Exploring Life & Business with Ben Powers of 360 Life Safety

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Powers

Hi Ben, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
360 Life Safety began in 2013 with the mission of making school shootings a footnote in America’s history. We were born out of a frustration over proposed “solutions” following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. We developed our Rapid Response System™ to deter and mitigate Active Shooter Events. The Rapid Response System™ is patterned after the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program of armed commercial pilots. The FFDO program was instituted following the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and has deterred hijackings ever since. We believe our Rapid Response System™ will, likewise, deter Active Shooter Events in schools, as well as in businesses and Houses of Worship.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Our road has been far from smooth. It has been full of potholes and challenges. Fortunately, where God guides, God provides. So, we have overcome and are looking at a bright future.

Our Rapid Response System™ did not gain traction initially despite a strong endorsement from a SME, Lt Col Dave Grossman (who liked it so much that he became a partner). We believe this was due to the cost and because of academia’s reluctance to be trail blazers with innovative technology.

We pivoted. We developed and sold trauma aid kits, installed security film on glass doors and entrances, and provided medical and ASE training. We were growing in leaps and bounds. Then Covid hit and the school market collapsed.

We pivoted again. We sourced and sold personal protective gear, digital thermometers, disinfectant, etc., and made our own high quality hand sanitizer.

During this time, we decided to get back to our core mission and redesigned the Rapid Response System™ to be less costly and more easily adoptable by the academic community. And sales took off.

We are currently installed in several school districts and with business and residential customers.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about 360 Life Safety?
360 Life Safety is the only company that offers a gun safe that uses an iris scanner to gain access. This provides the highest level of security and can ensure that there can be absolutely no unauthorized access. Furthermore, one can be sure to be able to get access when under stress and do so quickly.

In this way, a School Resource Officer (SRO) can now have his long gun and plated vest inside the school (vs out in his cruiser), ultimately secured, yet rapidly available. He can end an ASE faster thereby saving more lives in less time.

Many of our customers replaced their existing safes with our smart safe when they learned of our advantages. (There are many more advantages, too numerous to go into detail here).

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I began my career as a Navy carrier pilot (A-7). I then became a commercial pilot for Delta Airline, where I was an FFDO (armed pilot program). I felt this program could be adapted to the school setting and deter ASEs in schools. This was the impetus for 360 Life Safety. I retired (early) from Delta to run 360 Life Safety full time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.360LifeSafety.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/360lifesafety/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/360LifeSafety/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@360lifesafety