SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey is spending $6.5 million to ensure first responders have access to digital maps of school buildings, because blueprints might be too cumbersome to handle during emergency situations such as school shootings.
Gov. Phil Murphy says old-fashioned blue prints just don’t work when a few seconds could mean the difference between life and death for kids.
“These electronically accessible renderings can provide a much faster means for pinpointing locations and emergency routes than any traditional building schematic which may currently be in use,” Murphy said. “So responders will know where they are and where they need to go the moment they arrive on site.”
The maps include all sorts of important information about building infrastructure, not just a layout showing entrances and exits.
New Jersey has about 3,600 public, charter, religious and private K-12 schools. Murphy says 1,500 remain unmapped.
“This is a gap we cannot allow to continue,” he said.
The $6.5 million for the project comes from the American Rescue Plan.
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New Jersey Homeland Security Director Laurie Doran, who previously worked for the CIA, says this is a valuable tactical resource when trying to eliminate a threat from within a building where responders have little to no familiarity with the layout.
“New Jersey has previously employed this technology for pre-planned mass gatherings,” Doran said. She added that mapping technology was also used in response to a mass shooting at a kosher grocery store in Jersey City in 2019.
Acting Attorney General Matt Platkin says we must do everything possible to protect kids in schools, and this technology will play a key role.
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“By investing in digital blueprint mapping software for every K-12 school in New Jersey, both law enforcement and school administrators will have the information they need to act swiftly and with precision,” Platkin said.
The project will take about a year to complete, and officials hope to have it fully operational by the 2023-2024 school year.