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These 2 technologies are designed to save lives during school shootings
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Screen shot - photo by Amy Iverson
In 2018, there have already been 18 gun-related incidents at American schools, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. And while some of those include suicides or accidental firings, some were intentional shootings and people died.

According to statistics posted on the Homeland Security Digital Library, the average school shooting (for institutions of higher education) lasts 12.5 minutes. But, in general, three to five minutes pass in these situations before calls even start going out to 911. After that, the average response time of campus and local law enforcement to the scene is 18 minutes.

You do the math.

So how do we get first responders there more quickly and minimize the possibly horrific effects?

While lawmakers debate gun control, the world of technology definitely has some ideas on what else might help.

Acoustic gunshot identification systems include sensors (about the size of a smoke detector) placed around a building and are already installed in some schools around the country. One company, Shooter Detection Systems, uses software created by the military combined with infrared gunfire flash detection to immediately alert law enforcement if someone fires a gun. The system can call up surveillance cameras in the building, start lockdown procedures and send mass notifications. Using a floor plan of the building, it shows police officers exactly where someone fired a gun and then makes a trail of lights on that map as the shooter moves around.

An app called InForce is also part of the system that contacts law enforcement with a chat portal so staff members can communicate with them. The cost starts around $10,000 and can increase depending on the size of the school.

More corporations than school districts have bought in at this point. The company first installed one of these systems in a Massachusetts public school in 2014. The area police chief, Joseph Solomon, told the Huffington Post at the time that such systems should be required in public buildings, just as fire suppression systems and smoke detectors are.

We need smart buildings, Solomon now tells WHDH. Smart buildings save lives.

Another option, the SchoolGuard app, doesnt require physical additions to a school building, but also may cut down on response times. Guard911 gives teachers a digital "panic button" right on their phones. Nate McVicker, president and founder of Guard911, says we must find ways to deter and possibly prevent subsequent attacks in our schools, businesses and churches.

During every one of these senseless acts of violence there remains a common conclusion at each, he says. A shorter police notification and subsequent response time can and will save lives.

When a school staff member hits that button, the app alerts every police officer on duty or off within a certain radius of the school. For nearby law enforcement to receive the alert, though, they must be part of the Hero911 Network, a voluntary, nonprofit foundation of federal, state and local law enforcement officers.

McVicker says nearly 50,000 officers have joined the network and that theyll receive the notification of a shooting at the same time the call is placed to 911, shaving crucial seconds off response time. The app notifies all schools within five miles (as long they are also Guard911 participants), and will show every other teacher and staff member at the school where their colleague was when they activated the panic button.

The service costs $1,000 per property for implementation, has no limits on the number of users, and charges a $99 monthly service fee. If multiple schools in a district implement the service, they get a discount.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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