Pine Crest School alumnus Rees Gillespie ’09 recently launched Ripple Safety, a 24/7, nationwide personal safety service that can be activated by a wearable device the size of a dime. The service keeps you safe anytime, anywhere in the United States for just $10/month.
“Ripple Safety is the personal safety service and device for the modern world,” said Rees.
After Rees graduated from college and moved back home, his mother became a realtor.
“My mother did not expect to feel as uncomfortable as she did walking into a house with a stranger for a showing,” said Rees. “She would ask me to call her after 20 minutes, and if she did not answer, I would wonder ‘how long do I wait to call the police?’ Then, I thought of all of the things she would have to do if something was wrong: get to her purse, unlock her phone and dial 9-1-1, while at the same time trying to defend herself – I realized she had no time for that.”
Simultaneously, Rees’ youngest sister, Kiernan ’15 graduated from Pine Crest and was headed off to college.
“I knew she would be in a new environment without an established network of friends to rely on,” he said. “Who would she turn to if she needed help?”
This is when Ripple Safety was conceived. Rees saw the service as a turnaround from creating just a panic button to creating a 24/7 security resource, keeping users safe whether they simply felt uncomfortable walking to their car at night, or had a life-threatening emergency and only moments to act. The device is water resistant and never needs to be charged. It lasts for six months, and then users are automatically sent a new one in the mail before the original expires.
“You connect the wearable device to your cell phone through Bluetooth,” said Rees. “Customize your preferences and personal profile in the Ripple Safety mobile app, including physical characteristics and medical information. The system connects to the 24/7 Ripple monitoring team and allows them to send help anywhere you are in the country.”
The wearable device is shaped like a locket and has two levels of alerting. If you push it once, you immediately receive a phone call from the Ripple monitoring team. “This feature is ideal for crossing a dark area of campus or uncomfortable walk home after a night out. A Ripple team member will remain on the phone with you until you feel safe.”
If you have a genuine emergency, press the device three or more times. “Your alert, profile, and location are instantly transmitted to the Ripple monitoring team, and they can immediately dispatch emergency resources, relaying your location and critical profile information to first responders in seconds, getting you the help you need without requiring you to say a single word.”
Speaking about his time as a student at Pine Crest, Rees said that he learned the importance of being a good person and admires those that led by example.
“Karl Nitowski, Coach Hopp, Andrew Schwartz, and David Clark are a few people who showed me the value of doing the right thing when no one is watching,” he said. “I see how important that was and it has steered me down the right path. The character of the teachers and administrators taught me about my character. How they spoke and interacted with us — they were great examples of how you should carry yourself. These moments and the lifelong friendships I’ve made are what sticks with me the most about being a student at Pine Crest. I am proud of my Pine Crest roots.”
Ripple Safety was founded in early 2015 and launched on the Home Shopping Network in September 2017. Through a series of fundraisings, the company has rolled out the system onto their first college campus, been activated by users in nearly every state and recently launched on Amazon. Rees says the company has big plans for the future and is gearing up for a nationwide launch with one of the country’s largest retailers.
“We are currently in discussions with more colleges and hotels, and are in the process of creating a line of jewelry featuring the wearable device,” said Rees.
Rees is also proud to announce that his sister, Sky Gillespie ’12, has joined the Ripple Safety team.
To learn more about Ripple Safety or to get in contact with Rees, visit ripplesafety.com.