Yet again the question “How
can we make our schools
safer?” was on the tip of
everyone’s tongues following the Feb.
14 school shooting at Parkland, Fla.’s
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
School. The tragic event left the families
of the 17 children whose lives were lost
grieving as well as the Florida community
and the greater United States.
While politicians called for metal detectors,
armed teachers and stronger gun
laws, Ramsey’s Erik Endress already
had an answer: an app.
As a volunteer firefighter for 30
years and someone who had spent a majority
of his career in technology, Endress
has always been one to help
people. It was only natural that his next
step would involve technology to do so.
This led to a conversation with Ray Bailey,
a retired Ramsey police officer,
about how they could use technology to
improve the emergency communication
system in their town. Access to the right
tools and resources existed – iPads and
smartphones in schools and in the hands
of officers, but none of it was being used
in an emergency. Endress then met
Adrian Lanning, a software developer,
By Natalie Zisa
The Ramsey-Based
App That’s Changing
School Security
58 BC The Mag FALL 2018