of important information.

“Even if you know a lockdown is coming, having a system like this is really beneficial for communication and decision-making afterwards,” Burkholder said.

Geofencing technology allows operators to see the exact location of the caller, and an electronic map of the school shows whether resources such as first aid kits are nearby.

“When the 911 call is made, the 911 operator sees all the icons on the map. They see all the important information, whether it’s a defibrillator, an EpiPen or a trauma kit, so they can direct either the first responders or the people we’re talking to who made the call where the equipment is,” said Dan Speigal, owner of Securetec and the person who helped the county set up 911Inform.

School officials say you never know what the day will bring, but the new security system will help them be better prepared for emergency situations.

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