Jul 6, 2017App Saves Life
High school administrators in Arkansas have a new tool to help with emergency situations. Schools throughout the state are using the Rave Panic Button app, which calls 911 in the event of an emergency and sends a notice to necessary individuals who are on campus, such as an athletic trainer.
“Sometimes calls to schools can be very confusing because a lot of people listen, a lot of people call in, it causes confusion, and this system cuts through all that,” Chief Kirk Lane, who is with the Benton Police Department (Benton, Ark.), told THV-11.
The app had a notable use earlier in the year when a Benton student-athlete collapsed on the baseball field. Thanks to the app, it didn’t take long for first responders to step in.
“I got a call from one of the assistant coaches saying we had a student-athlete that was down on the ground,” said T.J. White, ATC, an Athletic Trainer with the Benton School District. “I told [the coach] to check his pulse, and I was on my way.”
Coaches were giving the student-athlete CPR before the emergency responders arrived. The quick reaction of the coaches, athletic trainer, and dispatchers were commended recently — marked with the student-athlete’s return to the diamond.
“[The app] shouldn’t have to take away from the heroes of that day that actually saved that child, but it should add to it,” said Chief Lane. “And it should add to the protection of this school district.”
