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

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

ASAP Kicks Off 2017 with First Implementation in Pennsylvania

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. 

CSAA Brings ASAP Message to PSAPs at APCO 2016

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.

IMG_1747[1]

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

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

 

Guilford County, NC is Latest PSAP to Go Live with ASAP

ASAP-Concept1DOn January 26, the Metro Guilford/Greensboro, NC PSAP officially went live with the ASAP program.

“The addition of Guilford Metro 9-1-1 is a major project milestone and a win-win for the citizens and businesses of Guilford County, the City of Greensboro and the alarm industry,” said Bill Hobgood, ASAP Project Subject-Matter-Expert with the City of Richmond, VA, one of the two original ASAP pilot sites. “It is exciting to see PSAPs step up to take advantage of the benefits that the ASAP program offers, while generating greater customer satisfaction. Guilford Metro 9-1-1 is to be applauded.”

The Metro Guilford 911 administration and local media collaborated to inform local citizens of the benefits of the new service. Check out the news videos below:

The first alarm company to be connected to Guilford is Vector Security.  “We will be bringing up other central stations during the month of February with Metro Guilford,” said Hobgood.

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 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 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.

Implementation of the ASAP service is expected to surge in 2016. Interested PSAPs and alarm companies should contact asap@csaaintl.org for more information, or visit the ASAP website.

 

Stanley Security Implements ASAP®

“Automated Secure Alarm Protocol” is Spreading Nationwide

Stanley Security, one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive security providers, went live with ASAP® in the city of Richmond, VA on October 22.

“We understand that this program is an important step forward for both our industry and for law enforcement, and we are proud to be part of this transformational process in public safety,” said Steve Walker, Vice President of Customer Service for Stanley. “The electronic communication of alarm information will reduce dispatch times, improve the accuracy of data exchanged between the monitoring center and the PSAP and, most importantly, will create the opportunity for law enforcement to respond more quickly to alarms.”

ASAP-Concept1D“The addition of Stanley is a big step in the advancement of ASAP,” said CSAA Executive Director Jay Hauhn. “The growth of the program this year has been tremendous. With the numbers of ASAP-active alarm companies and interested PSAPs, I believe we have reached the point where we will see widespread deployment in 2016.”

“We have appreciated the capable support of Bill Hobgood (Project Manager, Public Safety Team Department of Information Technology City of Richmond, VA) in helping us to navigate through the procedural challenges of implementing the ASAP-to-PSAP program,” continued Walker. “We have also appreciated the support of our partners at IBS in adapting the SBN monitoring automation platform to successfully leverage the ASAP-to-PSAP communications.”

Looking ahead, Walker commented, “We’re moving forward to expand our ASAP implementation at Stanley to include the other PSAPs in the DC area and have set our sights on going live in Houston in early 2016.”

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 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 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.

 

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.

 

ASAP® Network Widens with Addition of CMS

Implementation of the “Automated Secure Alarm Protocol” is Building Nationwide

ASAP-Concept1DCriticom Monitoring Services (CMS), one of the largest wholesale alarm monitoring companies in the United States, went live with ASAP® in the city of Richmond, VA on October 21. “Awareness of ASAP’s very real benefits to PSAPs is spreading,” said Jay Hauhn, executive director of CSAA. “The program gathers momentum with each prestigious national monitoring company that comes on board. Having CMS go live is a big step in the process of implementing this service around the nation.”

“CMS is now live with its ASAP-to-PSAP adoption,” commented Tony Wilson, President, CMS. “Our hope is that the ASAP program will increase the speed and accuracy of our dispatches.” CMS serves more than 3,500 alarm companies and their 800,000 customers. Their broad range of monitoring services includes response to security, fire, Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS), environmental and interactive services such as two-way voice and remote video.

“It took about a year to launch the ASAP program,” continued Wilson. “We did this intentionally so that we could minimize the impact to our dealers. ASAP-to-PSAP is currently implemented for our 21 dealers located in the city of Richmond, VA; this affects approximately 500 subscriber accounts. Our Richmond contact, Bill Hobgood, was an excellent resource and helped to make this project easier. Our operators are excited for this new technology to communicate dispatches electronically and can’t wait for more and more PSAPs to follow suit. Over the next few weeks we will begin working on expanding our ASAP implementation to include our dealers located in Henrico County, VA and Washington, DC.”

Read the complete announcement at CSAA News.

ADT is Live with ASAP®

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.

Richmond, VA’s Bill Hobgood is Recipient of Inaugural CSAA Public Sector Award

Public Safety Project Manager Recognized for Tireless Work on Behalf of the ASAP® Program

Bill Hobgood, Project Manager, Public Safety Team in the Department of Information Technology for the City of Richmond, Virginia, is the recipient of CSAA’s inaugural Public Sector Award. This special honor is given by CSAA in recognition of a public sector individual’s contribution to the alarm industry.

“Over the past several years, Bill has worked tirelessly to promote and implement ASAP®, a program that increases the efficiency and reliability of emergency electronic signals from central station alarm companies to Public Service Answering Points (PSAPs),” said CSAA President Pamela J. Petrow. “Bill is the ideal recipient of this inaugural award–he has been an indefatigable advocate for the ASAP program, which benefits both the private and public sector.”

Bill Hobgood

Bill Hobgood

“I am deeply honored to receive CSAA’s Inaugural Public Sector Award,” said Hobgood. “Having personally developed the first ASAP to Computer-Aided Dispatch interface for York County, VA and the City of Richmond, VA that was launched in 2006 as a two-and-a-half year pilot, I realized from day one that the ASAP program would become the win-win that it has for public safety and the alarm industry with the primary beneficiary being the community that we serve. The ASAP program has a proven track record of successes across the United States made possible due to faster responses by public safety responders.”

Hobgood was nominated for the award by Vector Security and by CSAA Past President Louis T. Fiore. “This award is so well-deserved!” said Fiore. “Bill has done a great deal for CSAA, ASAP and the industry as a whole, and I congratulate him on this recognition.”

ASAP was launched in 2011 as an initiative by the alarm industry in a cooperative effort between the Association of Public Communications Officials (APCO) and 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 critical time is not lost, and that complete and accurate information is transmitted to the PSAP every time. The ASAP program also helps reduce false alarms, and may save the PSAPs and emergency services potentially millions of dollars.

“ASAP is a critical initiative that will improve public safety,” said Petrow, “and it is being implemented all around the country thanks to Bill.”

Hobgood will be presented with the award at the Electronic Security Expo (ESX) Public Sector luncheon on Wednesday, June 24, at the Baltimore Convention Center. For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at CSAA, 703-242-4670 or ewlasko@csaaintl.org.ASAP-Concept1D