Courts and Crime
Monday, June 23, 2014
Summit County companies are making school safety device
The Bearacade is being produced by a cooperative of Twinsburg, Akron and Hudson firms
by WKSU's KABIR BHATIA |
Reporter
Kabir Bhatia | | |
 | | The Bearacade is a slotted plastic device that’s meant to slide around the base of a door, preventing anyone from getting in during an active shooter situation | | Courtesy of K. Bhatia |
A group of Summit County companies is turning out a mechanism to quickly secure doors in an emergency, and one of the first customers is the Mentor public schools.
The Bearacade is a slotted plastic device that’s meant to slide around the base of a door in seconds, and is then held in place with a metal pin. Co-inventor Bill Cushwa says that prevents anyone from getting into a classroom during an active-shooter situation. But it can also be removed quickly to conform to fire codes. |
Summit County companies making school safety deviceOther options:  MP3 Download (0:09)
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“We tried to take the input of fire, police, EMS and school administrators. The fire guys were very concerned about egress.”
Design Molded Plastics of Twinsburg is manufacturing the Bearacade and parts are being assembled in Akron by Hattie Larlham workers.
Cushwa’s Hudson-based company has applied for patents, which he expects to be approved by the end of the year. Mentor is the first Northeast Ohio district to buy the Bearacade. The school system will have 500 in place starting this fall. |
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