With the new school year set to begin, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that New Jersey is using $6.5 million of federal aid to help collect and digitize school blueprints for first responders.

The American Rescue Plan funds will help the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the state police devise maps for about 1,500 schools public and private schools. The administration says an additional 1,500 schools already have such digital graphics available.

“We can’t just hope that a police officer or firefighter or an emergency medical professional rushing into a school knows where they are going,” Murphy said.

Officials say the maps are critical to help police and other responders react to emergencies in what could be unfamiliar environments.

“We can face further challenges when the school floor plans are outdated, inaccurate or inaccessible to first responders,” said Laurie Doran, director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security.

The governor says that an audit will need to be done to see which schools have not turned in renderings. He says it could take up to a year or more.