S.A.F.E.R. Program


Situational Awareness for Emergency Response (S.A.F.E.R.) is an innovative partnership with the City of Frisco that gives police, firefighters and emergency responders live access to cameras inside and outside all Frisco ISD schools, including those in Plano, McKinney and Little Elm.

Should an emergency occur, first responders have immediate access to campus floor plans, photos, contact information and much more from inside their squad cars, fire trucks and ambulances. This knowledge would be critical in an actual emergency, giving personnel the ability to plan and prepare in real time, identify the best way to address the situation and minimize any damage.

Before the S.A.F.E.R. program, first responders relied on paper maps, lists and documents. Now they simply pull up a software program on mobile data computers.

To help coordinate prevention and response activities, the Frisco fire and police departments also participate in an annual S.A.F.E.R. drill on each campus. The drill is held in addition to other school safety drills and allows first responders and school staff to work together to improve communication, ensure everyone understands the process, etc.

The award-winning S.A.F.E.R. program launched in 2009, after the City of Frisco’s Information Technology Services (ITS) Department spent a year on research, data integration and development of the software. Frisco ISD invested an initial $400,000 to help get the project off the ground, while City employees spent significant man-hours preparing, training and updating the program. The District allocates additional funds each year for maintenance.

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Shattered Dreams

Shattered Dreams is a two-day program designed to educate students about the dangers of underage drinking and the severe consequences that can result from impaired driving. Statistics show three-fourths of students consume alcohol by the end of high school. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States.

The program is coordinated by the Frisco Police Department’s School Resource Officer Unit with the support of the Frisco Fire Department and Frisco ISD. It is held each year in advance of student celebrations such as prom and graduation.

Students volunteer to be selected to re-enact the injuries and deaths that result from a fictitious car accident. For two days, the selected high school staff and student body carries on with lessons punctuated with the reading of obituaries, the rescue at the accident scene, seeing classmates who are “living dead” sitting in their desks made up to look like corpses and eventually attending a dramatized funeral.  

Other Initiatives

  • Frisco ISD and local police departments share costs associated with staffing school resource officers and crossing guards

  • Monthly meetings bring together leaders from Frisco ISD, Frisco Police Department, Frisco Fire Department and City of Frisco traffic engineers to discuss safety issues

  • Frisco ISD offers free lunch to area law enforcement in an effort to increase police presence and visibility in schools

  • Frisco Fire Department’s Safety Town teaches elementary students about severe weather, fire prevention, bike safety and much more

  • School resource officers lead a drug and alcohol prevention program in sixth grade

  • Many schools partner with the PTA to offer WATCH D.O.G.S., a program that invites fathers and father figures to volunteer all day at their child’s school