"While I wish we didn’t need them, and I hope we never have to use them, just having these in our schools will be a deterrent for violent attacks and give students, parents and staff some comfort knowing that we have one more layer of protection in an emergency."
-Dr. John Gaddis, Superintendent somerset County, MD
The "Fire Extinguisher for Gunfire" is available: Hardwire's Emergency Response Shield (ERS).
Hundreds of thousands of students have been exposed to gun violence since Columbine and it is getting worse, not better – the five deadliest shootings in the U.S. have occurred in roughly the past 10 years. Moreover, 7 in 10 mass shootings have occurred in schools and businesses.
While implementing long-lasting solutions is needed, eradicating gun violence in America will take time. But implementing defensive measures, such as Emergency Response Shields, can protect teachers and students immediately.
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Click to explore Hardwire's Emergency Response Shield
Emergency Response Shields stop ammunition from assault rifles (including green tip, armor piercing rounds), shotguns, and handguns, and will also protect against blades and blunt force weapons.
Teachers today face the active shooter problem bare-handed. The ERS is a tool to help – a tool that empowers survival until first responders arrive.
These defensive measures work with the Department of Homeland Security’s Active Shooter Preparedness Program recommendations to “Run, Hide, Fight” and the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) to “Avoid, Deny, Defend.”
The technology used in these bulletproof measures is derived from armor technologies developed for Department of Defense Programs and fielded on United States military vehicles and used in federal law enforcement body armor.
IMPLEMENTS LIKE FIRE CODE
A NEW PERSPECTIVE
Remember the days when fire was fought with buckets of water and a line of humans? Then someone invented the fire extinguisher, the smoke detector, and Smokey the Bear to promote fire prevention. The same is needed for active shooter prevention and protection. Emergency Response Shields are the fire extinguisher for gunfire. Distributed throughout schools and public facilities, they stop bullets from shotguns, handguns, and rifles; they are easily available in an emergency.Right now, our country is lacking the analogous approach to active shooter safety. We have first responders and some training. But most schools lack the “fire extinguisher” emergency tool that can be used until first responders arrive. Teachers today face the problem bare-handed. The ERS is a tool to help.
PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY
Years of implementation in schools and other public facilities have shown the shields provide significant benefits to mental health, as students and staff feel empowered and protected. Armor can also deter an attack. Predators prefer to attack soft targets and will shy away from a well-protected and armored school. Products such as this create a renewed sense of security and confidence in both our teachers and students that they can be safe in school.
Mass shootings are community-shattering events. That's why Hardwire donated 1,600 shields to their tri-county schools on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. If you'd like to see this protection in your community, contact us. It is our mission to protect every school in America.
resources
Videos and links to learn more about Hardwire's comprehensive approach to school safety. Please contact us with questions via our Live Chat button to the right, or via our CONTACT page.
STEP ONE
HOW THIS SOLUTION WORKS >
In an active shooter situation, your school teaches to run, hide, or fight. In any of these cases, Hardwire security products give students, faculty, and staff the confidence to defend themselves. And thus, turn the odds in their favor.
STEP TWO
TAKE ACTION >
Obtain talking points on how to advocate for active shooter protection with school leaders, elected officials, fellow parents, and community members.
STEP THREE
INTEGRATION >
A guide to assist you in implementing an emergency response shield protection system. For the full implementation scope, view our ERS School Training Manual and the ERS Public Facility Training Manual for comprehensive deployment instructions and community education tools.
about hardwire, llc
Hardwire is a leading developer and supplier of advanced armor systems for military, law enforcement,
homeland security, and public facility applications. The company has armored police vehicles for large cities and municipalities, covered miles of the nation’s critical bridges with armor, outfitted countless police officers with life-saving protection, and supplies the U.S. military with hard and soft body armor. Hardwire is located in Pocomoke City, Maryland. Learn more about us on our HISTORY page!
From SWAT to schools, Hardwire offers optimized armor protection. With government contracts from the FBI and SOCOM to U.S. Army and Marines, Hardwire's military-grade technology has been crafted into affordable school protection. These ballistic products, which can already be found in schools in every U.S. state, work with the Department of Homeland Security’s recommendation to “Run, Hide, Fight” and ALERRT’s “Avoid, Deny, Defend” protocol. These products empower students, faculty, and staff to defend themselves, buying critical time until first responders arrive, and ensuring that proper ballistic shield technology is already on site for law enforcement response. Similar to its tactical shield product line, Hardwire's Emergency Response Shield (ERS) comes in Level III+ (rifle) protection. The ERS steel option stops Green Tip rifle rounds.
"The Emergency Response Shield (ERS) is the fire extinguisher for gunfire and should be placed with other emergency tools for ease of access."-Hardwire CEO, George Tunis
ERS Testimonials
Hear from students and teachers how they feel about having the ERS in their schools after a year!