Understanding Your Rescue System

Understanding Your Rescue System

The Rescue system has four components that work together as a unified emergency communication infrastructure. Unlike systems that rely on your facility's Wi-Fi, Rescue uses LoRa (Long Range) radio — a private wireless protocol that works through walls and during network outages. Understanding what each piece does and how they connect will help your team use the system confidently from day one.

Rescue Cards — the wearable trigger

The Rescue Card is a slim badge worn on a lanyard or belt clip. It is what your staff carry every day. A single button triggers three different actions: one press for a Daily Test, three presses for a silent Level 1 alert to internal responders, and a press-and-hold for a full Level 2 emergency. Cards use LoRa radio to transmit — no Wi-Fi, no app, no unlocking a phone. Two CR2032 batteries power each Card for 12–18 months.

Rescue Repeaters — the mesh network

Repeaters plug into standard wall outlets via USB-C and form the backbone of your indoor coverage. Each Repeater does three things at once: it listens for and relays LoRa emergency signals from Cards toward the Base Station; it scans for Bluetooth signals from Cards to provide room-level location tracking on your live 3D map; and it flashes a high-visibility LED strobe array during active emergencies so staff throughout the building have visual confirmation that something is happening. Repeaters have an internal battery providing up to 48 hours of backup power during an outage.

Base Station — the hub and gateway

The Base Station is your facility's central hub. Wall-mounted and powered via PoE Ethernet, it receives emergency signals from the Repeater mesh and takes two simultaneous actions: it activates your facility's audible alarm and visual strobe lights, and it transmits the alert to the outside world — notifying designated responders via the Rescue Mobile app and, if configured, contacting 911 via RapidSOS. If your local network fails, the Base Station switches to cellular automatically. An internal battery keeps it running for several hours during a power outage.

The Rescue Dashboard — app.punchrescue.com

The dashboard is your administrative command center. Accessible from any browser, it gives you real-time visibility into every Card, Repeater, and Base Station in your facility — battery levels, online/offline status, heartbeat timestamps, and live locations on a 3D map. The dashboard is also where you manage users, configure emergency behavior, run system tests, and review emergency logs. Everything is self-managed — no vendor needed to make changes.

How the system works together

When a staff member presses their Card, the signal travels over LoRa radio to the nearest Repeater, which relays it through the mesh to the Base Station. The Base Station triggers on-site alarms and simultaneously sends the alert — with the Card's precise room-level location — to the Rescue Mobile app on every designated responder's phone. If 911 Alert is active, real-time location data is transmitted to dispatch at the same moment. The entire sequence from button press to notification takes seconds.

Think of it this way: the Card is the trigger, the Repeaters are the ears and the strobes, the Base Station is the voice and the gateway, and the dashboard is the brain.

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