Tag Archive for: ASAP

Rochester/Monroe County’s Merklinger Recognized for Efforts to Advance ASAP in New York State

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John M. Merklinger, Director of the Rochester/Monroe County 911 Center and 311 Call Center, was awarded The Monitoring Association’s 2017 Public Sector Award at the 2017 Electronic Security Expo (ESX) Public Safety Luncheon on Friday, June 16, at Music City Center in Nashville. This special honor is given by TMA in recognition of a public sector individual’s contribution to the alarm industry. TMA Executive Director Jay Hauhn presented the award.

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From left: Jay Hauhn, John Merklinger

“New York State was projected to be one of the last states to implement ASAP due to the states unique IT infrastructure,” said Hauhn. “Merklinger, who understood the value ASAP would bring to his center, spearheaded an effort by New York PSAPs to work with the state police to have the needed changes to the state CJIS network funded, scheduled and successfully completed.”

Read more about John Merklinger’s efforts on behalf of the ASAP program.

Rochester/Monroe County, NY’s John Merklinger is Recipient of 2017 TMA Public Sector Award

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TMA-Public-Sector-AwardJohn M. Merklinger, Director of the Rochester/Monroe County 911 Center and 311 Call Center, is the recipient of The Monitoring Association’s 2017 Public Sector Award. This special honor is given by TMA in recognition of a public sector individual’s contribution to the alarm industry. He will be presented with the award at the 2017 Electronic Security Expo (ESX) Public Sector Luncheon on Friday, June 16, at Music City Center in Nashville.

“It is our pleasure to recognize John for his tireless efforts to advance the implementation of ASAP – the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol – in New York State,” said TMA President Pamela J. Petrow. ASAP is a technology that automates communication between alarm monitoring central stations and 911 centers, resulting in improved accuracy and speed of emergency response.

The award recipient must be nominated by one or more TMA members in good standing. TMA President Petrow and Past President (and current Executive Director) Jay Hauhn put Merklinger’s name forward for consideration.

“New York State was projected to be one of the last states to implement ASAP due to the states unique IT infrastructure,” said Hauhn. “Merklinger, who understood the value ASAP would bring to his center, spearheaded an effort by New York PSAPs to work with the state police to have the needed changes to the state CJIS network funded, scheduled and successfully completed.”

As Director of the Rochester/Monroe County 911 Center and 311 Call Center, Merklinger manages a staff of 246 dedicated employees and an annual budget of $17.6 million at the 911 Center. The 911 Center handled nearly 1.3 million calls in 2016 (the 311 call center handled 484,844 calls in 2016). The Center is accredited by CALEA and the NYS J Merklinger PhotoSheriffs’ Association.

Merklinger has an extensive Public Safety background as a paramedic, volunteer firefighter, and employee at the Monroe County 911 Center for the last 30 years. He has three A.A.S degrees from Monroe Community College in Public Safety Communications, Criminal Justice and Paramedicine. He also has a B.S degree in Organizational Management and a M.S degree in Management from Robert’s Wesleyan College.  A past Fire Chief, he is a life member of Gates Volunteer Ambulance since 1980 and a life member of the Gates Fire Department since 1991. He is past-president of the NYS NENA Chapter and currently serves as President of the NYS 911 Coordinators Association. Merklinger was appointed by Governor Cuomo to the NYS 911 board in 2011 and remains a member of the board.

“We are proud to be the first PSAP in NYS to go live with the ASAP protocol,” said Merklinger.  “We believe this will be a benefit to the public and the public safety organizations by providing quicker entry and response to alarm generated emergencies.”

The ASAP program is based on an American National Standard developed jointly by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and TMA, then the Central ASAP-Concept1DStation Alarm Association (CSAA). The program provides a standardized method through the use of automation and the power of Nlets to deliver alarm notifications to 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points. As a result, there is an increase in the likelihood of increased law enforcement apprehensions for crimes in-progress, fire quickly extinguished with minimal property damage, and could mean a life-saver for a medical emergency patient when every second counts.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at TMA, 703-242-4670 or elasko@tma.us.

 

About The Monitoring Association
The Monitoring Association (TMA), formerly the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), is an internationally-recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies, including those listed by a TMA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, such as FM Global, Intertek/ETL or UL. Incorporated in 1950, TMA 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. TMA’s mission is to advance the professional monitoring industry through education, advocacy, and public safety relationships. www.tma.us. For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at TMA, 703-242-4670 x 16.

Doyle Security Goes Live with ASAP; First Implementation in New York State

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ASAP-Concept1DDoyle Security Systems, in cooperation with the Monroe County Emergency Communications Department, has become the first company in New York State to implement the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) to Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) alarm response program. Doyle is the latest monitoring company to go live with ASAP.

The connection in New York State is the culmination of a long process of alarm company outreach to PSAPs. According to Bill Hobgood, nationally recognized ASAP program expert and a public safety IT project manager for the City of Richmond, VA, “The Doyle Security Systems and the city of Rochester / Monroe County ASAP implementation represents another major milestone in this project. New York State is the eighth state, plus the District of Columbia to join the program. This achievement became a reality by continued assertiveness by staff at Doyle Security and the Monroe County Emergency Communications Department.”

He continued,”Congratulations to Doyle Security, the Monroe County NY 9-1-1 PSAP, and especially John Merklinger, the Monroe County PSAP Director who lobbied the state of New York to bring ASAP to fruition. The way has been paved for other New York 9-1-1 PSAPs to join the program.” Read more in SSI’s report.

 

Highland Park, TX Goes Live with the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP)

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Town is the first to implement ASAP solution provided by Tyler Technologies for New World CAD systems

The Town of Highland Park, Texas, became the 22nd public-safety answering point (PSAP) in the United States and the fifth PSAP in Texas to join the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) program, a technology that automates communication between alarm monitoring central stations and 9-1-1 centers, resulting in improved accuracy and speed of emergency response. Highland Park went live with Vector Security on April 19, 2017. Within hours, other alarm monitoring companies also went live with Highland Park, including Affiliated Monitoring, Central Security, Guardian Protection Services, Monitronics, Protection One, Rapid Response, and Vivint.

ASAP was created in partnership with The Monitoring Association (then the Central Station Alarm Association or CSAA) and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO), with Vector Security President and CEO Pam Petrow co-chairing the steering committee. Vector Security was the first alarm company to use ASAP in the City of Richmond, Virginia, in 2012. The ASAP program is designed to eliminate telephone calls, mistakes and miscommunication between alarm monitoring companies and 9-1-1 PSAPs and has effectively reduced 9-1-1 processing time, enabling a faster response time by public safety.

“As a security provider, we actively seek ways to promote ASAP’s value to municipalities and public agencies, and help other alarm companies implement it for the greater good of the industry and the safety of our communities,” Ms. Petrow added.

The implementation at Highland Park represents another milestone for the ASAP program, with Tyler Technologies becoming the newest CAD provider to implement an ASAP interface solution. The solution is now offered for Tyler’s New World Enterprise CAD product line. Former Highland Park Chief Chris Vinson, who passed away unexpectedly in June 2015, was a proponent of law enforcement priority responses to verified alarms. He met with New World Systems prior to its acquisition by Tyler Technologies to gain support for Highland Park’s becoming the first New World ASAP interface deployment site to facilitate the rapid delivery of alarm notifications from alarm monitoring companies without the use of a telephone call.

“In an emergency, time is critical,” said Greg Sebastian, president of Tyler’s Public Safety Division. “With the ASAP program, call processing time is reduced, inaccuracies in alarm and location information are minimized, and 9-1-1 call takers stay available to answer emergency calls for service. We’re pleased the ASAP functionality in Tyler’s New World Enterprise CAD solution helps public safety personnel provide a rapid response to the residents of Highland Park.”

“Highland Park Department of Public Safety strives to provide the best in public safety service,” said Chief Paul Sandman, Assistant Director of Public Safety. “We continuously work toward leveraging technology in order to improve our response times for police, fire and EMS emergencies.  Our new ASAP solution allows alarm integration that increases the alarm communication speed to our communications center. The ASAP solution also frees our communications specialists to handle other incoming emergency phone calls.”

According to Bill Hobgood, nationally recognized ASAP program expert and a public safety IT project manager for the City of Richmond, Virginia, said, “The Highland Park ASAP implementation is a tribute to Chief Vinson’s vision and passion in the pursuit of technology for the benefit of law enforcement and increased citizen satisfaction. Hobgood added, “Tyler Technologies made good on that promise and fulfilled Chief Vinson’s vision. The job is done in his honor. Congratulations to both Highland Park and Tyler Technologies.”

The ASAP program is based on an American National Standard[1] developed jointly by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) now known as The Monitoring Association. The program provides a standardized method through the use of automation and the power of Nlets[2] to deliver alarm notifications to 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points. As a result, there is an increase in the likelihood of increased law enforcement apprehensions for crimes in-progress, fires quickly extinguished with minimal property damage, and could mean a life saver for a medical emergency patient when every second counts.

 

About Vector Security
For more than 40 years, Vector Security, Inc. (www.vectorsecurity.com) has been a premier provider of intelligent security solutions tailored to the needs of the customer. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, the company offers a full suite of electronic security services for residential, business and national account customers across North America and the Caribbean through a network of branches and authorized dealers. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Industry Retail Group (IRG), the company also offers customized managed broadband services that lay the foundation for unsurpassed business intelligence. Vector Security is a sister company of the Philadelphia Contributionship, a mutual insurance company founded in 1752, and currently provides cost-effective, technology-based security solutions to over 300,000 homes and businesses.

About The Monitoring Association
The Monitoring Association (TMA), formerly the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), is an internationally-recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies, including those listed by a TMA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, such as FM Global, Intertek/ETL or UL. Incorporated in 1950, TMA 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. TMA’s mission is to advance the professional monitoring industry through education, advocacy, and public safety relationships. www.tma.us.  For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at TMA, 703-242-4670 x 16.

About Tyler Technologies, Inc.

Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) is a leading provider of end-to-end information management solutions and services for local governments. Tyler partners with clients to empower the public sector – cities, counties, schools and other government entities – to become more efficient, more accessible and more responsive to the needs of their constituents. Tyler’s client base includes more than 15,000 local government offices in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and other international locations. In 2016, Forbes ranked Tyler on its “Most Innovative Growth Companies” list, and it has also named Tyler one of “America’s Best Small Companies” eight times. The company has been included six times on the Barron’s 400 Index, a measure of the most promising companies in America. More information about Tyler Technologies, headquartered in Plano, Texas, can be found at  www.tylertech.com

 

 

 

 

[1] APCO/CSAA 2.101.2-2014 ANSI Standard Alarm Monitoring Company to PSAP CAD Automated Secure Alarm Protocol

[2] Nlets: The International Justice and Public Safety Network

CSAA Honors Cumoletti for ASAP Support

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In December, CSAA presented Colonel Steven Cumoletti of the New  York State Police with special plaque for his support of the ASAP-to-PSAP program. Cumoletti retired from the force on November 22.

“We would not be nearly as close to deployment of ASAP in New York State as we are now without Col. Cumoletti’s assistance. Working collaboratively with John Merklinger, the director of the City of Rochester/County of Monroe Emergency Communications Department, he was instrumental in making the New York State switch compatible with ASAP,” said Pam Petrow, president of CSAA. “The alarm industry community joins me in thanking Steve for his efforts and for his 33 years of service to public safety.”

For more information about ASAP, visit the ASAP website.

steve-cumoletti-with-asap-plaque-cropped

ASAP Kicks Off 2017 with First Implementation in Pennsylvania

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2017 is just a week old and already there is positive ASAP news. On January 6, Bucks County, PA went live with the service. This is the first ASAP implementation in the state of Pennsylvania.

“Bucks County went live with the ASAP program and VeASAP-Concept1Dctor Security on Friday, January 6, 2017 just before noon,” said Bill Hobgood, IT Project Manager for Public Safety at the City of Richmond VA, and ASAP subject matter expert. “The ASAP implementation by Bucks County is very exciting for the program and represents another project milestone. Aside from Bucks County being the 20th PSAP to implement ASAP, this is Northrop Grumman’s first implementation with the Northrop Grumman CAD product line, and the first ASAP implementation in the state of Pennsylvania.”

“Since Friday, Bucks County has received 17 alarm notifications from Vector Security,”  Hobgood added. “Pennsylvania is the eighth state to join the program and is open for ASAP business!”

For more information on the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) and how it can benefit PSAPs and alarm companies, visit ASAP. 

Guilford County PSAP Reports on ASAP Implementation

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Guilford County (Greenboro, NC) is one of the most recent PSAPs to implement the ASAP service. We recently checked in with Clay Kennedy, Guilford Metro 911 Systems Administrator, on how the implementation went and what results he’s seen since.

ASAP: Why did your PSAP adopt ASAP?

Kennedy: We implemented this because Guilford Metro 911 looked at is as a revolutionary interface. Any time we can streamline calls with accurate information ruling out human errors is always a plus. This interface has already proven to be faster than the old way of reporting alarms to our 911 agency.

ASAP: What your experience with the process of getting connected?

Kennedy: The overall experience was good. The biggest issue was trying to implement a production and a training side. Within NC, this is not possible because the state switch only routes it to one ORI. Once we put this interface into production, we did not migrate it back to training. All test calls with new alarm companies were sent to the live side. Bill Hobgood is one heck of a consultant and is knowledgeable about how the setup is between our CAD system and the ASAP-to-PSAP interface. The most time-consuming piece is the address verification between our PSAP and the alarm companies of what they have in their database. With this being a newish interface, our CAD vendor’s implementation team had somewhat of a learning curve. Once it was set up and running, it was solid. We do have to restart our message switch if the State of NC does anything on their end that is state-switch related. Our alarm company, in the ASAP program, notifies us of failed responses from our systems when the State does switch maintenance.

ASAP: What have been your initial findings since ASAP has been implemented? 

Kennedy: Our agency’s calls via ASAP-to-PSAP average three seconds to route the call for dispatch. We currently have Vector Security; nine more are connecting to us soon. I would say we are still in our beginning stages to see a significant decrease in call volume. Our telecommunicators prefer the ASAP-to-PSAP method and we are keeping with the industry trends, resulting in a win-win overall.

ASAP: Any other thoughts on the process or outcomes?

Kennedy: Bill Hobgood does an outstanding job coordinating and communicating between the PSAP and the alarm companies. I love how the interface looks on SunGard’s end. The Nature Code Translation table is easy to set up and get to. If we want to create rejection rules for areas or specific calls then we can do so. Even though the phone call is not there in this interface, our telecommunicators, field responders, and Alarm Companies can communicate via messaging through the CAD system and across the PSAP and state message switches. Streamlining processes, cutting back on human errors, and faster response times with quality information are items that should be embraced in the field of 911 technologies.

 

 

Find out more about ASAP.

 

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.

Mark Baum to Head ASAP Outreach Committee

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Mark Baum headshotThe chair of the ASAP Outreach Committee plays a critical role in advancing the ASAP service by coordinating volunteers effort to unite PSAPs and alarm companies. CSAA is pleased to announce that Mark Baum, Program Manager, Information Technology for Protection One, assumed this role in May. Baum has been working in the security industry for fifteen years with much of this time spent as a project manager for data conversion and system integration projects.  He has been working with ASAP for the last 4 years.

As well as leading personal outreach to PSAPs around the country, the commASAP-Concept1Dittee members have coordinated resources such as training materials, videos, and data collection for PSAPs to spur program growth.

CSAA thanks past chairs Kathleen Schraufnagel and Joe Carr for their efforts on behalf of the committee for the last several years.

Find out more about ASAP at csaaintl.org/asap.

Monitoring Company Outreach Spurs New York State toward ASAP Deployment

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ASAP-Concept1DRecent advancements towards ASAP deployment in New York demonstrate what can be achieved when monitoring companies engage in outreach to PSAPs.  The April issue of “eJusticeNY,” the newsletter of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, reports that ASAP is coming soon to New York:

“The state Office of Information Technology Services is working on developing the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol system for state law enforcement agencies that are dispatched using a computer-aided dispatch system. The system is a data exchange between alarm monitoring companies and 9-1-1 PSAP call centers that will replace telephone calls, promote better communication and decrease processing and response times to alarm related calls for service. As the project progresses, information will be distributed on how agencies can help get this innovative technology operational. The following alarm monitoring companies participate in this system and more are being added every month: ADS Nashville, Affiliated, Central Security Group, Diebold, Monitronics, Rapid Response, Safeguard Security, United Central Control, Vivint, ADT, American Alarm, CMS, Guardian Protection, Protection 1, RFI, Stanley, and Vector.”

This is a major step forward! A state communications system issue had been identified early in ASAP’s development as a major obstacle to ASAP deployment in New York. Doyle Security associates Ernie Coles, Kevin Stone and John Doyle, along with Lowitt Alarm and others, were undeterred by the technology challenge. They initiated an outreach program that simultaneously engaged the majority of the state PSAPs through the state’s 9-1-1 association. Once the association understood the program’s value to PSAPs, the association successfully lobbied state CJIS leadership to make ASAP compatibility a reality.

CSAA is pleased to report this exciting news to our members that monitor accounts in New York State. If your company is not yet ASAP-active, or you would like to participate in ASAP outreach efforts, please contact asap@csaaintl.org.

Read the complete issue of eJusticeNY.