By Scott MacKeen
Staff Writer
9/17/09
Cutting-edge technology combined with old-fashioned generosity is helping give authorities the tools they need to make the town’s schools a safer place. The School Committee has accepted a $2,890 donation that will allow the schools to operate BeSafe Technologies, an emergency-response system that utilizes digital technology to provide Web-based image layouts of all the school buildings. The donation from the Lorden family, of Brush Hill Road, was accepted Sept. 8. The technology, established in 1999 by former Department of Public Safety official Kevin Harrington, provides for better coordination and execution of emergency rescues or building evacuations, according to police Sgt. Jack Richman, who will be in charge of operating BeSafe in Milton.

“This takes us to another level. They photograph the schools. They take floor plans. They digitize them. It’s pretty amazing,” Richman told the School Committee, explaining that the donation will cover a startup cost and monthly BeSafe Web charges for two years.
Janet Lorden, who ran for town treasurer in the April election and has twin daughters at Tucker, said her family was “more than happy” to donate the funds.
“I feel like anything we can do to help our kids stay safe is a good thing,” she told the Times, adding that new security technologies are all the more vital since the 9/11 terror attacks.
Her husband, Gerard, works for Morgan Stanley and is a member of the Massachusetts Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council. He said he has seen firsthand the type of security technologies like BeSafe can bring.
“I have two children in the school system. I saw this as a way of adding an extra layer of safety for all these children,” he said.
According to its Web site, www.besafe.net, BeSafe Technologies is endorsed by various police, fire departments and emergency response personnel and has been installed in more than 1,100 locations, including more than 800 schools in New England and throughout the country. It is meant to “transform the way people plan, communicate and collaborate when faced with an emergency,” according to the Web site.
“It really is amazing. You just point and click on a building and all the info comes up … everything you need to know,” said Richman, as he explained how BeSafe transfers complex building designs onto Web-based software that authorities can easily access.
Richman said there were some coordination issues during an evacuation of Pierce Middle School resulting from a bomb scare at the end of the last school year. The evacuation involved collaboration from other departments who were unfamiliar with Pierce.
“We were literally driving around in cruisers with blueprints [of the building] telling everybody where to go,” he said.
No one was harmed and the bomb threat turned out to be a hoax by a student.
School Superintendent Mary Gormley said she has been working with Police Chief Richard Wells Jr. on the implementation of BeSafe, which she called “a very innovative program that has safety first.”
Gormley added, “Chief Wells has seen some of the work of this company and he said it’s extraordinary.”
According to Wells, last week was the first time officers had a chance to see what the technology would look like in the public schools.
“It’s new. It’s something in its infancy. We’re really scratching the surface of what this type of technology can do. [But] it gives you one more tool to add to your toolbox.”
Wells explained that BeSafe has “taken all the emergency plans that we have developed over the past two years and put it into one concise document.”
“Everything is there at your fingertips. It provides instant information … to our officers on their laptops,” he added.
Gormley said she will also talk to the private and parochial schools to gauge their interest in the program.
Richman said Milton Academy has separately started to “phase into” the BeSafe program, starting one building at a time.
“They’ve been really wanting to do this for years,” he said. “This is a huge benefit to the town.”
Digital photography and layouts of buildings are organized by BeSafe on secure, password-protected Web sites, where they can be accessed by those authorized to do so, Richman explained. The Fire Department will also have access to the technology when it’s needed, he said.
Among the other schools to recently join BeSafe are the Randolph public schools, the Fessenden School in Newton and the SABIS International Charter School of Springfield.
BeSafe has offices in Hyannis and in Raleigh, N.C.