CLAYTON, Mo. — 5 On Your Side is helping search for solutions to the active shooter problem plaguing American schools, and it turns out a popular school safety app used by people across the globe has roots in St. Louis.
If you check its website, you’ll see that the CrisisGo school safety app has an address in Mountain View, California, but a phone number with a 314 area code. That’s because the company also has offices in Clayton, Missouri.
Jim Spicuzza is the co-founder of CrisisGo.
“I’m going to press the active shooter button,” Spicuzza said during a walkthrough of the app for 5 On Your Side. “I’m going to activate this alert. Slide to send.”
Suddenly, a siren emanated from other electronic devices in the room, along with the announcement, “Lockdown – locks, lights, out of sight!”
“If I’m the one who set off the lockdown, I’m able to communicate – ‘intruder at front door,'" he said. "Staff will receive a check-in question, such as ‘Are you okay?’ They’re able to submit that back in, so the administration and safety team can get them the help they need.”
Nearly a decade old, CrisisGo provides emergency communication for 16,000 schools throughout U.S. along with corporate customers in 35 countries. 5 On Your Side asked Spicuzza how the system changes after each additional shooting, such as the Oct. 24 school shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School.
“We particularly saw this in Uvalde because of the massive size of the tragedy,” Spicuzza said. “In the state of Texas, they have now mandated that school districts have a product like CrisisGo.”
CrisisGo technology is ever-changing. Panic buttons are a new addition, and its also integrated with other devices.
Spicuzza held up a walkie-talkie device and spoke into it. An echo came from his other electronic devices.
“Medical emergency Room 103,” Spicuzza said. “Bring an AED (automated external defibrillator).”
CrisisGo started with two school districts in southern Illinois, Spicuzza said, but the company moved to St. Louis after becoming an Arch Grants award winner in 2014.
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