Tag Archive for: APCO

Hamilton County/Chattanooga is 1st PSAP in Tennessee to Implement ASAP

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ASAP-Concept1DOn November 1, Hamilton County / Chattanooga, TN became the 30th 9-1-1 PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) in the United States and the 1st in Tennessee to implement the ASAP-to-PSAP service (ASAP®). Tennessee is the 11th state plus the District of Columbia now open for ASAP traffic.

ASAP, launched in 2011 as a public-private partnership, is designed to increase the accuracy and efficiency of calls for service from alarm companies to PSAPs. The ASAP service utilizes ANSI standard protocols developed cooperatively by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and The Monitoring Association (TMA).

“Implementation of the ASAP-to-PSAP [service] will help eliminate the potential for clerical errors, cut call volume to the 9-1-1 Center, and most importantly, reduces 9-1-1 call-processing times by as much as 2-3 minutes. This will help save lives, protect property, provide faster response times to in-progress events, and potentially help apprehend more criminals,” Hamilton County officials said.

Nashville-based ADS Security was the first alarm monitoring company to go live with Hamilton County. “The district is very appreciative of ADS Security’s support and work in helping us bring this new technology to our citizens,” said John Stuermer, executive director for Hamilton County Emergency Communications District.  “ADS demonstrated great leadership and commitment to providing the highest level of alarm service response to their customers.

Additional alarm companies quickly followed ADS. Vector Security and Rapid Response went live with Hamilton on November 2, and Vivint, Protection One, Monitronics, Guardian Protection, and Affiliated are scheduled to go live in the upcoming days, followed by ADT.

Read Hamilton County’s announcement

More information on ASAP

 

Loudoun County, VA Implements ASAP

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Technology Increases Accuracy and Reduces Response Times to Alarms   

Loudoun County became the twenty-ninth PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) in the United States and the second in the Washington, DC area to go live with the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP), a technology that allows alarm companies to transmit alarms to both the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and Loudoun County Fire and Rescue communications centers without making a phone call.

This week data from residential and business alarms can now be transmitted electronically, allowing dispatchers to process an alarm in a fraction of the time it would normally take to process an alarm via telephone from an alarm monitoring company. “This new system will eliminate call volume from alarm companies and transmit alarm information to our emergency communications center in three seconds,  ultimately reducing the response times of first responders,” said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman.

ASAP will not only improve the accuracy and the speed of emergency response times, but eliminate potential human error and miscommunication between 911 dispatchers and alarm monitoring company operators.  “In any emergency, response time and accuracy is critical,” said Chief Keith Brower with Loudoun County Fire and Rescue. “By directly transmitting the information all pertinent information goes directly to Loudoun’s first responders within seconds,” added Chief Brower.

Loudoun County went live with the ASAP program at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, October 10, with Vector Security. By the end of the day, Affiliated Monitoring, Rapid Response, and Protection One were live, with Guardian, Vivint, Monitronics and ADT expected to quickly follow.

ASAP was created in partnership with The Monitoring Association (and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO). Fore more information, visit ASAP. 

ASAP Recognition Grows at APCO 2017

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At this week’s APCO 2017 conference in Denver, The Monitoring Association (TMA) presented two opportunities for PSAPs to learn about ASAP’s winning formula for error reduction, cost containment and faster res2017 ASAP Pop Up Bannerponses to dispatch.

Dozens of PSAP representatives stopped at the TMA booth in the exhibit hall to discuss with TMA staff how the technology works and how it can be implemented.

About 75 conference registrants attended the special session “ASAP to the PSAP: A Win-Win for Public Safety and the Alarm Industry” on August 13. Subject matter expert Bill Hobgood, TMA Executive Director Jay Hauhn, and representatives from PSAPs in New York, Arizona and Washington, DC discussed how the program reduces 9-1-1 processing and response times to alarm events while eliminating telephone calls and miscommunication errors between monitoring centers and PSAPs.

ASAP progress and outreach efforts are seeing results. “What was different from our past appearances at APCO was that this year, there was a significant increase in PSAP personnel who had already heard about ASAP and had already taken steps to educate local decision-makers about its value,” said Hauhn. “We even had a number of PSAPs from states where ASAP is not yet implemented mention to us that they hoped to be the first in their state to do so!”

Jay and NENA Rob McMullen APCO 2017

TMA Executive Director Jay Hauhn, left, with NENA President Rob McMullen at the TMA ASAP booth at the 2017 APCO Conference in Denver, August 13-16.

 

TMA Will Spotlight ASAP at APCO Conference in Denver

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ASAP-Concept1DThe Monitoring Association (TMA), the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and Nlets are bringing the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) to municipalities around the country. PSAPs and alarm companies throughout the U.S. are seeing the value of ASAP’s winning formula for error reduction, cost containment and faster responses to dispatch.

At the upcoming APCO conference in Denver, PSAP representatives will have two opportunities to learn about ASAP:

  • TMA staff will be at Booth 527 in the exhibit hall sharing how the technology works and how the service is implemented.
  • A special session ” The Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP to the PSAP): A Win-Win for Public Safety and the Alarm Industry” (Sunday, August 13 at 1:30 PM in Convention Center 503/504) features subject matter expert Bill Hobgood, TMA Executive Director Jay Hauhn, and representatives from PSAPs in New York, Arizona and Washington, DC. Participants will see how the program reduces 9-1-1 processing and response times to alarm events while eliminating telephone calls, miscommunication errors, between alarm monitoring companies and 9-1-1 PSAPs.

PSAP representatives, don’t miss your chance to get informed about ASAP at the APCO conference in August! For advance information, visit www.tma.us/asap.

 

ASAP Goes Live in Manatee County, FL

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MASAP-Concept1Danatee County 9-1-1 recently became the 25th agency in the United States and second in Florida to adopt ASAP, the service that will save emergency responders precious moments when home alarms sound.

The Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) allows outside alarm monitoring companies such as Brinks and Vector to send information directly to call takers in the 9-1-1 Call Center, shaving up to three minutes from call processing time. Homes alarms for fires, medical emergencies, burglaries and more will now result in an emergency dispatch more quickly with fewer chances for errors, according to Manatee County Public Safety Director Robert Smith.

“Every second matters in an emergency, so it’s incredibly helpful when a new piece of technology can save on time,” Smith said. “I’m proud of our Emergency Communications team for keeping us moving forward to continually enhance our level of service.”

Half of all Manatee County property owners with emergency monitoring systems — an estimated 75,000 homes and businesses — will benefit from the new technology according to Manatee County Emergency Communications Chief Jake Saur. That number will grow to 75 percent of Manatee County homes and businesses with an alarm system when ADT Alarm Monitoring joins the new protocol.

Watch video of Manatee County’s Jake Saur discussing the benefits of ASAP.

“This new technology eliminates the need for alarm companies to physically dial into the Emergency Communications Center to relay alarm information,” Saur says. “They’ll now electronically send alarm info to the ECC, reducing call processing times and communication errors. We’ll also improve efficiency in dispatching first responders to the alarm.”

Not all Manatee County alarm monitoring companies are part of the new program but as the technology grows, Saur expects more monitoring stations to participate.

ASAP is a computer-aided dispatch system for processing information from alarm monitoring stations that require an emergency dispatch. It was designed by The Monitoring Association (TMA) and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO Int’l). For more information, visit www.tma.us/asap.

Media coverage: 

Fox 13: New system helps alarm companies communicate with 911
http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/265897784-story

Bradenton Herald: Changes at Manatee County 911 will save minutes in emergencies, officials say
http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/article159756704.html

News 10: Technology speeds up alarm calls to 911 by 2-3 minutes in Manatee Co.
http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/technology-speeds-up-alarm-calls-to-911-by-2-3-minutes/454436232

ABC 7: Faster response times to some Manatee County home alarms
http://www.mysuncoast.com/news/local/faster-reponse-times-to-some-manatee-county-home-alarms/article_80a29de4-61ba-11e7-a6a5-8b9f7a9fabf0.html

 

 

CSAA Brings ASAP Message to PSAPs at APCO 2016

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Interest in ASAP was high at last week’s APCO 82nd Annual Conference & Expo in Orlando. ASAP Subject Matter Expert Bill Hobgood and CSAA staff spoke with many interested PSAP representatives at the ASAP booth in the exhibit hall.

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Bill Hobgood gives PSAP representatives from Kentucky an overview of ASAP.


CSAA also hosted a session called “ASAP: A Win-Win No-Brainer for Public Safety and the Alarm Industry.” Hobgood, Boca Raton PSAP IT Manager Cindy Cevallos, CSAA Executive Director Jay Hauhn, and Duff Wheeler, representing Houston’s Emergency Center, described the agencies that participate in the program, projected implementation outcomes, and showed a live demo with alarm signals from Vector Security. Participants were able to see how the program reduces 9-1-1 processing and response times to alarm events while eliminating telephone calls and miscommunication errors between alarm monitoring companies and 9-1-1 PSAPs.

“The ASAP-to-PSAP educational session on the last day of the conference was well-attended with approximately 40 individuals,” reported Hobgood.”The attendees asked some very good questions at the end of the session. Aside from the excellent testimonials from the presenter panel, the session concluded with a live demo between Vector Security and the City of Richmond which could not have gone better. I am sure that the ASAP program will reap additional interest from the PSAPs as a result of this session.”

The Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) is a national service that is the next generation for the processing of information from alarm monitoring stations needing emergency dispatch. This protocol was founded through the joint partnership of APCO, CSAA and Nlets. “CSAA would like to thank APCO, and Executive Director Derrick Poarch, for sponsoring the ASAP booth special session at the 2016 conference,” said CSAA’s Hauhn. “The event was a great opportunity to bring the ASAP message directly to people we need to reach at PSAPs around the country.”

Alarm companies can find frequent updates on ASAP on this blog, in CSAA Signals, in CSAA Dispatch, and on the CSAA Website.

ASAP’s Summer Sizzle

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It’s the middle of summer, and there’s a heatwave parked over the USA. ASAP is heating up, too!

On July 13, CSAA President Pam Petrow announced that Delaware County, Ohio went live that morning with ASAP. “This is the first PSAP in Ohio to introduce AASAP-Concept1DSAP, and we are looking forward to building our coverage in the state,” she said. “The pace that we are adding PSAPs continues to increase. Thanks for everyone that has been working behind the scenes to make this happen.”

Meanwhile, also on July 13, the IT manager at Florida’s first connected PSAP was featured in a local TV interview about ASAP. Cindy Cevallos of Boca Raton (where it reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday) appears in the segment on home safety systems in the area. “Faster response times, greater likelihood of law enforcement apprehension; everyone wins here,” Cevallos explained when asked about Boca’s recent implementation of ASAP.

Speaking of heat, hot off the presses is APCO’s August magazine, Public Safety Communications, and it features an extensive update on ASAP by Subject Matter Expert Bill Hobgood called “ASAP to the PSAP: ADT Answered the Call, Now Where’s Tyco?” Hobgood reports on the impressive cost savings the city of Houston is reporting following the implementation of ASAP and the connection of ADT in December last year, as well as other positive developments around the nation. (And he answers the question about Tyco!)

Just to keep the heat theme going … how about Orlando in August? That’s right, next month, ASAP will be featured at APCO’s 82nd Annual Conference & Expo. (APCO, CSAA, and Nlets collaborate to bring ASAP to municipalities around the country.) In orlando, participants will have two opportunities to learn about ASAP:

  • CSAA will have a booth (#665) in the exhibit hall where attendees can meet ASAP users and view demos of how the technology works — and how to implement the service.
  • A special session called “ASAP: A Win-Win No-Brainer for Public Safety and the Alarm Industry” is on the conference schedule for Wednesday, August 17. Hobgood, Boca Raton’s Cevallos, CSAA Executive Director Jay Hauhn, and Duff Wheeler, representing Houston’s Emergency Center, will describe the agencies that participate in the program, project implementation outcomes, and show a demo. Participants will see how the program reduces 9-1-1 processing and response times to alarm events while eliminating telephone calls, miscommunication errors , between alarm monitoring companies and 9-1-1 PSAPs.

 

Now used by more than 20 PSAPs and with dozens more in the pipeline, ASAP is surging as PSAPs and alarm companies recognize the value of its winning formula for error reduction, cost containment and faster responses to dispatch.

Find out more at www.csaaintl.org/asap .

–Reported by Elizabeth Lasko, CSAA, July 14, 2016

 

CSAA Talks ASAP at APCO’s Emerging Technology Conference

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Becky Lane portrait 1 retouched

CSAA’s Becky Lane

ASAP activity continues across the country. On March 16 and 17, CSAA Vice President of Membership Becky Lane presented two sessions on the service at the Association of Public Communications Officials (APCO) Emerging Technology Conference in Kansas City, MO.

Lane’s first session was a “Tech Talk” program overview for law enforcement and 9-1-1 communicators. Her second, more in-depth session was tailored to PSAP directors and 911 Communications Coordinators, and included details on the service. At this session, several representatives of  those in attendance discussed  the process of becoming connected and  shared their experiences.

ASAP was launched in 2011 as a public-private partnership, designed to increase the efficiency and reliability of emergency electronic signals from central station alarm companies to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). ASAP utilizes ANSI standard protocols developed cooperatively by APCO and CSAA. With ASAP, critical life safety signals and accurate information is processed more quickly, through the Nlets system of state-to-state PSAP communication, insuring that complete and accurate information is transmitted to the PSAP every time. The ASAP program has the potential to save PSAPs and emergency services millions of dollars.

ASAP-Concept1D“The ASAP service would not be possible without the relationships shared by APCO, CSAA, INLETS, and other respected Associations,” said Lane. “It is because of these relationships and belief in vision and steadfast commitment that the ASAP service is a reality. We are very appreciative of APCO’s invitation to attend these very important meetings.”

For more information about ASAP, contact asap@csaaintl.org or Becky Lane at 703-242-4670 x 18.

ADT is Live with ASAP®

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Automated Secure Alarm Protocol Now Available to PSAPs around the Country

VIENNA, VA (August 27, 2015) — ADT Security Services, ranked as the largest central station in the nation,  went live with ASAP® in the city of Richmond, VA on August 25. The news was met with cheers from security industry leaders who noted that it will cause a surge in the availability of the ASAP program to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) around the country.

ASAP-Concept1D“Having ADT go live is a milestone for the ASAP program,” said CSAA President Pamela J. Petrow, CEO of Vector Security. “With the size of their account base, ADT’s utilization of ASAP brings instant benefits to most PSAPs.  This is critical because it allows the PSAP to better position the deployment of ASAP among their many initiatives.”

ASAP was launched in 2011 as a public-private partnership, designed to increase the efficiency and reliability of emergency electronic signals from central station alarm companies to PSAPs. ASAP utilizes ANSI standard protocols developed cooperatively by the Association of Public Communications Officials (APCO) and the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA).

With ASAP, critical life safety signals and accurate information is processed in seconds, not minutes, through the Nlets system of state-to-state PSAP communication, insuring that complete and accurate information is transmitted to the PSAP every time. The ASAP program has the potential to save PSAPs and emergency services millions of dollars.

“ADT’s implementation of ASAP is a win-win for ADT, the ASAP project, and the City of Richmond,” said Bill Hobgood, Project Manager, Public Safety Team Department of Information Technology City of Richmond, Virginia. “ADT will experience first-hand the benefits of using the ASAP program that so many other alarm central stations have experienced. This is the ASAP project’s biggest achievement yet. The city of Richmond’s Emergency Communications staff are thrilled about ADT joining the program and anxious for more alarm companies to follow.”

“ADT has supported ASAP thoroughly since its inception, and now that they are connecting, PSAPs throughout the country will take notice,” said Jay Hauhn, CSAA Executive Director. “With Protection One on line and other nationals at the doorstep, 2016 will be a great year for ASAP.”

In the August 2015 issue of APCO’s Public Safety Magazine (PSC), David Cutler, director of the Houston Emergency Center (HEC), reported savings of nearly $400,000 annually from reduced call volume following ASAP implementation. “These dollars were re-purposed within the department to expand training, supervisory and administrative positions,” Cutler said. He estimated that Houston will eventually achieve a 30% reduction in call volume as more alarm companies come on board with ASAP, for a savings of $1 million.

Also in PSC, Hobgood stated that “… all PSAPs currently using ASAP should experience a significant reduction in 10-digit call volume once ADT goes live with each agency. Those PSAPs will experience the luxury of having ADT’s alarm notifications delivered efficiently and accurately via the ASAP program. ADT monitors more than 6 million alarm systems, so the announcement is likely to [prompt] other alarm companies to step up and participate in the ASAP program as well.“

For more information on ASAP or to access ASAP resources (videos, webinars, training and outreach materials), contact CSAA at asap@csaaintl.org or 703-242-4670, or visit csaaintl.org/asap.

About CSAA International

The Central Station Alarm Association International (CSAA) is an internationally-recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies that are listed by a CSAA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, such as FM Approvals, Intertek/ETL or UL. CSAA is legally entitled to represent its members before Congress and regulatory agencies on the local, state and federal levels, and other authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) over the industry. Since its incorporation in 1950, CSAA has served its members’ interests through education, online training, meetings and conventions, certification, insurance, and industry standards. www.csaaintl.org. For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at CSAA, 703-242-4670 x 16.