New Emergency Alert System (EAS) pilot solution is the first to directly call 911 in the event of an active-shooter situation, officials say
By Donny Jackson, Editor, Urgent Communications
More than 50 public schools in New York City will pilot a new Emergency Alert System (EAS) that officials say is the nation’s first to directly call 911 when a panic button is pressed in the event of an active-shooter situation or other weapons-based threat on a campus.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Matthew Fraser made the announcement early this week that the EAS has been installed at the Spring Creek campus in Brooklyn. The pilot will deploy the technology in 51 schools that are located in 25 school buildings located in the five NYC boroughs during the 2025-26 school year, according to a press release about the announcement.
Technology supporting the EAS is from SOS Technologies, according to a spokesperson for the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI). On its website, SOS Technologies describes its solution as “the only patented emergency monitoring and response platform in the United States that connects directly to law enforcement and first responders.”
This new EAS can be activated from multiple fixed buttons or buttons on lanyards that are expected to be worn by school officials, with a 911 response initiated in less than 10 seconds, because it “bypasses the 911 call flow straight to real-time dispatch,” the press release states. Public safety responding to an EAS alert will be trained to anticipate an active-shooter situation or other weapons-based threat upon arriving at the scene, according to the OTI spokesperson.
Adams said he believes the presence of the EAS will benefit all stakeholders interested in improving education in New York City public schools.
“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,” Adams said in prepared statement. “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.
“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.”
New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos agreed.
“There is nothing more important than the safety of our young people,” Aviles-Ramos said in a prepared statement. “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.
“This pilot builds on the robust safety measures already implemented in our schools, including the Safer Access Programme, 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.”
Fraser echoed this sentiment.
“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,” Fraser said in a prepared statement. “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.”
Many schools throughout the US have various forms of alert buttons that are designed to accelerate public-safety response to an active-shooter event on campus—most of which were implemented in response to Alyssa’s Law mandates passed in states after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
But SOS Technologies Chairman and CEO Travis Leonardi said the New York City EAS is different, because of the system’s direct link to 911.
“New York City is setting a new national standard for school safety,” Leonardi said in a prepared statement. “For the first time ever, public schools are directly tied into a city’s 911 first responder life-safety communications infrastructure. This groundbreaking integration eliminates costly delays, giving police, fire, and EMS the ability to begin responding almost instantly when seconds matter most. We are honored to be a part of the technology which helps safeguard the lives NYC students and educators.”
