When something triggers a security alarm at a protected property, it sends a signal to an alarm monitoring station, where an operator records the signal and initiates a response. Communication exchange protocols can vary greatly among monitoring centers, which can impact resource allocation and first responders’ situational awareness — critical elements of effective emergency response.
To help build trust between private-sector alarm-monitoring centers and the public safety organizations responsible for dispatching and managing first responders, the Monitoring Association (TMA), together with UL Solutions, public safety professionals and other key stakeholders within the alarm monitoring industry, developed an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard that provides a standardized alarm validation score or classification metric for unauthorized human activity detected by alarm systems.
Alongside the development of ANSI/AVS-01, UL Solutions created a certification program for monitoring centers interested in showcasing their commitment to public safety and operational excellence.
Monitoring stations complying with ANSI/TMA AVS-01 will report alarm events as falling into one of five categories:
- Alarm Level 0 – No call for service
- Alarm Level 1 – Call for service with no additional information
- Alarm Level 2 – Call for service with proof or a high probability of human presence at the alarm site
- Alarm Level 3 – Call for service knowing there is human presence at the alarm site, and it appears there is a threat to property
- Alarm Level 4 – Call for service knowing there is human presence at the alarm site and it appears there is a threat to life
Benefits for monitoring stations
- Facilitates’ acceptance of standardized requests for service to emergency. communication centers (ECCs) in response to intrusion detection alarm events
- Helps differentiate your station by demonstrating your commitment to delivering high-quality services.
- For UL Certified monitoring stations, adding the AVS certification is quick and easy, and can be integrated into the comprehensive annual compliance audit.
- Helps provide evidence of due diligence for your enterprise liability mitigation portfolio.
Why choose UL Solutions for certification
For 100 years, UL Solutions has been a trusted certification partner for the monitoring industry, building and facilitating trust among stakeholders. UL Solutions has actively collaborated with The Monitoring Association (TMA), National Emergency Number Association (NENA) in AVS development since project inception, helping to foster an understanding of technical requirement intent and a certification program aligned with stakeholder objectives. Trust UL Solutions experts to get certified.
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