GREENFIELD, Ind. (WTHR) - An emergency at your child's school is one of the worst kinds of calls for a parent.
Hancock County is getting ready to roll out a new app that makes sure help is just one click away.
It's called the Rave Panic Button.
County leaders say it will put schoolchildren and county workers much closer to safety in a dangerous situation.
In an emergency like an active shooter, seconds count to get help mobilized, especially when the danger puts children at risk.
"The more that we can protect our kids and make sure they go home safe every night, we'll do whatever it takes," said Derek Shelton, Mt. Vernon Community Schools' Operations Director.
In Hancock County, they're about to do a lot more to ensure safety and it'll come from the palm of their hand.
A new app called Panic Button will be installed on smartphones of teachers and staff in all Hancock County public schools, its three private schools, and on workers' phones in county offices.
If there's an active shooter, help is just a click away.
One button calls 911 dispatch, alerts all law enforcement, on-duty or off, and lets everyone in school with the app know that there's a threat.
"It's all simultaneously, all within seconds of that button being pressed," said Hancock County 911 Director John Jokantas.
"It expedites the whole system, therefore makes response time much quicker," said Mt. Vernon Superintendent Dr. Shane Robbins.
And time, in a crisis, is critical.
"Studies that have been done, every 15 seconds that an active shooter is allowed to continue, there's more risk, more victims," Jokantas explained. "So the faster we get a response there, the faster we can neutralize the threat."
"It's especially important for our rural district. It could be 15 or 20 seconds or it could be up to a minute, but the sooner we get emergency people there, the safer it is for everybody," Shelton said.
The app is for more than just an active shooter. School districts can also use it for all kinds of emergencies, including fires or medical emergencies.
Each has a separate button on the app and each can be customized with who gets the alert for help.
"For example, they hit the medical button, it'll still call 911 but it's also going to notify the school nurse. It'll also notify the administration, hey there's an ambulance coming," Jokantas explained.
The app's being paid for through Hancock County's 911 budget.
Commissioners approved a five year contract with Rave for $11,000 a year.
They received a discount because Hancock County also uses Rave's Smart 911 system.
County leaders say it may be expensive, but when it comes to keeping kids safe, saving time with technology is well worth it.
"You're leveraging technology to your advantage, so why not? Anything we can do to safeguard our students and staff in our buildings, we're going to take the extra effort to do that," Dr. Robbins said.
Hancock County is the first county in the state to use this particular program county-wide.
More than 1,000 teachers and staff will be trained on it over the next couple of months.