Guardian Protection Services of Warrendale, Pa. recently achieved the successful implementation of ASAP-to-PSAP processing protocol for the communication of alarm information to the City of Richmond, Virginia. The protocol went live after successful data transmissions between Guardian’s U.L. certified CSAA Five Diamond monitoring center and the City of Richmond’s 9-1-1 center.
The acronym ASAP/PSAP means Automated Secure Alarm Protocol to Public Safety Answering Point. ASAP is the American National Standard (from American National Standards Institute or ANSI) for computer to computer-aided dispatch system data exchange created by the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO). The ASAP/PSAP protocol reduces the telephone-based relay currently in place by allowing a computer at an emergency dispatch center (the PSAP) to process data. It is considered the next generation for the processing of information between alarm monitoring stations and emergency dispatch centers. The protocol was developed through the joint partnership of APCO, CSAA and Nlets; the latter is a non-profit organization founded by U.S. law enforcement agencies.