Paradise Valley, AZ to Enforce Call Verification – June 1

The Town of Paradise Valley Alarm Ordinance has supported enhanced call verification for years but we were not enforcing it. We have recently put more of a focus on false alarm reduction and to support this will be requiring ECV prior to alarm companies notifying our dispatchers. We are hoping to have compliance as soon as possible with an expected enforcement date of June 1st, 2019. Our Police Officers take a tremendous amount of pride in the service they are able to provide to our community and we hope that this added level of verification will not only help them continue to provide a rapid response time to residents but also help residents avoid incurring false alarm fines.

 

For detailed information, email AlarmOpsTeam@paradisevalleyaz.gov or go to the Alarm Monitoring page on the Town of Paradise Valley website https://paradisevalleyaz.gov/421/Alarm-Monitoring.

BILL ACTION ALERT

The Texas Legislation is trying to pass a bill that will require populations under 5000 within the state to self-monitor or be monitored by a larger communications facility.  The False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA) is working in partnership with the Texas Burglary and Fire Alarm Association (TBFAA) to try and dissuade the mayor that is spearheading this bill.

To be successful, FARA and TBFAA seek to demonstrate that alarm systems do much more than report alarm signals. TMA had been asked to assist with this effort.

VIEW THE BILL – HB538

Data from alarm dealers and monitoring centers that clearly documents and quantifies the full scope of monitoring services provided to their customers is needed. Services beyond alarm signals may include, but are not limited to:

  • Troubles
  • Supervisory
  • Low Battery
  • Signals

Please send the requested data to:

Brad Shipp
Director
False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA)
Email: bradshipp@4yoursolution.com
Tel: +1.301.519.9237

TMA to Support Alarm Companies Participation in FirstNet

The Monitoring Association (TMA) and AT&T have agreed to collaborate on the verification of eligibility process that will facilitate qualified alarm companies to use FirstNet services to provide an enhanced communications experience, all in the support of the public safety mission.

FirstNet is the dedicated public safety nationwide wireless broadband network, built and deployed through a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership between the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) and AT&T.

Since the inception of FirstNet, TMA, through the Alarm Industry Communications Committee (AICC), has been working to support the public safety mission through standards based access to this nationwide public safety broadband cellular network.

In order to uphold the FirstNet public safety mission, FirstNet eligibility will be limited to those alarm companies who meet accepted industry standards for transmitting public-safety related alarms (e.g., robbery, burglary, unlawful intrusion, fire, emergency medical) to an alarm monitoring facility that confirms and verifies the authenticity of the alarm and notifies a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for relay to a public safety agency for the purpose of initiating an emergency response.

The transmission of verified public safety related alarms using FirstNet services helps first responders to quickly be aware of an event requiring their response to prevent the loss of life and property.

Companies interested in using the FirstNet communications platform for alarm transport will apply to TMA for a Certificate of Verification indicating that they follow recognized industry standards including the ANSI/CSAA CS-V-01 Standard (Alarm Confirmation, Verification and Notification Procedures) which is designed to minimize false alarms. The alarm company would then present the TMA Certificate of Verification to AT&T as part of the process to assess eligibility to operate on the FirstNet communications platform as an extended primary user in support of public safety.

“I am very pleased to announce that TMA will be assisting in the approval process for security alarm companies to transmit signals over FirstNet,” said TMA President Ivan Spector. “This is a great step in helping critical monitored conditions be securely sent to first responders on a segregated network platform that is dedicated for the purpose of public safety when they need it.”

“It has been my sincere pleasure to work since the inception of FirstNet with the public safety community,” said Lou Fiore, chairman of AICC and past president of TMA. “We see this as an important step in support of our public safety partners – one that we have been working toward for many years to ensure more secure communication of alarms from our customers through our central stations to the responding authorities.”

“Adding emergency alarm alerts to the FirstNet ecosystem brings an extra layer of support to public safety. This helps first responders get the critical information they need to quickly respond to an alarm-initiated incident. But as public safety’s network, it’s vital that any communication allowed to transmit across the FirstNet communications ecosystem is in fact integral to the public safety response,” said Chris Sambar, senior vice president of FirstNet, AT&T. “By working with TMA as part of the rigorous eligibility process, we can make sure that the alarm communications brought to FirstNet are relevant to and align with the public safety mission and truly serve on the frontlines of notification should a public safety incident occur.”

For more information, please contact TMA Executive Director Celia Besore at 703-242-4913 or at cbesore@tma.us.

TMA Intoduces New False Alarm Reduction Program

TMA and the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) are pleased to announce the availability of a newly-created false alarm course developed to help TMA member companies educate customers on how to use alarm systems responsibly.

Studies have shown that alarm user error is the main cause of false alarms, rather than equipment failure. The bottom line is false alarms cost you, your customers, and your community money and resources. Once customers are comfortable with their alarm systems, they will avoid false alarms and maximize their security investment.

This course will review how alarm systems work and what you can do to avoid mistakes that cause false alarms.

By avoiding false alarms, customers will be able to get the most out of their alarm systems and not worry about fines or suspension of services.  Customers can rest easy knowing that when unexpected emergencies occur, their alarm company is there to respond to any alarms generated from their systems.

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