 How does v.5 make DIR-S even more prepared than ever before to help your organization protect itself from the pandemic?
You no longer have to have an active alert going in DIR-S to use DIR-S! The most important thing when it comes to protecting your school from COVID is having quick and effective communication for all users. DIR-S has always been great at that, but now that you can access the newly expanded chat platform this is even more possible. This has already proven itself useful in schools where students come to school and either receive a positive test while there or are showing symptoms. Teachers and administrators are able to discreetly communicate over DIR-S and take the appropriate next steps depending on the situation.
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 Read the following case study to see how DIR-S was used recently to keep students and faculty safe and organized in a bomb threat situation.
(Names and locations changed for privacy.) SOFT LOCKDOWN alert initiated at 12:27 PM by Site Administrator, Margaret Houlihan. Location: Middle School - 2nd Floor - 23 History Margaret Houlihan 12:28: Stay in your rooms. Keep kids in your room and close your door. They can leace once their parent is here to pick them up. Bomb threat at the high school. Kids only need to know they are going home for safety reasons. Henry Blake (responder) 1:00: It is confirmed, the bomb threat was a false alarm. Continue as usual. Margaret Houlihan 1:03: Teachers, all students who have already been taken home are excused for the day. Parents were able to come to the school and get their kids while the police took care of the situation at the high school. Thankfully, it turned out to be a false alarm. Thanks to the quick communication provided by DIR-S, both teachers, administrators, and responders were able to keep order in the schools envolved and avoid the panic that often comes with a bomb scare.  No matter the situation, DIR-S brings together teachers, administrators, and responders more efficiently than any other emergency communication platform.
Time and time again, schools are able to respond to any type of emergency situation using DIR-S than has ever previously been possible for them. Read the following case study to see how DIR-S was used to keep everyone safe in a potential weapons threat. (Names and Locations Changed for Privacy) LOCKOUT alert initiated at 8:32 a.m. by Responder Chris Trager. 8:33 a.m. (District Administrator): This is not a drill; I will keep you all informed here on DIR-S as I can. 8:35 a.m. (Responder): Report of a person in the student parking lot waving a weapon out the window. Vehicle located unoccupied in the North student parking lot with an airsoft gun inside. School remains in lockout while we investigate. 8:45 a.m. Alert ESCALATED to LOCKDOWN by Responder Chris Trager. 8:46 a.m. (Responder) For safety reasons we escalated to a lockdown. There were five students potentially involved. Working on getting them all contained. 8:54 a.m. (Responder): Lifting the LOCKDOWN. All students have been identified and contained. No weapons are outstanding. Because of DIR-S, this situation which could have caused panic and taken hours to handle was completely taken care of in a matter of roughly 30 minutes. No one was harmed, and everyone involved in the situation was able to stay informed as to the information pertinent to them.  What a year 2020 has been!
The world has seen so many changes over the course of this year, and DIR-S has adapted every step of the way to meet the needs of the "new normal." We are all excited for what 2021 will bring. Buckle up and stay tuned because some exciting things are coming your way from Tresit Group! Have a safe and wonderful New Year!  Why should I make sure DIR-S is up-to-date on my mobile and desktop devices?
The answer is simple. Every update to DIR-S increases its ability to add value to you and your school, and every update brings with it benefits that help you keep you and your staff safe. What makes it especially important that you check to make sure your DIR-S is up to date is the fact that some older versions of DIR-S have limited communication with newer versions. This can cause some discrepancy between our latest features being limited by an outdated version. To ensure you are up to date on your mobile app, search “DIR-S” in the App Store (Google or Apple). If it says “update” then you need to click that to update your app. If it says “open” that indicates that you have the most current version of DIR-S. You can also allow auto-updates for DIR-S, so every time we release an update, you will automatically download and install it. To check what version of DIR-S you are working with on the desktop, right-click the DIR-S icon in your toolbar (Windows or Mac). You will then see info pop up. The most recent version is 5.0.3. If you need the latest version please email your IT team or suppor@tresitgroup.com If you have any further questions on this, feel free to reach out to us!  Did you tune in for today’s DIR-S Live on our YouTube channel??
Today, we did a deep dive into the new user interface of DIR-S v.5, specifically ensuring that your account is set up correctly. One of the main themes of this edition of DIR-S Live, which we have talked at much length in many posts and videos is the importance of using DIR-S regularly to develop the muscle memory necessary to maximize your efficacy with DIR-S when faced with a real emergency situation. In case studies which have been featured on our blog and social posts, we have shown what a difference in reaction time school sare able to have when their users are proficient with DIR-S. Situations that otherwise might have taken an hour or more to resolve are now able to be resolved in a matter of minutes, all thanks to DIR-S. DIR-S makes it possible to boost situational awareness during emergency situations among all pertinent parties more than has been possible ever before!  Now that DIR-S v.5 brings the DIR-S features to you whether or not you are in an active alert, there are even more possibilities for you.
In our communications with DIR-S users, we have found that having a good and reliable communication platform that would work just as well during an alert as during the normal runnings of the day was a big pain point for many organizations. This need was made especially severe when so many organizations are working both remotely and in person. These updates come out of a desire to ensure that DIR-S is constantly improving and meeting more of the issues that our clients are facing. Feel free to contact us at any time for questions about DIR-S and how it can be a benefit to your organization.
DIR-S Version 5 is here, and it is looking good!
As you can see, DIR-S has received a big makeover. The changes are not all cosmetic though. We have spent many hours working on DIR-S to make it even more suited to be an asset to schools. This is made even more important due to the current situations schools are facing. You can now use DIR-S to contact others in your school no matter what is going on in the school, whether there is an active alert going on (red), a drill (light blue), or if all is well (dark blue). The chat board now functions very similarly to other communication platforms you will have used in the past. You can make groups with other users, have individual conversations, and when there is an alert or drill started DIR-S automatically starts a school-wide alert chat as it has always done. With so many schools and other organizations working so much remotely in combination with the traditional in-person work, it is that much more important for all users to be able to remain in regular contact with each other. Now that DIR-S v.5 has been officially released, keep a close eye on our social media platforms because we will be going into greater detail on the new updates and features DIR-S brings with it in the coming weeks. DIR-S continues to add value no matter the circumstances of the organization!
Since the school year began, we have been elaborating extensively on the ways DIR-S can be a benefit whether you are meeting in person, remotely, or a combination of the two. We are happy to report that DIR-S has been used more than ever before because many of our schools are being so proactive with it and seeing ways that it can be used to keep everyone safe and connected, no matter the situation. Make sure and keep an eye, not only on your DIR-S app but on our posts in the near future! We will be rolling out DIR-S v.5 soon, and it is bringing with it even more features and benefits that will make DIR-S lend itself, even more, to use whether or not there is an active alert going on! Thank you all for being part of the DIR-S community!  What resources are available to DIR-S users to aid in preparing for the 2020-2021 school year? The answer is that there are multiple resources currently available, with more on the way with software updates coming soon.
The software resources will be expounded upon as they are released so the current resources are all that will be expounded upon in this post. Resource 1: We have created a COVID-19 Resource Page on our website. This contains information which can prove helpful for school administrators as they work to put together their own school’s safety measures. Resource 2: In the DIR-S Admin Portal, school and region administrators can create new alert types. In dealing with COVID, many schools have chosen to create a COVID-19 alert type. This allows teachers and administrators to keep everyone updated as to possible cases in the school in real-time. Resource 3: When a new alert type is created, unique guidances can be set to them to help users know what to do in the case of different alert types. For example, there can be sections in the Guidance section of the REPORT tab telling teachers what to do if they: See symptoms of COVID-19 in their classroom, receive a call saying that a student in their class has tested positive, or whatever other kinds of situations administrators might anticipate facing in regards to the given alert type (in this case a COVID-19 alert type). Resource 4: On the Tresit Group YouTube Page, there can be found a wide variety of resources for not only dealing with COVID-19, but all aspects of DIR-S. We have bi-weekly webinars, tutorial videos, feature videos, and more. All of the features listed above are meant to help keep people safe and connected. We can also be contacted by email at support@tresitgroup.com. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions regarding DIR-S.  What are the best practices for schools in the coming school year for facing the threat of COVID-19? In the unprecedented times we find ourselves in, schools are faced with the task of resuming school operations all while keeping students are faculty safe.
To aid in this we have been working hard this summer to ensure that the Version 5 update on DIR-S will continue to be a benefit to schools. The details of this update will be expanded upon in a later post. In addition to this, we will soon be launching a COVID-19 support page on our website where people can go to see what safety practices other schools will be implementing to keep their students and facility safe from the Coronavirus. We are contacting schools and other DIR-S users gathering information that will be added to this resource page. When it is launched, that link will be shared on all of our social media pages so that schools can have a central resource and build on the ideas of others to ensure the maximum security and safety of their school. Our hope is that between the features coming this year to DIR-S, and the COVID-19 resource page on our website that we will be able to play a part in keeping people safe. As has been stated in several previous posts, our focus here at Tresit Group is keeping people safe. If you have any information you would like added to the resource page email support@tresitgroup.com From all of us, Get Safe, Stay Safe.  We are taking a step back from case studies, DIR-S features, security articles, and our other usual blog topics today.
As the world continues to face the COVID-19 pandemic, and here in the US, we see numbers on the rise again, we are thinking about all of you. Here at Tresit Group, our entire focus is on the safety of everyone who uses DIR-S. Safety is why we exist, and it is what drives everything we do to grow and improve DIR-S. When it all comes down to it DIR-S, as amazing as it is, is simply an app. In any kind of emergency, users revert to their organization’s safety protocols. When this is done effectively, the damage can be drastically reduced if not completely avoided. So much of it comes down to having a mindset of doing the right thing and looking out for each other. From all of us here at Tresit Group, please be careful, look out for one another, and follow the guidelines set by health experts. Get safe. Stay Safe.  Photo by Adam Wilson on Unsplash How do you keep panic down and everyone connected and safe? DIR-S has the answer for you. Read the following case study from a recent incident at a school that is secured by DIR-S to see how they were able to keep everyone connected, calm, and safe while dealing with the situation and getting responders to the school.
Names and locations changed for privacy. 2:30 p.m. EVACUATE alert initiated by Site Admin (Principal), Redmond Holt. 2:31 p.m. (Dispatch): Fire department is on the way. 2:32 p.m. (Principal): Teachers make sure and check in on DIR-S and update your location when you get to your assigned evacuation locations. 2:38 p.m. (Principal): Fire Department is on the scene and clearing the building. Everyone stands by for all clear to reenter the building. Thankfully, the situation was resolved promptly, and teachers and students were able to resume normal operations shortly after. In a school environment of hundreds of students and teachers in so many different rooms, it can be difficult to handle these types of situations. Because of DIR-S, this school was able to resolve the issue in a matter of minutes  As was mentioned in yesterday’s DIR-S Live seminar, the ASSISTANCE NEEDED alert is very versatile and can be used in a wide variety of situations schools can face on a daily basis.
The following case study shows one example of an ASSISTANCE NEEDED alert and an amazing teacher who was well versed in DIR-S. 9:56: (Teacher sent out an “ASSISTANCE NEEDED” DIR-S alert) “Help please, seizure in the room.” 9:57: (Principal) “I’m on my way!” All schools now how important it is to invest in security measures to protect against disaster situations. In a recent article from WJLA News, it sites one of the nation’s leading experts on school safety, Dr. Amy Klinger. She says, “Schools are facing all hazards. They are not just facing one hazard.” While every school has evacuation plans, lockdown procedures, and other great systems, not every situation requires the exact same procedures every time. No matter the situation, clear communication is crucial in keeping the situation under control. Being faced with the task of keeping an entire classroom full of students under control, while taking care of a student in the middle of a grand mal seizure is a daunting task alone. Having to take the time to get on the phone and call the main office takes seconds that cannot be spared. DIR-S allowed this teacher to instantly notify the right people, and they were on their way within a minute of the alert being sent out.  In a recent school incident, a school principal sent out an evacuation alert because of reports of smoke coming from the kitchen. Upon evacuating the school, one of the teachers was unable to locate one of their students.
Already being well accustomed to drilling with DIR-S, the teacher used the REPORT tab in DIR-S to notify the rest of the school that the student was unaccounted for. It was shortly discovered that since this student lived close to the school when the school evacuated, they simply decided to jog home. Because this teacher was so quickly able to notify the rest of the school of this missing student, they were able to get the help of the rest of the other teachers, administrators, and responders in mere seconds. The REPORT tab in DIR-S is meant to serve exactly as was depicted in this case study. It ensured that the name of the missing student did not get lost in the chat tab. Once the student was found, they were reported as “found,” and promptly returned to where their class was assembled.  What is situational awareness? (Hint: It helps everyone make better decisions.)
Situational awareness is your knowledge of events and conditions occurring at a given time and place. It also includes your ability to use current information to project what will happen. DIR-S (duress) is entirely devoted to boosting situational awareness for everyone involved in emergency situations. One of the most effective tools DIR-S provides to users is an interactive mapping system that keeps everyone up to date on the safety statuses of individual locations within the facility. When a DIR-S alert is initiated, all of the users connected to that facility receive a notification on their desktop and mobile devices via the desktop app or DIR-S app available in the App Stores. Upon receiving an alert, you are immediately prompted to indicate where you are and whether you are “Safe” or “Unsafe.” Depending on your response, the room you are in will show up as green (safe) or red (unsafe). You will then see other users check-in on the interactive map and it will depict with pinpoint accuracy where the safe and unsafe areas are inside of the building(s). Throughout an emergency situation, if a user’s location changes, they can update/change their location and status in DIR-S in seconds. Having clear and accurate information on the DIR-S maps gives base users, administrators, and responders the ability to account for everyone in seconds and immediately locate where the problems might be in the school. Users can then use that information to adapt their response to the situation to maximize both the effectiveness and safety of everyone involved.  What do you do when faced with an emergency situation to spread the word immediately without causing a panic? DIR-S is used almost every day in different situations our clients find themselves in.
When users are familiar with DIR-S, and have taken the time to become proficient with it, reaction times are cut down to mere minutes. As can be seen in the case study below, this school was able to react to the threat posed to them in a matter of minutes, when managing this same type of situation might have taken well over an hour. (Names and Locations Changed for Privacy) LOCKOUT alert initiated at 8:32 a.m. by Responder Chris Trager. 8:33 a.m. (District Administrator): This is not a drill; I will keep you all informed here on DIR-S as I am able. 8:35 a.m. (Responder): Report of a person in the student parking lot waving a weapon out the window. Vehicle located unoccupied in the North student parking lot with an airsoft gun inside. School remains in lockout while we investigate. 8:45 a.m. Alert ESCALATED to LOCKDOWN by Responder Chris Trager. 8:46 a.m. (Responder) For safety reasons we escalated to a lockdown. There were five students potentially involved. Working on getting them all contained. 8:54 a.m. (Responder): Lifting the LOCKDOWN. All students have been identified and contained. No weapons are outstanding. Knowing what to do given the specific alert type allowed teachers, administrators, and responders to quickly react to the situation. Because they had drilled regularly and were familiar with the procedures pertaining to the different alert types, even when the alert was escalated during the situation, everyone knew exactly what to do. They were able to avoid panic and get the entire situation taken care of in a matter of roughly 30 minutes without anyone being harmed or panicking. Get Safe, Stay Safe.  DIR-S is an emergency communication program that is able to tie into any existing safety protocols to maximize the safety of the organization.
Currently, DIR-S is primarily used in schools and continues to prove itself time and time again in how much more effectively responders, administrators, and teachers are able to stay connected and quickly relay pertinent information throughout any kind of emergency situation. One of the main things that differentiates DIR-S from other systems is its interactive mapping capabilities. Users are able to update their location and safety status instantly. All actions are immediately visible to all other users on DIR-S ensuring that no one is left out of the loop, and everyone is kept safe. Learn more about how DIR-S can improve the safety and emergency response of your organization by exploring our website, social media channels, or reach out to us directly. Get Safe, Stay Safe.  What makes DIR-S different from the other solutions available? What are the biggest needs when it comes to choosing security software?
One of the key components is needing a solution that provides prompt and accurate SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. In schools and other organizations with multiple rooms, locations, and people, it is imperative that they are able to quickly communicate and coordinate emergency response procedures. One of the main benefits of DIR-S is the quick accountability it provides. It is intuitive and simple, yet comprehensive. With the LOCATION, CHAT, and REPORT tabs users are provided all of the necessary tools and information to keep them safe and connected with the other users connected to their location. The Location tab provides interactive maps where users can update their location while staying updated on the locations of everyone else in the school, in real-time. On the chat board, users can stay in the loop about how the alert is progressing from administrators, responders, and other users. The Report tab allows users a centralized location to report missing and found individuals. It also gives customizable guidance to users depending on the alert scenario. That’s because DIR-S is in a constant state of development and improvement, thus ensuring users that it will always be able to meet their needs and help keep their organization safe when it matters most. Remember: Get Safe, Stay Safe.  School year draws to a close and we all continue into an uncertain future, we want it to be clear to all who we work with that we are all in it together. Our motto holds as true now in these times as ever.
Get Safe. In this age, it is easier than ever to know the proper safety measures to take to keep ourselves and others safe. It is up to all of us to be smart. Stay Safe. Now that we have all been doing those things necessary for being safe in a world stricken by a global pandemic, we can’t let ourselves get too complacent with our safety. From all of us here at Tresit Group, Get Safe, Stay Safe. In this video we teach you how to opt in & out of alert types in DIR-S. This can be especially beneficial to district administrators, responders, and teachers who work in multiple locations and have more than one school under their DIR-S (duress) account.
“IF THERE IS AN ACTIVE THREAT, HOW SHOULD I ALERT THE SCHOOL?” THE RESPONSE: EVERY POSSIBLE MEANS5/5/2020  An effective communication plan is the most overlooked part of an emergency plan. The best communications plan is layered with redundancy. Each individual needs the ability to communicate to the outside and also have the ability to receive communications from the outside. In the military they use what is called a P.A.C.E. plan (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency). The principle is to have multiple methods to communicate in case one method is not available or fails. Additionally, communication needs to touch those that can listen and make a difference with the information they receive and respond effectively.  In the majority of situations there is no thought put into a communications plan. In every situation, every incident and emergency, having effective communications makes all the difference. Too much time, money and energy is wasted on things that have limited impact on emergencies, or impact very specific situations. Creating a communications plan will empower each individual in any given situation and ultimately have the greatest impact on saving lives.  In an organization you have an employee, other employees, administration, and first responders that need to be tied into the communications plan. Most important is assessing how each individual can get a message out regardless of where they are located in the facility. Secondly, how a message can be sent to each individual from a central location regardless of their location. Next, how does the message reach first responders in real time. Lastly, how to maintain ongoing communications throughout the incident until the situation is resolved. In some cases multiples means of communications are used to address each of these. There are some technologies that exist, which provide ability to do all the above, but be cautious to not create a single point of failure. A school recently spent a lot of money on a communication system that provided the means to communicate with all their people in a variety of ways. The system was great, however only a single person in a single location could send a message. This creates a single point of failure and creates a critical situation when that person does not have all the right information. This is similar to systems in hospitals across the nation. They are dependent on one person to share the right information at the right time, to everyone.  While conducting training at a local school, the question was asked, “if there is an active threat how should I alert the school?” The response, “every possible means.” However if there was an isolated medical incident, a call to 911 may be sufficient. Many organizations conduct drills on a regular basis, but do not practice communicating during those drills. Employees follow pre-determined plans, which does not truly train and enhance preparedness. It would be more effective to setup scenarios where different methods of communications were required to be used to navigate through a specific emergency.
Bottom line. A redundant plan that connects all the right people initially, during and after an incident happens. Bottom line. A redundant plan that connects all the right people initially, during and after an incident happens.
There are over 100,000 private and public institutions educating children from grades K-12. Each school is mandated by federal law to drill monthly in preparation for incidents that may occur at a school. On average drills last 30 minutes when conducted. This means each month schools across the United States spend 50,000 hours conducting some sort of drill. On average there are 32 teachers per school and make an average of $30 an hour. This equates to $48M spent every month to conduct drills or $480M spent every year. Additionally, schools report at least one significant emergency every year. This can take an average of 2 hours to resolve, another $192M spent. What if we could cut this number in half and use those dollars for enhanced learning for students?
This is why Tresit Group built the Disaster Incident Report and Security (DIR-S) System. Our goal was to give schools back their time to what they do best, learn. Using DIR-S reduces drill times and in live incidents gets schools back to normal operations faster than any other system in the world. Simply put, we connect schools with those that respond during any type of incident and on any device. Real-time chat and interactive maps gives everyone enhanced situational awareness for the best decision making.  During the last two school years DIR-S has been used over 5,000 times for drills and incidents in schools throughout the United States. Data indicates when a school adopts DIR-S, drill times are reduced to more than half and in many cases can be done in a few minutes. Day to day incidents that are occurring is resolved in a tenth of the time. These results more than fund the use of DIR-S and give more time for focus on learning. In the last school year 2017-18 DIR-S was used weekly for a variety of emergencies that in all likelihood saved lives.
In this video, we explain how to speak to a specific user in DIR-S (duress) rather than sending your message out on the Global Chat.
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November 2020
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