The Cumberland County and Fayetteville, North Carolina Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) are the latest agencies to implement Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP), technology that automates communication between alarm monitoring central stations and PSAPs/911 centers, resulting in faster, more accurate emergency responses for users of monitored alarms.

The Fayetteville PSAP dispatches emergency services for the city, while the Cumberland PSAP dispatches for all other cities in Cumberland County. Residential and commercial alarm users in these areas, including nearly 1,200 Vector Security customers, will benefit from reduced call processing times leading to quicker, more accurate emergency responses.

The use of ASAP results in the following benefits for monitored alarm users and first responders:

• Less phone calls to emergency response centers: Alarm monitoring center data is passed to public safety dispatch/911 operators electronically within seconds and then provided to first responders upon dispatch.
• Quicker processing times: Data doesn’t have to be input manually or communicated verbally, resulting in reduced hold times and faster responses.
• Greater accuracy of information transmitted: Electronic transmission of data reduces chances for errors.

With ASAP delivering alarm notification information directly from the alarm monitoring centers to PSAPs via computer rather than by phone, all pertinent data goes directly to first responders and the process takes only about five seconds. Many agencies using ASAP can expect alarm response times to potentially drop to as little as 90 seconds or less.

Vector Security assisted with the implementation in Cumberland County and Fayetteville by helping to conduct extensive testing prior to the system going live.

“As a security provider, Vector Security continues to seek ways to promote ASAP’s value to public safety agencies, while helping other alarm companies implement it for the greater good of the industry,” said Anita Ostrowski, vice president, central station services, Vector Security. “We’re happy to see this technology being adopted by a growing number of PSAPs and alarm companies across the nation.”

ASAP was developed in partnership between The Monitoring Association (TMA) and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) with Vector Security President and CEO Pam Petrow co-chairing the committee. The technology made its debut in Richmond, Va. in 2012. Nationwide, more than 80 agencies have implemented, or are in the process of implementing ASAP. For a current list, go to https://tma.us/asap/.

For more information on the benefits and features of ASAP, visit www.vectorsecurity.com/asap.