Tag Archive for: UL

UL Solutions Empowers Alarm Monitoring Centers to Help Advance Public Safety with New Certification Program

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UL Solutions announced its new service, the UL Solutions Alarm Validation Scoring Certification Program, that helps security alarm monitoring centers in the United States improve communication with public safety professionals, such as law enforcement agencies and emergency response operators. The new certification program resulted from a collaboration between the security monitoring industry, public safety professionals and UL Solutions with the goal of enhancing security alarm notifications and information.

UL Solutions can now evaluate monitoring centers against requirements in The Monitoring Association’s (TMA) voluntary standard ANSI/TMA-AVS-01 2023, Alarm Validation Scoring Standard. This standard includes an alarm scoring or classification metric designed to streamline communication between monitoring centers and public safety professionals, leading to better prioritization of calls. The new UL Solutions certification program uses the alarm scoring system as defined in the standard.

“The move toward industry-wide standardization of security alarm notifications and response processes supports collaboration and efficiency between monitoring centers and public safety professionals,” said Karine Johnfroe, vice president and general manager of the Built Environment group at UL Solutions. “We work closely with The Monitoring Association and industry stakeholders to understand their needs and help address safety-critical challenges. UL Solutions’ new program empowers monitoring centers to demonstrate they are aligned with industry best practices for security alarm response procedures, which play an essential role in the success of public safety professionals throughout the United States.”

UL Solutions’ new program includes a self-assessment, ongoing compliance management, and an audit of the monitoring facility’s alarm notification, validation and response processes.

The ANSI/TMA-AVS-01 standard provides an industry-first alarm scoring or classification metric for intrusions detected by security alarm systems. It assists public safety professionals with resource allocation and prioritization of calls for service.

  • Alarm Level 0 – No call for service
  • Alarm Level 1 – Call for service with no other information
  • Alarm Level 2 – Call for service with proof of or a high probability that a person or persons are present at the alarm site
  • Alarm Level 3 – Call for service knowing a person or persons are present at the alarm site and an apparent threat to property
  • Alarm Level 4 – Call for service knowing a person or persons are present at the alarm site and an apparent threat to life

“The Monitoring Association brought together a wide section of stakeholders from the security monitoring industry, including UL Solutions and public safety professionals, to develop an ANSI standard that provides a standardized alarm validation score or classification metric for intrusion detected by security alarm systems. The score will assist law enforcement with resource allocation and call for service prioritization,” said Celia Besore, CEO of The Monitoring Association. “UL Solutions will help alarm monitoring centers demonstrate their commitment to this industry-wide collaboration that can enhance notifications and provide public safety professionals with critical information.”

Learn more about UL Solutions’ new service for security alarm monitoring centers.

UL Update: Close Before You Doze

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by Steve Schmit, Program Manager, UL LLC

UL is honored to count TMA as a partner in our mission to create safe living and working environments for people. We work together most directly through our Certificate Service Program, which delivers the benefits of standards compliant alarm service to communities and businesses. At the same time in communities where UL Fire Alarm Certificates are required, your UL Certification gives you access to a unique and valuable market.

Educating the community and those responsible for ensuring public safety is key to creating these kinds of markets. We see many opportunities to work together on community education in order to advance both of our mutual public safety and business objectives.

In that spirit, this month we highlight UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute’s “Close Before You Doze” campaign, our most recent public safety outreach program. The campaign package includes:

  • A critical safety message about contemporary home fires
  • A video that dramatically illustrates the effects of closed vs open bedroom doors in home fires
  • A toolbox of community & first responder resources

While UL’s outreach has touched a wide audience (8.5 million video views to date), there is still much work to do. We invite you, as partners in our mission, to consider bringing it to public safety officials in your markets. Alternatively, we would be delighted to talk about how you might use these materials in your own organization’s public service messaging. Either way, there is an opportunity to leverage the UL public safety message and brand to create a positive environment for discussion of UL Certificated alarm service.

Why “Close Before You Doze”?

  • 25 years ago, occupants typically had 17 minutes to evacuate a home after a smoke detector annunciation.
  • Today, typical safe egress time is about 3 minutes, due to the much higher use of synthetics in furnishings, floors, and fixtures.
  • Research tests show that simply closing a bedroom door can significantly extend the survivability time for people in the room.

Test results are clear and the message is simple. However, communicating with the public, in ways that inspire behavior changes, can be a challenge. To help, UL established a dedicated website to serve as a resource clearinghouse. Visit closeyourdoor.org to explore. Be sure to check the First Responders section as well. You could be the one that brings a turnkey public safety campaign to your market’s public safety partners.

About UL FSRI – UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) advances fire research knowledge and develops cutting edge, practical fire service education aimed at helping firefighters stay safe while more effectively protecting people and property. Working in partnership with the fire service, research departments, and agencies, UL FSRI executes firefighter research and makes the results widely available to the global fire community.

Product iQ: UL’s Next-Generation Online Certification Directory

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UL LOGOUL is pleased to announce the availability of Product iQ, a certifications platform that marries the longstanding UL certification data with the intuitive design and user-friendliness of a modern search engine.

UL is committed to ongoing digital transformation across the enterprise. Product iQ is one of several initiatives designed to meet the growing demands of a digital world. Product iQ is designed to create new value, support transformation and evolve with changing needs.

Product iQ is built on a modern digital platform with a streamlined user interface and a fast, robust search capability. Features such as guided keyword search, search refinement and the ability to email search results improve the user experience. Additionally, a new, premium subscription offering allows users to purchase access to enhanced tools: saved searches, tagging and confirmation letters.

Product iQ also enables our customers to promote and differentiate their products and company through the use of digital media services and targeted email campaigns. Platform analytics can help our customers connect with other UL customers and provide transparency to industry and platform trends.

Access to UL’s certification information will always be free. Upon registration, users access exactly the same certification information as in the old platform at no cost. Upgrade to a premium subscription is available for those interested in the more advanced tools.

The platform technology underlying Product iQ was selected based on its ability to expand and grow with the information needs of UL’s stakeholders and customers. It is UL’s vision to use this platform to create premium value for UL clients and stakeholders by helping them both identify safer, more compliant products and services, and help them promote the same to potential buyers.

Product iQ will be available concurrently to the original Online Certifications Directory (OCD) for some time to allow users to register and learn the new platform. The OCD will be decommissioned later in 2018 and its links will be redirected to the new Product iQ platform.

For more information and account registration, visit https://iq.ulprospector.com/info.