All Pasadena ISD schools will begin their year with a new state-of-the-art technology in place to provide greater security for all students and staff. In the case of an emergency, all school floor and crisis plans will be online – in a secure environment – for first responders such as police and fire to view to save precious minutes.

The in-depth plans are possible through the coordinated efforts of Pasadena ISD staff members, first responders, and Rapid Response.

“We hope that there will never be the need to use these plans in a real-life situation,” said Dr. Kirk Lewis, Pasadena ISD superintendent. “However, we want to be prepared as possible, because the safety of our students and staff is our first priority.”

Rapid Response, through funding by the Readiness and Emergency Management grant (REMS grant) received by the district, has worked with every principal and school custodian and also the Pasadena ISD Police Department to record details about the school and make them available at the click of a mouse to first responders.

“If there is a fire, a Pasadena fire official will be able to pull up the picture of the school immediately, find the cut-offs for gas and electricity, identify potential explosive hazards, and pinpoint the best entrance to use to fight the fire,” said Tom Swan, the district’s executive director of special projects.

“This tool is invaluable to first responders,” explains C.L. Ellis, chief of the Pasadena ISD Police Department. “In many instances, time is wasted that could save lives because a significant number of details about a facility are unknown. This tool can help us as we work with the other local police, fire, and EMS departments to make faster, better informed decisions for the safety of our students and staff.”

The development of these plans is only one in many that Pasadena ISD is taking to ensure the safety and security of students.

“With the funds provided by the REMS grant, we have already been able to provide emergency buckets for classrooms, emergency flip charts for our staff and send out newsletters to parents with information concerning the various drills that we do and what parents should do during an emergency,” Swan said. “We want to do everything possible to keep our students and staff safe in case of an emergency.”

Lewis said since the safety of our staff and students is a priority, the district is being proactive by planning and preparing.

“We still have fire drills, but we also have lockdown drills, tornado drills, shelter in place drills and evacuation drills. We have to treat every drill as if it is an actual emergency so that staff and students know how to respond,” Lewis said. “It is very important for the safety of our students and staff that we provide both equipment and training.”