By: Jonathan Fischer, Chief Revenue Officer

Emergencies in high-stress environments escalate quickly and without warning. Critical decisions need to be made in seconds, not minutes.

That is not a theory. I lived it.

As a firefighter, most of our calls were what you would expect: building fires, serious car accidents, HazMat incidents. You train, show up, and execute.

But one call changed how I viewed emergency response.

I was assigned to a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT), the unit responsible for rescuing firefighters if something goes wrong inside a fire. We were called to assist with a fire at a motorcycle shop in a neighboring city.

When we arrived, it felt routine. RIT teams stage outside, gear up, and hope they are never needed. We had just stepped off the truck and started putting on our air packs.

Then a civilian ran toward us screaming: “The building collapsed.”

That was the first time we heard this…

The Reality of Emergency Response

In an instant, we went from standby to full rescue mode—but we were already behind.

We did not know where the firefighters were inside the building. Radio traffic was chaotic, split across multiple departments and frequencies.

Firefighters train for this. But we were working without context.

One firefighter was trapped in an A-frame collapse; his leg crushed under concrete. Conditions were brutal, fire overhead, freezing temperatures everywhere else, equipment failing, everything working against us.

The second firefighter did not survive. Later we would find him trapped under a large section of the roof that fell toward the road.

He was young. A great firefighter. Someone who showed up to help others—and did not make it home.  It affected everyone around us. Still one of the saddest days of my firefighter career.  

High Stress Changes Everything

According to FEMA, confusion and delayed communication are among the biggest barriers to effective incident response, especially in large complex environments.

In high stress moments, people do not behave the way procedures assume they will.

• The information is incomplete.
• Communication breaks down.
• Decisions are made on fragments, not facts.

Even as a trained responder, you are not just managing the incident.

You are managing uncertainty.

And uncertainty costs time.

Why Traditional Alerts Fall Short

Most emergency alert systems are built to notify, not inform.

An alert might say: “Emergency in progress” or “Structure fire.” But that does not answer the questions that truly matter such as:

• Where exactly is the problem?
• Who is involved?
• What has just changed?

Without that context, response becomes reactive instead of strategic.

In our case, the most critical update—the collapse—did not come through the system we relied on.

It came from a civilian running down the street.

That gap matters.

What Effective Response Actually Requires

The difference in effective response is not just speed; it is clarity.

• If we had known immediately that a collapse occurred…
• If we had precise location data of the firefighters inside…
• If communication had been unified across teams…

Those first few minutes would have been different.

And in these situations, seconds are everything.

A Shift Toward Intelligent Response

Organizations are starting to recognize that emergency response must evolve from alert-based systems to intelligence-driven platforms.

Responders do not just need to know that something is wrong.

They need to know:

• What is happening
• Where it is happening
• How it is changing in real time

That is what enables teams to move:

From guessing to acting.

From reacting to executing and executing with the best intel.

Final Thought

Emergencies will always be high stress. That will not change. What can change is how prepared we are when they happen.

Because from where I have stood, the greatest risk is not just the incident itself,

It is not knowing.

By Travis Leonardi, CEO, SOS Technologies

Emergencies can occur anywhere, not only in schools, but also in municipal buildings, corporate offices, healthcare facilities, retail environments, libraries, and transit hubs. Yet many safety systems in these environments still rely on indirect communication methods and outdated emergency alert systems, introducing unnecessary delays when help is needed most.

For years, emergency alert systems were built for internal notification first and emergency response second. So, when a panic button is pressed, the alert often notifies security personnel or administrators, and then someone must verify the situation, locate a phone, dial 9-1-1, and verbally relay information to emergency dispatch.

In today’s threat landscape, that workflow approach is no longer acceptable.

Modern public safety technology must do more than sound an alarm. It must connect directly to emergency communication centers and deliver actionable information
instantly.

This is where direct-to-911 integration is transforming emergency response. When an alert is triggered, dispatch receives immediate, accurate, and structured information without delay.

The Limitations of Traditional Alert Systems

Most legacy panic button systems rely on a manual chain of communication. In high-stress situations, confusion and incomplete information can make it difficult to accurately
describe what is happening, especially inside large buildings where pinpointing a location can be challenging.

An effective emergency response system should eliminate these barriers and not rely on manual steps when automation can instantly connect people in danger with first responders.

What Direct-to-911 and First Responders Integration Enables

Direct-to-911 and first responders’ integration removes the layers between the person in danger and emergency services. When an alert is triggered, dispatch automatically receives structured incident data, including:

• Exact location within a building
• Type of emergency being reported
• Real-time incident details

Rather than spending valuable time establishing basic facts over a phone call, emergency
dispatchers receive clear, actionable intelligence that enables them to coordinate
the appropriate response immediately.

Faster Response Through Automation

Emergency response speed depends not only on how quickly an alert is triggered, but also on how efficiently it moves through the response chain.

Traditional systems require an internal recipient to interpret the alert and then place a 911 call, adding critical minutes. With direct integration, alerts automatically move from
activation to emergency dispatch and first responders in seconds.

In a large-scale deployment in New York City, SOS Technologies’ direct-to-911 Emergency Alert System drastically reduced emergency notification times from several minutes to
under 10 seconds.

That difference can be critical during medical emergencies, violent incidents, or active
threat situations.

Why Location Intelligence Matters in Emergency Situations

One of the greatest challenges in emergency response is identifying the exact source of an incident. This is especially difficult in large offices, hospitals, campuses, and public facilities with multiple floors, hundreds of rooms, and complex layouts.

A street address may identify the building; but it rarely tells responders where inside the structure the emergency is occurring.

The SOS Technologies platform provides precise indoor location intelligence, including floor-level detail, and contextual incident data. This enables law enforcement and first responders to quickly pinpoint where help is needed.

With accurate information in hand before arrival, responders can act faster, coordinate more effectively, and approach the situation better prepared.

Taking Minutes Down to Seconds

Every second matters in an emergency. According to the American Heart Association, survival rates decrease by about 7–10% for every minute without CPR or defibrillation. Even small delays in contacting emergency services can have life-altering consequences.

By eliminating delays and delivering real-time, actionable intelligence directly to 911 and first responders, direct-to-911 alert systems represent a critical advancement in public safety. They empower faster responses, better decision-making, and ultimately, more lives are saved. In emergencies, time isn’t just important; it’s everything. And the systems we choose today can make a difference between tragedy and survival tomorrow.

By Travis Leonardi, CEO, SOS Technologies

Healthcare has always been a high-pressure environment. Today, however, the safety challenges facing hospitals are escalating.

Workplace violence in healthcare is rising. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 75% of nearly 25,000 workplace assaults reported each year occur in healthcare and social service settings. Security resources are stretched thin, and when incidents occur, delays in response can have serious consequences for both staff and patients.

If we are serious about protecting caregivers, we must acknowledge that many traditional security approaches were not designed for the realities healthcare systems face today.

The Safety Gap

Workplace violence in healthcare is not an isolated issue. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that health care and social service workers are five times more likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than workers overall. OSHA echoes this concern, noting that healthcare workers experience workplace violence at significantly higher rates than most other industries. Healthcare leaders confirm the trend as well, with the American Hospital Association reporting that incidents of workplace violence occur daily in many hospital emergency departments.

Nearly 41% of registered nurses report experiencing workplace violence, and 27% say those experiences have made them consider leaving the profession.

For many healthcare workers, aggressive behavior has unfortunately become an expected part of the job.

At the same time, hospitals are operating under staffing shortages and financial pressures that limit their ability to expand security teams. This creates a widening gap between the number of incidents occurring and the resources available to respond.

Healthcare environments are also uniquely complex. A single hospital campus may include emergency departments, behavioral health units, outpatient clinics, and high-traffic public areas. When an incident escalates, a response must be both immediate and precise.

The Cost of Delay

In many hospitals, the time between identifying a threat and coordinating a response can stretch eight to ten minutes.

These delays often stem from manual processes such as locating a phone, making calls, clarifying locations, and dispatching responders.

In a multi-story hospital, minutes can determine whether an incident is quickly contained or escalated further.

The financial impact is significant as well. The average cost of hospital workplace violence can exceed $61,000 per incident when turnover, absenteeism, and operational disruption are considered.

But the human cost matters more. Caregivers should never have to question their safety or whether help will arrive quickly.

The Challenge Inside the Building

Location is another major challenge.

Traditional GPS works well outdoors but struggles inside large concrete and steel structures. Hospitals are vertical, complex environments where responders must often locate a specific room, unit, or floor.

Arriving at the building is not the same as arriving in an emergency.

Healthcare leaders increasingly recognize that effective response requires precise indoor location intelligence, along with faster ways to initiate and coordinate help.

Moving Forward

Improving healthcare safety requires a combination of leadership, operational planning, and tools designed for these environments.

At SOS Technologies, we work closely with healthcare organizations to understand these challenges and help close the gap between detection and response. The goal is simple: make it easier for staff to call for help and ensure first responders have the information they need to act quickly.

Technology alone will not solve the problem. But when combined with strong leadership and thoughtful implementation, it can help hospitals respond faster and with greater confidence.

Healthcare exists to care for others. Ensuring the safety of the people who deliver that care should be a priority for every organization because protecting caregivers is not only a safety imperative; but also essential to sustaining the healthcare workforce itself.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., March 16, 2026 –   SOS Technologies, a leader in accelerated emergency alert platforms, today announced the appointment of Tony Bouvia as Vice President of Sales. As organizations across healthcare, education, and critical infrastructure seek faster emergency response and improved safety outcomes, SOS Technologies is expanding its leadership team to support growing demand for its SOS Precision Response platform.

Tony brings more than three decades of experience helping technology companies grow through public sector, enterprise, and partner-led sales. His deep background working with government, higher education, healthcare, and other regulated industries will help accelerate SOS Technologies’ growth strategy as the company expands adoption of SOS Precision Response, designed to close the critical 14–17 minute emergency response gap.

Prior to joining SOS Technologies, Tony spent nearly seven years at Ericsson/Cradlepoint, driving growth across public sector, federal, enterprise, and partner channels. Earlier in his career, he spent 18 years at Cisco in partner-facing technical leadership roles before moving into leading technical sales and managed services at a reseller partner.

Tony is also a 10-year United States Air Force Communications Specialist and Gulf War veteran.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., March 10, 2026 — SOS Technologies, a leader in accelerated emergency alert and life-safety systems, today announced a strategic partnership with Regroup, a cloud-based emergency and operational communication platform. The integration connects SOS Technologies’ Emergency Alert System directly to Regroup’s mass notification platform, automating critical communications the moment a duress alert is activated.

The result is a fully automated life-safety workflow: when an SOS Technologies Emergency Alert System is triggered, Regroup immediately initiates targeted internal and stakeholder notifications across SMS, voice, email, mobile push, and desktop alerts. By eliminating manual communication steps at the point of activation, organizations can coordinate first responders, security teams, leadership, and operational stakeholders within seconds of an incident beginning.

In many emergencies, internal communication can take 10 to 15 minutes due to manual call trees, relayed information, and delayed message drafting. This integration compresses that timeline to seconds, enabling a faster, more coordinated response.

Designed for high-risk environments including schools, healthcare facilities, manufacturing sites, and corporate campuses, the partnership eliminates communication bottlenecks by turning a single alert activation into enterprise-wide communication instantly.

SOS Technologies’ platform modernizes emergency workflows by connecting on-site alert systems to secure, cloud-based infrastructure. Its GovRAMP-authorized architecture ensures deployments meet rigorous public-sector security standards while remaining scalable across large portfolios and distributed facilities.

“With SOS Technologies and Regroup, organizations can leverage their legacy investments to accelerate the arrival of both internal security teams and external first responders, while simultaneously triggering instant, multi-channel mass communications to key stakeholders,” said Travis Leonardi, CEO of SOS Technologies. “Our interoperable, GovRAMP-authorized platform is engineered to be exceptionally secure and fast, seamlessly unifying detection, dispatch, and notification within a single, secure ecosystem.”

“This integration removes friction at the most critical moment,” said Joe Di Pasqaule, CEO of Regroup. “By integrating with SOS Technologies, alarms can automatically trigger Regroup’ s mass notification workflows the moment they’re activated, without the need for someone to be at a workstation. In high-risk scenarios like an active shooter event, that speed can be lifesaving.”

Key Highlights of the Partnership

Alarm & Quick Message Automation: When an SOS Technologies Emergency Alert System is activated, SOS automatically initiates a Regroup Quick Message with no manual steps required.

Real-Time Event Triggering: Emergency alerts are captured by SOS and pushed instantly to predefined recipients, reducing delays during high-pressure situations.

Multi-Channel Delivery: Notifications are delivered via SMS, email, voice call, desktop, and mobile push to ensure rapid and redundant communication.

Secure Integration Layer: Regroup’s technology communicates directly with the SOS Technologies emergency alert platform through a secure API, ensuring reliability and low latency.

Scalable Deployment Model: The integration can be deployed across multiple buildings, campuses, and portfolios without major infrastructure changes.

Together, SOS Technologies and Regroup are redefining how organizations manage the first moments of a crisis. By turning a single duress activation into immediate, coordinated communication across the enterprise, the partnership helps close the critical gap between detection and action.

By Jonathan Fischer, Chief Revenue Officer, SOS Technologies

In an emergency, when seconds matter, trust is everything. When a teacher, municipal employee, or public servant activates an emergency response system, the expectation is immediate action, not hesitation or uncertainty. In those moments, technology is not simply a tool; it is an extension of human response.

For government environments, trust in an emergency response platform is about more than ease of use. It is about confidence that the system will perform under pressure, protect sensitive data during a crisis, and remain available even when infrastructure is strained. Reliable emergency notification systems must operate flawlessly even under the worst conditions. Trust, in this context, cannot be assumed. It must be designed, validated, and continuously proven.

What Is GovRAMP?

GovRAMP authorization is a standardized cybersecurity and risk management framework designed for cloud service providers serving state and local governments. It establishes a consistent, measurable way to assess whether technology vendors meet the security, compliance, and operational control standards required for public-sector cloud environments.

Unlike general-purpose security authorization, GovRAMP authorization is purpose-built for government procurement. It focuses on cybersecurity governance, continuous monitoring, incident response readiness, data protection, access controls, and system resilience within cloud infrastructure.

While GovRAMP does not evaluate product features or emergency response functionality, it ensures that the underlying platform meets the rigorous security and compliance expectations required to protect sensitive public-sector data.

The Risks of Non-Certified Emergency Alert Systems

When emergency response platforms lack verified security certification, organizations are exposed to risks that extend far beyond IT concerns. Unsecured systems can create entry points for cyber threats, while insufficient redundancy can cause outages precisely when systems are needed most.

Inaccurate or limited location data can also delay response. In multi-story buildings, large campuses, and complex facilities, GPS coordinates alone are insufficient. Effective emergency response platforms must provide room- or floor-level indoor mapping that guides responders directly to the point of need, reducing search time and confusion during high-stress events.

Data breaches in public safety environments compromise sensitive information and undermine public confidence. Even a single system failure during a real incident can permanently erode trust. Without independent validation through a framework like GovRAMP, organizations are left relying on vendor assurances rather than proven safeguards.

How GovRAMP Protects Data, Availability, and Reliability

GovRAMP strengthens emergency response platforms by enforcing comprehensive controls across data security, system availability, and operational resilience. It requires encrypting sensitive information, implementing strict access controls, and conducting continuous vulnerability assessments to protect public safety data.

Equally important, GovRAMP emphasizes availability. Providers must demonstrate high-availability architectures, documented disaster recovery plans, and consistent system uptime. Continuous monitoring ensures that risks are identified and addressed proactively, not after an incident occurs. For emergency response systems, this level of rigor ensures reliability is engineered into the platform rather than treated as an afterthought.

Modern emergency response platforms must also coordinate digital and physical systems simultaneously. This includes triggering facility-wide notifications, controlling access points, executing selective lockdown protocols, and escalating alerts across integrated security infrastructure in real time. Reliability is not just about uptime; it is about orchestrated action.

GovRAMP vs. Other Security Frameworks

Organizations often reference FedRAMP, CJIS, or SOC 2, but each serves a different audience. FedRAMP supports federal agencies. CJIS focuses on criminal justice data. SOC 2 evaluates internal controls but does not address government cloud procurement requirements.

GovRAMP is built specifically for state and local governments. It aligns with their procurement processes and operational realities, providing a consistent, government-focused security framework for public-sector and life-safety environments.

Why It Matters for Public Safety

For public safety agencies, GovRAMP authorization reduces procurement risk and simplifies evaluation. It confirms that a platform meets recognized security standards and is suitable for deployment across schools, municipalities, and government facilities.

Verified compliance allows agencies to focus on preparedness and coordinated response rather than questioning system reliability.

What to Look For in a Platform Provider

When evaluating an emergency response platform provider, look beyond features. Confirm active GovRAMP authorization, continuous monitoring practices, and documented incident response procedures. Authorization should be independently verified through the GovRAMP Authorized Product List at govramp.org.

A qualified provider should clearly explain how alerts are initiated, verified, routed, protected, and maintained with redundancy and uptime safeguards. In life safety systems, transparency is essential.

GovRAMP reinforces public trust by requiring ongoing compliance and accountability, not just a one-time certification.

Certification Is a Requirement, Not a Nice-to-Have

GovRAMP certification is no longer a “nice-to-have” for emergency response platforms serving the public sector. It is a requirement for systems entrusted with human safety.

At SOS Technologies, we are proud to be GovRAMP Authorized, demonstrating our commitment to meeting the highest standards for government cloud security, system resilience, and operational integrity. Our emergency response platform was built to coordinate real-time response, not simply send alerts. Through SOS LiveCommand, LiveVision, LiveDispatch, LiveGrid, LiveUnity, and LiveLockdown, incidents are verified, mapped to exact rooms or floors, transmitted directly to first responders in seconds, and escalated across physical security systems simultaneously.

From automated event escalation to direct CAD integration and selective lockdown control, the SOS platform orchestrates response, not just notification. GovRAMP authorization validates that our security controls are continuously monitored, independently assessed, and designed to protect both physical safety and digital infrastructure.

For the public-sector organizations we serve, certification is not a badge; it is accountability.

Deerfield Beach, Fla. — January 20, 2026 — SOS Technologies, a fast-growing leader in threat detection and emergency response, today announced the appointment of Jonathan Fischer as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). A veteran enterprise and public safety technology executive and former first responder, Fischer brings more than two decades of experience building scalable revenue engines, partner ecosystems, and go-to-market strategies for mission-critical technologies deployed in high-stakes environments.

Fischer has held senior leadership roles at some of the world’s most respected technology companies, including AT&T, Motorola, Nokia, Ericsson, and Cradlepoint, operating at the intersection of connectivity, software platforms, and edge technologies. Across these organizations, he helped translate complex, emerging technologies into deployable, revenue-producing solutions, aligning executive strategy with operational realities in large-scale enterprise and public-sector deployments.

His leadership perspective is uniquely shaped by hands-on public safety experience. A former firefighter who remains active with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Fischer evaluates technology through a frontline lens: systems must be reliable under pressure, integrate seamlessly into existing workflows, and deliver actionable intelligence in seconds. not minutes.

Fischer joins SOS at a moment of accelerating national growth, highlighted by a landmark deployment with New York City Public Schools. The company is expanding across education, healthcare, government, and enterprise environments through large-scale SmartEAS deployments that connect frontline staff directly to first responders, supported by state and local security authorization milestones such as GovRAMP and growing demand for integrated, real-time emergency response technology.

“Jonathan brings the rare combination of enterprise growth leadership and real-world public safety experience,” said Travis Leonardi, CEO of SOS Technologies. “As we scale nationally, it’s critical that revenue execution, partner strategy, and marketing leadership remain grounded in operational credibility. Jonathan understands how these systems are used when lives are on the line and how to build predictable growth without compromising trust.”

“SOS is addressing an urgent, deeply human challenge,”

Fischer said. Having built and scaled enterprise organizations, and having personally operated in emergency environments.  I know how essential it is for technology to perform reliably under pressure. What drew me to SOS is the opportunity to scale a platform already proven in high-stakes deployments, unifying detection, communication, and first-responder response into a single, dependable experience for institutions that serve people every day.”

DEERFIELD BEACH, FL — November 17, 2025 — SOS Technologies, the innovator behind SmartEAS, the nation’s first patented “Detection to Dispatch” emergency alert system, today announced a groundbreaking integration with Critical Response Group (CRG), a leader in critical incident mapping technology trusted by first responders nationwide. This integration embeds CRG’s advanced, georeferenced mapping system directly into the SmartEAS emergency alert environment, transforming how emergencies are managed. When an alert is triggered, first responders instantly receive not only real-time location data and incident details but also detailed visual maps of the surrounding environment, including room layouts, entry points, and live camera feeds. This immediate access to comprehensive situational awareness enhances response speed, accuracy, and coordination.

 

Why This Integration Matters for Public Safety
In emergencies, individuals often feel overwhelmed, confused, or unable to communicate clearly, especially in situations involving stress or danger. They may not be able to state their location or identify the next steps accurately. This integration ensures that responders receive vital, precise information instantly, reducing response times from minutes to under ten seconds. It provides responders with a clear, visual understanding of the environment before they arrive, enabling safer and more effective interventions that help save lives, mitigate risks, and reduce chaos during critical incidents.

“By integrating CRG’s detailed critical incident mapping directly into SmartEAS, we’re empowering first responders with a unified, real-time view that turns fragmented data into immediate, confident action,” said Travis Leonardi, CEO and Founder of SOS Technologies.

“This is the next evolution in situational awareness and emergency coordination.” Paul Averill, President and COO of SOS Technologies, added, “With this seamless operational picture, response teams can act faster, smarter, and more collaboratively across law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies, ensuring help arrives with clarity, saving lives and reducing response uncertainties.”

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Chief Technology
Officer (CTO) Matthew Fraser today announced the nation’s first pilot directly integrating
public schools with 911 services for life-saving rapid response in case of an active
shooter situation. The new Emergency Alert System (EAS) created by the New York
City Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) debuted at the Spring Creek campus in
Brooklyn — the first school building in the United States to have direct 911 integration
— and is scheduled to be rolled out to a total of 25 school buildings, representing 51
public schools across the five boroughs during the 2025-2026 school year. EAS
provides an immediate, secure, and automated pathway for public schools to directly

 

alert 911 of a critical emergency associated with a hard lockdown involving a weapon-
based threat or active shooter situation.

“Public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity and the key to delivering for working-class
families, because our students deserve to feel safe in school, our parents must know
their children are in a secure environment, and our teachers should have the confidence
to focus on shaping young minds,” said Mayor Adams. “For the first time ever in our
nation, a public school system will have direct integration with 911 services to ensure
that help is on the way within seconds if there is ever an active shooter or weapon-
based threat. Every parent deserves to know their child is safe in school, and this
system gives them that peace of mind. We’ve already taken more than 24,097 illegal
guns off our streets, and now we’re making sure our classrooms have the strongest,
fastest protection possible. This new Emergency Alert System will protect our students,
teachers, and staff, making sure New York City Public Schools have the most secure
line of defense possible to keep our schools safe.”

“The Adams administration’s cutting-edge use of technology to protect New Yorkers
from physical and online threats is a major reason why New York City is the safest big
city in the nation,” said CTO Fraser. “As a father of school-aged children, there is
nothing more important to me than my kids returning home safe at the end of the day.
This brand-new Emergency Alert System, the nation’s first to directly integrate schools
with 911 in a hard lockdown event, marks a crucial advance in our city’s broader school
safety efforts and provides additional peace of mind — a priceless commodity — for the
parents and families of students. I commend OTI’s Public Safety and Emergency
Management team, in partnership with New York City Public Schools and NYPD, for
their work on this groundbreaking project.”

“There is nothing more important than the safety of our young people. Today’s
announcement adds another layer of security in our schools and offers peace of mind to
our school communities in a worst-case scenario,” said New York City Public Schools
Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. “This pilot builds on the robust safety measures
already implemented in our schools, including the Safer Access Program, which locks
main entrances to our buildings, NYPD School Safety Agents in every school, and
emergency protocols that keep our schools safe. I am proud to take this step alongside
our city partners to continue to prioritize the safety of our kids.”

 

A critical bridge between schools and real-time police dispatch operations, EAS can be
activated from multiple fixed buttons and wireless lanyards within a school and can
initiate a 911 response in under 10 seconds. This school year, the pilot will roll out to 51
schools located at 25 school buildings, allowing for five sites per borough. Each school
participating in the pilot will have multiple fixed buttons and wireless lanyards that can
activate the emergency system during a hard lockdown sparked by a weapon-based
threat.

 

The school-activated EAS bypasses the 911 call flow straight to real-time dispatch.
Within a matter of seconds, the dispatcher will put the call over the air and the system’s
dashboard will provide emergency responders pertinent information on the school.
Simultaneously, in these situations, the schools will have audible and visual indicators
notifying students and faculty that 911 has been notified, and the school is on a hard
lockdown. Additionally, electronic notifications will be sent to NYPD School Safety and
New York City Public Schools officials.

 

In late 2023, OTI’s Public Safety and Emergency Management division started working
with the Mayor’s Office, New York City Public Schools, and NYPD’s School Safety
Division to research options for a school-based panic button with direct connectivity to
911 in response to active-shooter scenarios, as no such product existed on the market
at the time. The available emergency alert options transferred calls through a remote
system in another state before subsequently routing them back to New York City. OTI
worked with an external vendor to build a new EAS that meets the needs of New York
City Public Schools, then rebuilt and tested the system within its internal lab to confirm
its effectiveness. OTI also created dashboards that provide law enforcement and school
officials with real-time insights in the event of an active shooter situation.
More than 1,900 K-12 school shooting incidents occurred in the United States between
2015 and September 2025, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. K-12
school shootings peaked at 351 in 2023 and another 336 occurred in 2024.

 

But thanks to the Adams administration’s proactive public safety efforts, shooting
incidents and shooting victims are at their lowest point in the city’s recorded history.

 

Since day one, the Adams administration has prioritized public safety initiatives to stop
the scourge of gun violence and keep 8.5 million New Yorkers safe. More than 24,097
illegal firearms have been removed from city streets since January 2022, including over
4,100 this year alone. Shootings have also decreased by 67 percent citywide since
before Mayor Adams came into office. In September 2025, major crimes dropped by
3.8 percent.

“Ensuring the safety of our students and educators must always remain a top priority.
The launch of this groundbreaking Emergency Alert System represents a vital step
forward in strengthening rapid response and protecting lives in our schools,” said New
York State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. “I commend Mayor Adams and Chief
Technology Officer Fraser for implementing innovative measures that enhance safety
and bring peace of mind to families across our city.”

“The safety of students and educators in our schools is paramount, and the initiative
announced today will help keep them safe in an emergency,” said Brooklyn District
Attorney Eric Gonzalez. “So, I commend the mayor for integrating this technology
across city public schools, starting here in Brooklyn. And I pray that these rapid
response alerts will never have to be used.”

SOS Technologies CEO Travis Leonardi was recently the guest on The Tate Chronicles podcast to discuss workplace violence and security systems in hospitals when host Jim Tate brought up his brush with violence against healthcare providers.