The Rescue Card is a slim, lanyard-style panic button worn by staff every day. It is designed for anyone who needs a fast, reliable way to call for help; front desk staff, childcare workers, teachers, administrators, or anyone else in your facility who works outside of an aquatic environment.
Cards run on the same LoRa radio network as Rescue Rafts and are managed from the same dashboard at app.punchrescue.com. No separate system, no separate app, no additional IT configuration beyond what your Repeaters and Alert Station already require.
What the Card does
A Rescue Card has one button with three distinct actions — a short press, a triple press, and a long press. What each action triggers is fully configured per organization. Depending on your setup, pressing the button can silently notify a small group of responders, activate facility-wide alarms, contact 911, or simply confirm the device is online and in range.
When an alert is triggered, the Card's LED flashes to confirm the action was received, the signal travels through the Repeater mesh to the Alert Station, and the appropriate response activates — notifications, alarms, strobe lights, and 911 dispatch, depending on your configuration.
What makes Cards different from Rafts
Cards are assigned to specific named staff members. When a Card triggers an emergency, responders and 911 dispatch know exactly who pressed it and where they are located in the building. This is a meaningful difference from Rafts, which are not assigned to individuals.
Hardware overview
- Slim, lanyard-style form factor — worn around the neck or on a belt clip
- Single button with three distinct press patterns
- Powered by two CR2032 coin-cell batteries — approximately 12 months of battery life
- No charging required — battery swap only
- Communicates over LoRa radio for emergency signals; BLE for location tracking
- LED on the front of the device; colors correspond to configured emergency categories
- Works indoors and outdoors wherever Repeater signal reaches
- Firmware updated Over-the-Air (OTA) for improvements and bug fixes
Related Articles
Understanding Your Card's LED Feedback
Card LEDs illuminate after a button press to confirm the action was received by the network. The color that flashes corresponds to the emergency category that action is mapped to. Because categories and their display colors are configured per ...
Troubleshooting Your Rescue Cards
This article covers offline status, failed tests, unexpected button behavior, LED issues, location tracking, and hardware failures. Card shows Offline in the dashboard Start with the battery. A depleted or incorrectly installed battery is the most ...
Assigning Cards to Staff
Every Card must be assigned to a specific named staff member before it is distributed. An unassigned Card that triggers an emergency cannot tell responders who pressed it or provide accurate location data. Never distribute a Card without completing ...
How Button Actions & Alert Levels Work
Rescue Cards have one button with three distinct press patterns. What each pattern does — which alert is triggered, who gets notified, and whether 911 is contacted — is configured per organization in the dashboard. There are no universal defaults ...
Power & Battery Maintenance
Rescue Cards run on two CR2032 coin-cell batteries — the same small round batteries used in key fobs and watches. No charging station, no dock, no scheduled power routine. Battery life A fresh pair of CR2032 batteries powers a Card for approximately ...