In this featured piece by WMTV News (NBC 15), the station reports on Edgewood High School beginning its first full year using the InformaCast Wearable Alert Badge from Singlewire Software to speed up communication in an emergency. School leaders explain that staff previously relied on phone- or app-based options that weren’t always practical in the moment, and that a wearable badge lets any teacher call for help without leaving the room or reaching a desk. The report walks through how the badge separates everyday requests from major emergencies, shows a staff member’s name and location on a map when activated, and connects to the systems Edgewood already uses — cell phones, classroom computers, the public address system, and digital displays.
Key Takeaways
- Edgewood High School in Madison is starting its first full year using the InformaCast Wearable Alert Badge from Singlewire Software, after testing and rolling it out the previous school year.
- The badge gives staff two clear options: three presses send a “help needed” alert for situations like a medical issue or a fight, while six presses place the school into a lockdown and notify police.
- A wearable device solves a problem staff had with earlier tools: teachers are rarely at a desk ready to start an alert on an app, phone, or computer, so having the button physically on them means they can call for help from anywhere.
- Location appears only when a badge is activated — administrators then see who sent the alert and exactly where they are in the building, with no round-the-clock tracking of staff.
- Alerts reach people through systems Edgewood already uses, and the school worked with local police on trainings, building walkthroughs, and testing during the rollout.
Original Story
Faculty and staff at Edgewood High School now have a wearable way to call for help, as the school begins its first full year using emergency alert badges designed to speed up communication when something goes wrong.
Edgewood began testing and rolling out the technology last school year. Previously, staff could send emergency notifications through phone-based options, but school leaders said those methods were not always practical in the moment.
“Crisis response, emergency response, the number one challenge is always communication,” said Tim Patton, Edgewood’s director of facilities and safety. “So certainly I think in terms of speed of communication, it helps, of course, but it also helps with actionability of that communication.”
Before the new system, Patton said a teacher might have needed to use an office phone or cell phone, or send another adult to the office to get help.
Now, staff can trigger different responses directly from the wearable badge.