NMC Team Member – 500th Graduate of AVS-01 Monitoring Center Operator Training

NMC’s Josh Olsen is the 500th professional to graduate from TMA’s Monitoring Center Operator AVS-01 Online Training! The training, which launched in July of this year, is an interactive three-module course. Developed primarily for monitoring center operators and delivered online, the dynamic course provides a comprehensive introduction to the AVS-01 Standard; illustrates the Standard’s measurable alarm level classifications; demonstrates the call handling process; and explains the importance of public safety and law enforcement engagement.

Olsen shared NMC has successfully implemented the AVS-01 standard and expressed his appreciation for the course’s design and methodology, commenting, “I believe I learned something new and useful as we move forward with streamlining and perfecting the way we communicate and respond to those in need.”

Congratulations, Josh!

For more information about the AVS-01 training course and to enroll, please visit TMATraining.net.

Important Industry Update – New Threat of Verified Response

We are seeing a sudden uptick in public safety agencies considering or implementing verified response policies. Seattle, Washington recently implemented this policy with virtually no warning to its citizens or our industry. We know that other cities have also been considering these policies which are detrimental to our ability to protect and service our customers.

The Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) is working directly with local and state alarm associations to combat these efforts providing expertise and background information that has convinced hundreds of agencies to avoid verified response in favor of the model alarm ordinance that reduces false alarms and continues police response to alarms.

SIAC also continues to work directly with the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriff’s Association to promote the model alarm ordinance and best practices in alarm management.

The cost of fighting verified response on a local level can cost thousands of dollars in legal fees, lobbying costs and time investment. SIAC’s dual role of promoting the model alarm ordinance and helping communities oppose verified response is more important than ever.

SIAC needs your financial support to continue this vital mission.

Donate to SIAC:

  • By paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate
  • By check: Go to https://siacinc.org/donate/ for more details on donating by check

Everon receives 2024 HIRE Vets Gold Medallion Award from the U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su recognized Everon as one of the 839 recipients of the 2024 HIRE Vets Medallion Award during a virtual award ceremony presented by the U.S. Department of Labor. Everon earned the gold award after applying earlier this year. The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) Medallion Program is the only federal award program that recognizes employers who successfully recruit, hire, and retain veterans.

“We’re extremely passionate about being a military-effective organization and showing our nation’s former servicemembers a long-term path to success as they reenter civilian life,” said Mike McWilliams, President & Chief Operating Officer for Everon. “Given their unique set of technical skills, a call to serve others, and valuable leadership experience, former military servicemembers are some of the best professionals in the security industry. We’re proud of all the veterans who’ve joined us at Everon and whose drive for excellence matches our own.”

In an effort to foster an environment that would attract former servicemembers to a civilian career in the security industry, Everon has championed a number of veteran integration assistance programs to ensure the inclusion and success of military employees within the organization. This includes dedicated mentorship and peer-to-peer communications channels, the opportunity to participate in service projects that benefit nonprofit organizations whose missions support veteran and military member communities, and inclusive company events to honor service members and their families.

“Our goal is to create a sense of community and connection among veterans and military servicemembers at Everon that opens them up to opportunities for sustainable career growth and development,” McWilliams continued. “We’re so proud of what this award means and the impact it shows we can have in transforming the security workforce.”

Everon joins 838 other companies from 49 states, plus the District of Columbia, who have shown a commitment to hiring veterans but also ensuring that they have a long-term career and growth plan that uses the diverse skills they acquired through their military service.

Recipients of the 2024 HIRE Vets Medallion Award meet rigorous employment and veteran integration assistance criteria, including veteran hiring and retention percentages, availability of veteran-specific resources, leadership programming for veterans, dedicated human resource efforts, and pay compensation and tuition assistance programs for veterans. More than 1,600 employers have earned a HIRE Vets Medallion Award since 2019.

The New DICE Revolutionizes Video Monitoring with Cost-Effective Cloud Solution

Dice Corporation, a pioneer in alarm and video event management, announced a groundbreaking change to its pricing model for its interactive Video platform.

By eliminating per-camera charges and offering free camera connections, Dice is significantly reducing the cost of entry for alarm and video monitoring centers seeking to leverage cloud-based solutions.

This innovative approach takes advantage of DICE’s extensive infrastructure and expertise in developing integrated GPU farms. By optimizing cloud-based video monitoring, Dice is aligning the costs of video surveillance with traditional alarm monitoring, making it more accessible and affordable for businesses of all sizes.

“Our UL and ULC infrastructure as well as our North American carrier operations at IPtelX provide us with a substantial competitive advantage,” said Cliff Dice, President and CEO of DICE Corporation. “By owning the software, data centers, and fiber network, we can offer video monitoring centers and traditional alarm centers significant cost savings. Our new pricing model further empowers businesses to adopt video monitoring solutions, as they can now focus on subscriber-based revenue rather than per-camera costs. We believe this will greatly accelerate the adoption of video monitoring within the alarm and guarding industries.”

DICE’s advanced AI-powered solutions are designed to streamline operations and reduce reliance on human intervention. By automating many aspects of video monitoring, Dice is driving down costs and improving efficiency.

For more information on DICE Corporation, visit www.dicecorp.com or call 989-891-2800.

The IACP Ratifies Resolution for ANSI/TMA-AVS-01 2023 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard

The executive committee of The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the world’s largest and most influential professional association for police leaders, ratified a resolution encouraging PSAP/ECC operations by law enforcement agencies to use The Monitoring Association’s (TMA) ANSI/TMA-AVS-01 2023 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard. The resolution was prepared and submitted to the IACP’s Private Sector Liaison Sector by Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) and Partnership for Priority Verified Alarm Response (PPVAR). The resolution was ratified in late October at the IACP’s Annual Meeting in Boston.

As written in the final, approved resolution, “WHEREAS, IACP recognizes the need to focus on the credibility of alarms received by law enforcement/first responder call centers from alarm companies and private entities through the establishment of defined threat levels as contained in AVS-01, will allow for agencies to deploy limited resources efficiently and communicate situational information to responding officers for greater officer/community safety…”

“The AVS-01 standard introduces ground-breaking methodology developed to assist public safety departments with their alarm response policies and to increase law enforcement safety,” states TMA Standards Committee Chair Morgan Hertel. It provides a standardized method for calculating an alarm score, or classification level, that results in a repeatable metric that estimates the validity or potential threat level of a burglar alarm activation using historical and real-time data. The alarm scoring assists law enforcement with resource allocation and Call for Service prioritization.

Stan Martin, executive director, SIAC, commented, “I am thrilled that SIAC successfully facilitated the approval of this resolution. This accomplishment highlights the strong trust and respect we have cultivated with the IACP leadership throughout the years.”

Learn more about the AVS-01 standard online at https://tma.us/standards/tma-avs-01-alarm-validation-standard/.
Read the full text of the resolution HERE.

ESA – TMA 10/18/24 AVS-01 Webinar Available to Stream

On Oct. 18th, ESA hosted “Selling and Installing for Escalated Response – The Benefits of Selling AVS-01.” TMA-AVS-01 (Alarm Validation Scoring Standard), a new TMA Standard, the defines how monitoring centers and 911 ECCs will communicate the alarm level of burglary signals during the dispatch process with the goal to increase the safety of first responders and drive escalated response to the highest priority alarms. This webinar explored the current state of this impactful standard and what the future holds for sales and installation companies.

SPEAKERS:

  • Jeremy Bates, Bates Security
  • Steve Butkovich, TMA President, CPI Security
  • Chris Denniston, Rapid Response Monitoring
  • Morgan Hertel, Rapid Response Monitoring
  • David Holl, Lower Allen Township (PA)

Stream the 10/18/24 presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP9a9NEC20s&t=4s