The concept for my idea came to me after participating in an Active Shooter drill at the school where I taught. I was not satisfied with the method of communication that was used to inform staff of the ‘threat’. The announcement over the PA system was barely audible. If the drill wasn’t planned, I would have had no idea what was said. My room was in the basement and there was no reception, so a cell phone notification wouldn’t have been helpful.

After the conclusion of the drill it occurred to me that there is a strobe in each classroom to give us a visual and auditory warning in the case of a fire drill. There is never any doubt if there is a fire drill. I thought that the administration should pull the fire alarm so that we can all be made aware of the threat. However, after considering the response to an Active Shooter, this would not work because a fire alarm tells you to leave the building. In an Active Shooter situation this might not be the best option for everyone. If the shooter is between you and the exit, the best response is to barricade inside your room. At least you would know what is going on. 

The simple solution is to put a second strobe in each room that indicates an Active Shooter warning. This clearly indicates what the situation is and allows each teacher to make the best decision as to how to proceed. It may be to leave or it may be to barricade.

My concept expanded to have four different lights/strobes for the four common drills schools have: fire/active shooter/tornado/lockdown. In my initial concept there would be an activation panel in each classroom and in other places throughout the building. Anyone could activate the alarm, just like a fire alarm. My thinking on this has changed to a degree as lockdowns and weather warnings would only come from the administration. 

My thinking has further expanded to include all public spaces that have fire alarms, such as grocery stores, restaurants and all public buildings. There could be strobes throughout the building even if the activation mechanism is limited to a customer service area or other controlled areas.

While traveling I stayed at a hotel and noticed that there is a strobe in each room and alarm levers found on each floor and at the front desk.

I have further expanded the idea to include wireless connectivity that could be used in business districts etc… so that a disruption in one business ( active shooter) could be shared with other entities in the immediate area, so that people would be able to react to the incident properly. 

I have a patent pending on this idea.