Vector helps Cumberland County, Pa. launch ASAP to PSAP

PITTSBURGH—Cumberland County, Pa., joins a growing number of municipalities across the nation to implement Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) at its Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

ASAP automates communication from alarm monitoring central stations to PSAPs and 911 centers resulting in faster, more accurate emergency response by 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 drop from minutes to seconds.

“Hundreds of Vector Security customers served out of our local Lancaster branch will experience faster, more accurate emergency dispatch as a benefit of ASAP,” said Jim Lorah, General Manager for Vector Security. The company is one of just a few alarm companies with the ability to interface with ASAP technology in Cumberland County.

Additionally, Vector Security helped develop ASAP in partnership with The Monitoring Association (TMA) and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO). Vector Security President and CEO Pam Petrow served as founding co-chair of the committee; the company was the first to debut ASAP in Richmond, Virginia in 2012.

The use of ASAP results in many benefits for monitored alarm users and first responders, including:

Fewer phone calls to emergency response centers: Alarm monitoring center data is passed to PSAPs/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 the installation of ASAP into our system, we can improve 911 response time for Cumberland County residents or business owners who have alarm systems,” said Robert Shively Jr., Public Safety Director for Cumberland County.

“As the use of ASAP continues to grow across the country, Vector Security is pleased to be a pioneer of this technology,” said Anita Ostrowski, Central Station Vice President, Vector Security. “We continue to promote ASAP’s value to emergency centers and alarm companies for the greater good of the industry, as well as for the increased safety of our communities.”

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

For a current list of agencies and alarm companies using ASAP, and those in the process of implementation, visit The Monitoring Association at https://tma.us/asap/.

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