Baldwin library director ‘warming up’ to Rave app

Baldwin Public Library Director Elizabeth Olesh said on Sept. 26 that she’s “warming up” to the idea of having the Rave Panic Button app on some staff members’ phones. “I was skeptical about it at first,” Olesh said at the library’s board of trustees meeting, “but after seeing a presentation I was much more comfortable with it.”

The app acts as a panic button on one’s smartphone, and when activated alerts library staff and area law enforcement agencies of an emergency situation. The board of trustees would have to vote to approve the app before implementation.

Rave is already being used in Nassau’s schools and in July, County Executive Laura Curran and Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder announced it would be made available to libraries at no cost. “Too often, we see the headlines of active-shooter events,” Curran said in a statement at the time. “A total of 188 mass shooting incidents have occurred as of July 23 of this year. One is too many.

“The Rave app is critical in response to active-shooter situations, and will protect patrons while generating a faster response to emergencies,” Curran continued. “It does not replace 911, but will assist greatly with response time and essential monitoring of the situation.”

The county’s priority in giving libraries the app is to counteract live-shooter situations, but the app an also be used during fires and medical emergencies.

Olesh said she thought the app would be put on all library staff’s phones, which worried her. “That would potentially be chaotic,” she said. But after learning it would only be a select few in the library, she began to be more open to bringing the app to Baldwin.

Olesh is waiting for more information on the app from the Nassau County Police Department, and said it is something being discussed among library directors in Nassau County.

Ryder, in a statement, said the app would help police officers get to the scene of an emergency faster. “The Rave application will assist the Nassau County police in the event of an incident which requires emergency response by its police officers and medics,” he said. “When a school or library can immediately contact the police, it can decrease our response time, which will be of great benefit when seconds are crucial.”