Fortunately, efforts are being made to establish procedures and standards for keeping schools safe and dealing with emergencies. The first step in that effort is known as ÒThe SOS Littleton Initiative.Ó

The SOS Littleton Initiative was spearheaded by the Littleton, Colorado Public School District and Xybernaut Corp., the world leader in tactical, wearable computers, to conduct a full-scale school emergency management demonstration to identify the best-practices and technology solutions to assist first-responders during school emergencies.

Specifically, the Littleton Initiative is designed to benefit schools in Colorado by assisting in the digital mapping and archiving of critical operational information necessary to initiate tactical intervention, rescue, and recovery operations at a number of school district sites.

Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado was a key to putting together a May 21st training exercise in Littleton and he had the Columbine tragedy in mind when he decided to lend his support:

ÒNo one will ever forget the tragic Columbine shootings in 1999. It is a constant reminder that we must continue to do all we can do to prevent further tragedies at our nationÕs schools. That is why I fully support the Littleton Initiative. One of the chief obstacles responders had difficulty overcoming in the Columbine tragedy was the lack of an updated and accessible information clearinghouse allowing emergency personnel to obtain even rudimentary information about the buildingÑthings like the location of exits, hallways, or even a basic floor plan for the school. Acquiring that information could someday help us save lives.Ó

Under the Littleton Initiative, the first responder communities in Littleton, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, conducted a full-scale evaluation of technologies and best practices for managing emergencies at schools.

Tactical first responder units from federal, state and local law enforcement demonstrated procedures and technologies implemented under the Littleton Initiative program in a full-scale, mock training exercise at the Littleton Elementary School. The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate how the school district and the first responders would perform in the event of a school emergency.

One of the units participating in the exercise was the Littleton Police DepartmentÕs SWAT team, commanded by Lt. Bill Black. Largely due to the Columbine tragedy, Littleton SWAT trains at school sites six times per year, after the school district requested an active training association with school security personnel. Black says that his team has conducted roughly a dozen exercises with the school district.

The May 21 exercise was the first exercise in which BlackÕs team was able to test Xybernaut equipment and the ÒSEMPSÓ (School Emergency Management Program) system. Created by Guy Grace, the manager of safety, security and emergency planning for the Littleton Public School District, SEMPS has the potential to make first responders instantly capable when they arrive on the scene of a school-based emergency. Using Xybernaut hardware, a SWAT team can use SEMPS to call up stored images of a schoolÕs interior layout, or even video of classrooms and passageways before they enter the school. The system can also show firefighters where to find a schoolÕs shutoff valves and it could be used to alert police to potential hiding places for intruders.

The training was designed to be very realistic and involved scripted scenarios using actors. Among the scenarios that were presented were an Òactive shooterÓ script and a hostage rescue situation. Xybernaut computers, using the SEMPS software, are instrumental in such scenarios. This combination puts a wealth of information right at the disposal of the on-scene tactical commander, including imagery of the target area.

Lt. Black explained that units such as his, even in smaller municipalities, have had a change in emphasis since the September 11th terrorist attacks. More and more of their training involves countering weapons of mass destruction (WMD). As might be expected, the equipment needs for such missions are extensive and most departments are still ramping up nearly two years after 9-11, still outfitting for WMD. Unfortunately, much of the Homeland Defense money has not trickled down from the Feds; in the last fiscal year, the state of Colorado received only a $5 million grant for the entire state.

Xybernaut equipment can be vital in WMD scenarios, particularly since their computers have already been integrated with and are totally compatible with all known WMD sensors in the US inventory.

The Littleton Initiative is just the first part of a larger nationwide effort to establish safety standards in schools. The individual who had more to do with creating the Littleton Initiative was Guy Grace:

ÒThe most important fact is that we are using this as a platform to talk about the ÒSOSÓ Standards of Safety in our nationÕs schools. All school district across the nation should have standards for dealing with school-based emergencies and security operations. At this time there are no set standards for any school district to follow when it comes to security operations. The overall objective is to emphasize the importance of high standards of safety in our nationÕs schools.Ó

Grace went on to say, Ò School-based emergencies present an array of significant issues, particularly in our day and age. All educational entities are well advised to adopt response procedures and technology designed for immediate, effective implementation. An effective response in dealing with todayÕs types of school emergencies starts with using the appropriate action learned from oneÕs training and in many cases using necessary technology to facilitate that appropriate response.

And Grace is definitely doing his part to make nationwide standards a reality and develop technology to make AmericaÕs schools safer. He created the software that is the heart of a portable emergency response system. The SEMPS software works with Xybernaut hardware to give SWAT and fire/rescue teams a leap forward in terms of technological capability. Grace and Xybernaut have worked as a team to ensure that first responders could make use of his immensely valuable tool. The SEMPS software works with all of XybernautÕs wearable computers, including the ubiquitous MA V, the first choice among military and law enforcement units around the world, to form the portable emergency response system. This 1-pound, 500 Mhz computer can be fitted on an emergency response vehicle, complete with a small monitor, a keyboard, and a headset. Of course, the computer also becomes portable when attached to the belt of a police officer wearing the headset and monitor. The system also includes tiny, chest-mounted cameras that could allow a police officer conducting a search to transmit live images back to the monitor.

According to Grace, XybernautÕs MA V is a great platform for running the virtual tour section of SEMPS due to its mobile computer configuration. The MA V also offers hands free display and voice activated browsing of the SEMPS program. Moreover, the MA V is wireless compatible. This allows it to be used as a web browser on the go or as a server to other mobile devices, including computer-operated cameras, sensors of various types and hand-held devices. In addition to the MA V, XybernautÕs new Atigo line of ultra-user-friendly mobile/wearable computers look very promising, according to Grace.

It comes as no surprise that Xybernaut has stepped up to provide the tools to help school security and law enforcement officials use the SEMPS system to make our schools safer. As Xybernaut CEO Steve Newman likes to say: ÒWe specialize in Ômass customization.Õ We always build in special features and capabilities for every customer.Ó

Grace actually began developing his software before the Columbine tragedy happened as a better way to investigate break-ins when he began compiling detailed information about LittletonÕs public school buildings on computer. According to Mr. Grace, the objective was to assemble all the data that would be needed in school-based emergencies for each school within his district into easily accessible formats using CD/DVD ROM and PC hard drive storage. The software can provide school, police and fire department leaders with a virtual tour of school facilities and contains comprehensive, interactive, hyperlinked information that includes emergency contacts, main utility shut-off locations, security system and fire system device locations, building floor plans, maps, video photography, related community information, and aerial photographs.

The Littleton School District, in conjunction with the Colorado Association of School Resource Officers is now hard at work in preparing and formalizing the concepts of the SEMPS program and distributing it to other school districts and public safety agencies throughout the US and Canada. SEMPS can be customized to meet the needs of any sized agency, providing a cost-effective and fully operational source of information. Best of all, the SEMPS application is available for FREE as a platform from which more effective emergency management can be coordinated to schools.

Xybernaut and Grace had been testing the system with the Arapahoe County SheriffÕs Department and the Littleton police and fire departments even before the May 21st exercise and it holds great promise for future law enforcement and rescue work nationwide.

Also working with Xybernaut on this system was Second Chance Body Armor, AmericaÕs leading provider of ballistic vests and other forms of body armor. Second ChanceÕs founder, Richard Davis invented soft body armor and, in the early days, literally stood, not just behind, but also in his product while it was being tested against the impact of bullets!

In addition to being a pioneer in the field of body armor more than three decades ago, Second Chance has worked with Xybernaut in pioneering body armor than can incorporate and protect Xybernaut systems in a real-world tactical environment. The two firms have been working together in a strategic partnership for five years providing equipment to both law enforcement and the defense department. Second ChanceÕs products specialize in saving lives and have done so in 896 cases over the past thirty years. Obviously, first responders have an absolute need for body armor because they put their lives on the line every day in potentially deadly situations. Xybernaut and Second Chance have worked together to integrate XybernautÕs wearable computers with Second ChanceÕs tactical vests to give law enforcement the best tools to deal with varying situations. The Xybernaut/Second Chance configuration is the only one of its type in the world and includes a CJAZ tactical vest with a channeling system for wiring and system components. Second ChanceÕs vests not only protect the wearer, they also protect the computer he is wearingÑagainst rounds up to .44 magnum (adding plates to the vest can increase the ballistic protection level even more).

Second Chance had three representatives on hand at Littleton to help law enforcement personnel with their product line: Factory Representative Matt Davis, Tactical Products Manager Steve Samek and Tactical Instructor Richard Wren.

Tancredo has been trying to arrange funding for a nationwide initiative. On April 24th, he requested that the Justice Department provide funding under the new ÒSecure Our SchoolsÓ program. That program would incorporate many of the features that Grace and Xybernaut have pioneered, including, digital archiving of floor plans, utility diagrams, digital photographs of rooms, hallways, and other areas that could be made available to first responders, assisting them in crisis situations like the Columbine tragedy. The information would also be useful in meeting a variety of other homeland security and first responder needs.

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