SimpliSafe announced its Richmond, Va. monitoring center is now UL-listed for the Alarm Validation Scoring Standard (AVS-01).

AVS-01 is a standardized method for classifying and reporting home burglary alarms between monitoring centers and public safety organizations. According to the announcement, the certification further demonstrates SimpliSafe’s commitment to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency responses and enhancing consumer safety through industry collaboration.

The AVS-01 Standard is the result of a collaboration between The Monitoring Association (TMA), UL Solutions, public safety professionals and other key stakeholders within the alarm monitoring industry aimed at creating a unified and standardized approach to alarm notifications that will better inform first responders of emergencies at hand and in turn, improve emergency response outcomes.

The standard, which applies to handling of burglary alarms, introduces a scoring system ranging from 0-4, with 0 representing “no call for service” and 4 representing “threat to life.” By classifying alarms according to this standardized scale, monitoring centers can provide 911 dispatch with consistent, actionable information designed to enable faster and more accurate emergency response.

“False and low information home alarm signals have led to unnecessary noise within emergency response systems, exacerbating overwhelmed first responder resources and potentially leaving homeowners vulnerable during times of need," said Christian Cerda, CEO, SimpliSafe. “SimpliSafe has worked diligently over the years to reduce false alarms through innovations like video verification and Intruder Intervention, which enables our trained agents to visually verify threats in customers' homes when communicating with authorities. The AVS-01 Standard complements these innovations by elevating the urgency of confirmed alarms, providing first responders with clear prioritization and greater situational awareness.”