TMA-AVS-01 Standard for Public Safety

What is TMA-AVS-01?

VS-01, which stands for Alarm Validation Scoring, is an ANSI-accredited standard that establishes a consistent and standardized way of communicating alarm information by classifying alarm data into different levels. Developed by TMA’s Standards Committee, AVS-01 is a collaboration between the alarm industry and public safety. The goal of AVS-01 is to improve alarm notifications and enhance alarm information.

Why should ECCs use TMA-AVS-01?

Until now, there has been no unified standard in place for a verbal communication protocol to effectively and precisely communicate intrusion alarm calls to public safety, or ECCs. For the standard implementation to be successful, public safety engagement is paramount. ECCs can contribute to industry-wide standardization and efficiency and significantly impact public safety outcomes for law enforcement and the communities they serve by adopting the AVS-01 standard.

What are the alarm validation scoring alarm levels?

The TMA-AVS-01 standard identifies a consistent and standardized way of communicating alarm information by classifying alarm data into different levels. In all, there are five alarm levels that range in urgency from no call for service to a call for service with confirmed threat to life. Monitoring centers combine information collected during the alarm confirmation process with data points that already exist to generate a measurable alarm level. The standard’s five alarm levels range in urgency from no call for service to a call for service with confirmed threat to life.

The five alarm levels are:

  • Alarm Level 0 is classified as the lowest level and requires No Call for Service.
  • Alarm Level 1 is a Call for Service with limited to no additional information.
  • Alarm Level 2 is a Call for Service with confirmed or ‘highly probable’ human presence with unknown intent.
  • Alarm Level 3 is a Call for Service with confirmed threat to property.
  • Alarm Level 4 is a Call for Service with confirmed threat to life.

TMA-AVS-01 Resources

The following list of resources are now available to assist your organization to better understand the standard and how to implement it. This list will continue to grow as other resources become available.

UL Solutions AVS-01 Certification for Monitoring Centers

Alongside the development of ANSI/TMA AVS-01, UL Solutions created a certification program designed for monitoring centers to demonstrate their commitment to public safety and operational excellence.

You may learn more about this standard on the UL Solutions website at https://www.ul.com/services/ansitma-avs-01-alarm-validation-scoring-certification

Request Information

If you have any questions or would like to request additional information, please complete the online form and a TMA staff member will reply to you.

Skip to content