Blueforce BlueBeacon V2 Ships with Support for iOS 9

Whether you are involved in executive protection, campus safety, or manage teams of mobile “lone workers”, a fundamental requirement exists to keep track of people and to ensure their safety as they go about their day. Blueforce BlueBeacon is a patent-pending, highly secure software tracker and “panic button” for Android and iOS that provides a safety net for those who require personal protection, work in remote and potentially hazardous environments, or for campus safety and security.

Blueforce is proud to announce general availability of BlueBeacon V2.0 for Android and the all new BlueBeacon V2.0 for iOS 9. BlueBeacon 2.0 builds on the features that made BlueBeacon v1.0 so compelling. V1 features included geospatial location, tracking, cell tower reporting, position and motion, camera auto-fire, and on-demand audio listening. BlueBeacon 2.0 takes all of this to the next level and extends basic capabilities that now enable advanced workflows and include:

• Checkin/checkout
• Selectable Panic Type
• Multi-Modal Panic Activation
• Secure 1:1 and 1:MANY Messaging

CHECKIN/CHECKOUT
Our customers have spoken, and we have listened. Knowing where someone was last seen on the “map” is not good enough. As well, not every call is of equal threat. This is why we implemented “Checkin/Checkout”. A core feature of BlueBeacon is the ability to “checkin” when one enters an environment they are concerned about. What if the call is at Second and Main, which is a 30-story building? How do I allow my “safety net” to know where I am? The feature works as follows:

• Checkin: Touching the “Checkin” button (shown at left) presents a screen that allows the user to enter information about the environment they are about to enter. When enabled, the user shows as in a “Warning” state in Command Center or M2M.
• Checkout: Touching the tile again allows the user to take themselves out of a warning state and signaling a “checkout”.

SELECTABLE PANIC TYPES
The market is rife with solutions that allow for a panic fire with the push of a big red button on a dongle that hangs from ones neck. Indeed, this is a great solution for those aging in place, but the reality is that not all emergency situations are of a medical nature, and not all require emergency services. Teachers dealing with a behavioral issue or caught up in an active shooter scenario are facing very different situations that require dramatically different responses, escalations, and workflows. Hardware solutions allow for only ONE call for help: send the “SWAT” team or the paramedics.

Emergencies come in different forms and require different responses. Blueforce BlueBeacon enables an organization to force a 911 panic, or, provide a pop-up that allows the user to select the emergency type via a simple click. Panic Type is portable in that the panic type transits with the panic signal itself, allowing basic or complex workflows to be executed at the Blueforce Command Center or Blueforce M2M. Should this option be selected, BlueBeacon supports three classes of emergency each of which is customizable by the organization. Our K12 and Higher Education campuses, by example, deploy with the following three:

• 911: BlueBeacon defaults to “911”. When selected, the highest level of escalation is selected.
• Disciplinary: As opposed to sending the SWAT team, disciplinary can be coded to alert specific roles, such as Vice Principals, in-house security, or other designated response personnel.
• Health: As opposed to sending the SWAT team, a health panic can be coded to send a school nurse, or alert those in the enterprise with first level medical skills.

MULTI-MODAL PANIC FIRES
BlueBeacon was built to serve a whole host of use cases where people are thrust into potentially non-predictable environments. Utility workers face hazards from the work they do while visiting nurses and social workers may be assaulted by the families and communities they serve. To that end, a varying range of covert and overt panic signaling is desired. BlueBeacon provides the following three panic modes:

• Manual UI Swipe: From within the application, the user simply swipes the main screen, moving a shape from the edge to the center of the screen.
• Ripcord: For truly dangerous environments where violence may escalate from perceived actions, the action of pulling ones headphones from the smartphone jack can trigger a panic scenario.
• Button Mash: For environments where the phone is held, but an explicit action may also cause escalation, the enduser can “mash” (hold down said buttons for a prescribed period of time) buttons on the smartphone to initiate a panic.

SECURE 1:1 and 1:MANY TEXT AND MASS BROADCASTING
Blueforce BlueBeacon provides a native text chat capability that enables the enduser to received evac notices and/or instructions, but also initiate messaging with central or distributed monitoring personnel. Blueforce Command Center provides 1:1 messaging, but can also be setup to send mass secure broadcasts should events warrant.

For more information or to arrange for a demonstration, call us at 866-960-0204 x1, or send an email to info@blueforcedev.com.