Platforms such as Punch Rescue offer fast, efficient notifications and support mandates like Alyssa’s Law without needing internet, cellular or Wi-Fi services to function.
By: Dave Dimlich
President of SD3IT
It’s no secret that response times are critical when emergencies strike. They can unfortunately be a matter of life and death. The most common way to call for help and initiate a response, of course, is to dial 911, which has been so ubiquitous for so long that it’s practically a reflex. People don’t have to think about it; they just call whenever help is needed.
But what happens when dialing 911 isn’t possible or practical? When an injured person can’t make a call, or when a call might alert an intruder or attacker? When a dispatch center is experiencing a power outage or cybersecurity disruption? Or, if a crisis is so pressing that dialing 911, waiting for a dispatcher to answer and explaining the situation can cost a victim precious seconds?
These types of scenarios, which are more common than you might think, are driving a growing interest in silent alarms and panic card systems, which can initiate quick responses automatically, without having to rely exclusively on internet, cellular or Wi-Fi services. A capable system can indicate the type of emergency, location and other essential details with the press of a button.
Systems Can Support Alyssa’s Law
The most high-profile and heartbreaking scenarios showing the need for panic buttons are school shootings. States are responding by implementing Alyssa’s Law, named for Alyssa Alhadeff, who was a 14-year-old student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., when she and 16 others were killed in a Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting. The law requires public schools to implement silent panic alarms that link directly to law enforcement.
Thirteen states have passed a version of Alyssa’s Law, while Connecticut has passed the bill but has yet to implement it. Bills are also progressing through the legislatures of 13 other states. Meanwhile, a federal Alyssa’s Act has been introduced in the House and would tie federal funding to the implementation of silent alarm systems in all public schools. The federal bill is currently idling in the House, but if passed it would unify the efforts already being taken by many states.
There are other examples of the need for fast, efficient alternative emergency notification systems. For one thing, tech failures are on the rise at dispatch centers, with 88% of emergency communications centers reporting at least one outage in the previous year, according to the Pulse of 9-1-1 report by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and Carbyne. Power outages were the most common cause, but about 9% reported disruptions due to distributed denial-of-service or other cyberattacks—an increasingly common scenario that had barely registered in previous surveys. Once-a-year downtime might not seem like much, but in times of crisis that downtime is the only time that matters.
Emergency Alerts That Work in Degraded Conditions
One company at the forefront of this new breed of emergency systems is SD3IT partner Punch Rescue, which offers innovative panic buttons and integrated services, all running on a patent-pending LoRa (long-range) mesh network that operates independently of internet or cellular connections with other options such as operating over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or cellular backup when available. When the power is out, the internet is down or cell networks are unavailable, Punch Rescue’s platform, which includes an option for using products manufactured in the United States, delivers fast, detailed emergency notifications.
The company’s core product is its panic button, which is more than just an alarm. “It’s fully configurable, so you can have different levels of response,” said Andrew Puckett, Punch Rescue Co-Founder and Head of Brand & Marketing. For example, the device, which is about the thickness of three or four credit cards, includes different programmable functions, such as one press for a test, two for a medical emergency and a long press of three seconds or more for a critical event like an active shooter or severe medical emergency.
The platform makes use of mesh network repeaters placed throughout a facility to extend the LoRa and BLE ranges; Alert Stations that act as hubs for alerts and emergency reporting; and a software layer known as the Rescue Platform that connects hardware, mapping, users and emergency workflows. The system as a whole provides real-time information on device health, battery status, connectivity, emergency activity and room-level device locations.
Punch Rescue’s integrated mesh network can convey information like real-time indoor mapping and the location of an incident by floor level or room, enabling a faster, more efficient response by emergency responders. The company’s Rescue Raft, a waterproof wearable device, provides similar capabilities in aquatic environments and includes sensors that can help detect events such as a lifeguard initiating an in-water rescue.
A key to making it all work is a simple, user-friendly interface that can easily convey a full range of information. “In the event of an emergency, everything happens seamlessly,” Puckett said. “Our system will package all the data up: the name of the card, the location of the card, where it is on the map. It’s all preconfigured, fully integrated to go straight to the dispatch center.” When first responders arrive, they know not only the who, what and where of an incident, but they also get granular details such as access codes for doors if they need them, and pre-planned routes of where to go, Puckett added.
On a larger scale, the company offers Rescue Intelligence, an advanced, AI-enabled, configurable agentic workflow builder that connects Punch Rescue’s platform with other physical security devices, like cameras, door locks and phone systems into one centralized data layer to provide real-time visibility across an entire organization in real time. Puckett gave one example of a multi-location manufacturing facility that is rolling out Rescue Intelligence to monitor all of their operations so that first responders and medical personnel can quickly respond to any emergencies.
Punch Rescue’s customers to date have been “intentionally diversified,” said company CEO Greg Artzt. The list reflects the range of organizations that could benefit from panic card systems, including public and private schools, churches with daycare, corporate offices, hospitals, YMCAs and manufacturing sites. “There is a common value proven out in all these implementations where reliable emergency reporting, precise indoor location triangulation and a silent connection to 911 are critical,” Artzt said.
Building an Emergency Response Infrastructure
At SD3IT, we clearly see the value of integrated emergency response systems, whether organizations begin with just panic-button capabilities or the broader Rescue Intelligence platform. We specialize in integrating robust, resilient solutions, like those offered by Punch Rescue, that have multiple components working together.
“I push people to think about safety and security response not as tools but as infrastructure that needs to be proven to work when conditions and times are not ideal,” Puckett said. “It has to work in degraded conditions, and it has to work with human factors under stress.”
An easy-to-use and easy-to-deploy platform with built-in redundancies and fallbacks, such as being able to use LoRa or BLE, cellular backup or available Wi-Fi, can give schools, YMCAs, manufacturers and many other facilities a fast, reliable and robust emergency notification system that will work when more traditional means of communication fail. It also gives schools an effective way to support Alyssa’s Law requirements.
Considering the risks, it’s an idea whose time has come. Because when people need help, emergency infrastructure may only get one chance to do what it was built to do: save as many lives as possible.
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At SD3IT, we help government and commercial organizations transform emerging technologies into secure, operational capabilities. By integrating best-of-breed technologies with mission-focused architecture, we help customers build resilient IT environments that support AI, data governance, zero trust and the evolving demands of modern operations.