PHILADELPHIA — Critical incident mapping data provider Critical Response Group (CRG) recently announced a successful bipartisan legislative effort has resulted in the unanimous passing of critical incident mapping laws or state-level initiatives for schools in 11 states.
Wisconsin, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Maryland and Virginia have approved legislation related to critical incident mapping in schools, while several other state bills are in progress.
Wisconsin was the first state to approve a school-related critical incident mapping bill, leading to the unanimous passing of critical incident mapping laws in multiple states.
“The Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association brought CRG’s work to my attention, and I immediately realized the value for a true statewide standard for critical incident mapping,” says Wisconsin state Sen. Van Wanggaard in the CRG announcement.
“This is common sense legislation: when first responders are racing against time to save lives, they cannot waste precious minutes trying to make sense out of an inaccurate map,” he says. “When the police and fire departments are working off of different maps due to incompatible software, it could put people at risk.”
Inside CRG’s Critical Incident Mapping for Schools
Founded by U.S. military special operations veterans, Critical Response Group adapted and domesticated the military’s gridded reference graphics (GRG) technique to create accurate and detailed maps tailored for emergency responders at more than 14,000 schools across the U.S.
Critical incident mapping involves combining high-resolution aerial imagery with on-site verified floor plans, site-specific labels, and an alphanumeric grid overlay. The final product provides an accurate and up-to-date common operating picture that first responders from different agencies can use to communicate and coordinate with each other during an emergency response.
CRG’s mapping data is made available within the existing software platforms used across public safety including 911 centers, CAD platforms and mobile applications.
“We took a mapping technique that was perfected through thousands of repetitions and lessons learned overseas, and worked with law enforcement experts and practitioners to develop a domestic solution that would address the well-documented challenges unique to public safety responses,” says CRG co-founder and CEO Mike Rodgers in the announcement.
“As stakeholders and leadership organizations have become increasingly aware of the effectiveness of our mapping technique, it has become recognized as a protective measures best practice,” he says. “This ever-growing groundswell of support has put our solution on the radar of legislators who are eager to solve a problem that has plagued emergency response efforts across the county.”
