Home » Emergency Alerts & Mass Notification for Schools
Send immediate alerts and automated messages to first responders, staff, parents, and even students in the event of an emergency.
When a threatening incident occurs on or near a school campus, communication is key for getting fast help and keeping everyone informed and complying with the school’s safety plan.
CatapultEMS is an emergency notification system for schools that helps district leaders and school staff send the right communications at the right time to the right audiences.
From panic button alerts that are sent directly to local first responders, to emergency directives for on-site staff, to mass automated messages for all staff and parents, CatapultEMS allows for a seamless flow of communication that can be managed from any web-enabled computer or smartphone.
Manage alerts and mass notification messages through a single dashboard that is accessible from any web-enabled device
Empower staff to classify a reported incident as a cautionary alert or an action alert, or to resolve the incident
Give staff access to a panic button to immediately alert first responders directly through local dispatch, allowing them to bypass the 911 call center
Send automated mass notification messages sent via text, email, and/or phone call that keep staff, parents, and first responders aware of what’s happening in real time
Deploy silent override messages for smartphones that sound an audible alert, even when a phone is on silent or Do Not Disturb
Deliver pre-approved emergency response directives that help guide school staff in specific scenarios (i.e., lock the doors, close the blinds, shelter in place)
Allow for two-way communication with staff and first responders
Automatically report GPS location to law enforcement for more effective emergency response
Integrate your mass notification system with other school systems (student information systems, PA systems, IP phones, etc.), expanding opportunities for automated communication
Simple integrations with other systems commonly used by K-12 school districts (includes WeTip integration)
School districts can set up mass notification messages through CatapultEMS to give administrators, school staff, parents, and first responders important updates about safety drills and real emergencies. This might be a reminder that a drill is going to take place, a message that a lockdown has been initiated, a message about a street closure, etc.
These messages help keep everyone informed in real time, which reduces anxiety and allows for orderly emergency response. CatapultEMS has message templates built into the system for easier use by school districts.
CatapultEMS’ automated messages can be sent out as text messages, emails, and voicemails. For emergency messages (such as a message about a school lockdown), our system uses computer and mobile takeover messages, which are also known as silent override messages on smartphones.
A silent override message is a message that can open on a smartphone with an audible alert even when the phone is set to silent or Do Not Disturb. These messages are similar to Amber Alerts and government-initiated safety alerts that people are accustomed to receiving on their smartphones. Silent override messages help school districts ensure that their emergency alerts are being seen by all their intended recipients.
Some CatapultEMS clients (particularly high schools) choose the additional service of automated notifications for students. Extending access to students not only keeps them informed, but it also allows them to self-report their location through the system, which is important for student accountability. This feature can be especially valuable for schools with older students because those are the students who are more likely to leave campus during an emergency.
CatapultEMS’ incident management system integrates with various types of school communication and safety systems, including public address (PA) systems. We can work with the tech infrastructure you have in place to keep your systems connected and ensure they are working together to maximize safety for your students and staff.
We offer integrations that allow you to connect our emergency management system with various types of school hardware and systems, including student information systems (SIS), single sign-on (SSO), PA systems, IP phones, physical panic buttons, camera systems, and more.
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