Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian and Superintendent of Schools Philip Thornton, Ed.D. announced that all schools will join the Warwick Police Department, Warwick Fire Department, Kent Hospital and the Warwick Mall on the Interoperable Response and Preparedness Platform (IRAPP) network from Mutualink. In addition, teachers and faculty at the schools will be protected by the Rave Panic Button, with integration to the Mutualink platform for faster response time and reduced time to incident resolution.

“The solution will give peace of mind to staff and students,” said Mayor Avedisian. “The Panic Button app dials 911 while simultaneously initiating a Mutualink collaboration session between the school and the police department. Video and radio from the school is shared to the dispatcher so that audio and visual situational awareness is established early in the emergency. Mutualink has been in use by our Police Department since 2012. It’s a proven and affordable way to keep our community safe.”

In an emergency, every minute counts. Incidents are unpredictable. Information gives first responders the upper hand in mitigating the chaos of a constantly changing scenario. With the Panic Button, 911 is quickly alerted. The Mutualink platform provides the situational awareness and collaboration between the school and the police. In addition to connecting the school with the PD for emergencies, schools can use the platform to easily communicate with one another for daily incidents.

“This is an innovative collaboration tool that spans the entire community,” said Philip Thornton, Ed.D., superintendent of schools in Warwick. “Our schools benefit from the experience our first responders have on the platform. Our goal is to connect with law enforcement more quickly, creating better situational awareness before they even reach the school. We’re also seeing a better way to work between schools.”