Responding to an intrusion alarm from an auto parts store, American Alarm and Communications, Arlington, Mass., became the first company in New England to use a new secure dispatch technology (automated secure alarm protocol, or ASAP) designed to speed police, fire or EMT response to emergencies. ASAP establishes a direct network connection between a qualified alarm monitoring central station and a public safety dispatch center that has adopted the technology. Instead of making a phone call to report an alarm and dispatch first-responders, with just one click using ASAP all the relevant alarm information is sent to the public safety communications center where it pops up on a dispatcher’s screen.
“We know that seconds count in an emergency, so we are always looking for ways to improve response times to alarms,” said Louis Sampson, chief financial officer at American Alarm, who oversees the company’s monitoring operations. “The ASAP system will help reduce response times and make sure the police, fire or medical first-responders have all the information we can provide instantly and accurately.”