monitoring
How the AVS-01 Standard Revolutionizes the Monitoring Industry
By Mark E. McCall
In January 2023, the professional monitoring industry saw a major advancement with the finalization of TMA/ANSI AVS-01, the Alarm Validation Scoring standard. Developed by The Monitoring Association (TMA), this standard ushers in a new era of alarm response and communication protocols, with significant implications for monitoring centers, public safety and the communities they serve.
In a time where safety and security are paramount concerns, the professional monitoring industry continues to stand at the forefront of safeguarding lives and property. The industry has long grappled with the challenge of improving how alarm notifications and other pertinent information are exchanged with 911 centers.
AVS-01, a collaborative effort between the alarm industry and public safety professionals, aims to refine alarm notifications and the quality of alarm information. This voluntary standard represents a significant shift in how alarm events are managed.
By participating in this voluntary standard, monitoring center leaders not only enhance their own operations, but also strengthen the overall credibility and professionalism of the industry. AVS-01 offers a way to enhance alarm notifications and provide more precise alarm information.
AVS-01’s primary goal is to standardize alarm information classification, ranging from no service calls to confirmed life threats. This allows for more informed decision-making by Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) and law enforcement by improving situational awareness and enhancing response strategies.
Turning Metrics Into Alarm Levels
Turning data points that already exist in the monitoring center into measurable alarm levels makes it possible to create five different alarm levels that range in urgency from no call for service to a call for service with confirmed threat to life. Examples of relevant data may be video and/or audio, or other technologies.
All intrusion alarms received in the monitoring center with limited or no additional information are classified as an Alarm Level 1 Alarm. As operators collect additional data during the call confirmation process, they can escalate or de-escalate an alarm based on real-time and historical data.
“The AVS-01 standard is a transformative step toward more consistent, reliable and efficient alarm response processes, marking a significant advancement in the professional monitoring industry.”
The full AVS-01 alarm level classifications are:
- Level 0 – No call for service (event canceled/cleared)
- Level 1 – Intrusion alarm with no additional or limited information
- Level 2 – Intrusion alarm with confirmed or highly probable human presence with unknown intent
- Level 3 – Intrusion alarm with confirmed threat to property
- Level 4 – Intrusion alarm with confirmed threat to life (non-user initiated event)
Confirming these alarm events using available data will help support a response when operators request a call for service and give law enforcement an advantage when responding to a confirmed intrusion event. Situational awareness is key to aid in a successful apprehension. Adding an alarm level is a simple step with big impact.
Training and Certification
Implementing the AVS-01 standard involves a transition that monitoring center leaders can navigate through proactive planning and effective training. To facilitate this, TMA, in partnership with the Partnership for Priority Verified Alarm Response (PPVAR), will offer free online training courses for monitoring center operators and an awareness video for ECC telecommunicators. These courses are designed to provide comprehensive guidance on the classification process and call handling.
Complementing these educational efforts, UL Solutions recently launched a certification program to evaluate and ensure that alarm companies’ alarm validation scoring processes comply with AVS-01 requirements. This program plays a critical role in compliance management, aiming to ensure accurate data capture during alarm events and the retention of decision-making data for post-event analysis by public safety and other stakeholders.
TMA CEO Celia Besore underscores the significance of this initiative, noting that UL Solutions’ certification will demonstrate alarm monitoring centers’ commitment to this collaborative effort, enhancing notification processes and supporting public safety professionals with essential information.
Call to Action
The AVS-01 standard is a transformative step toward more consistent, reliable and efficient alarm response processes, marking a significant advancement in the professional monitoring industry. By adopting this standard, monitoring centers not only improve their operational effectiveness, but also make a vital contribution to public safety and community well-being.
AVS-01’s implementation fosters enhanced situational awareness, better resource allocation and increased officer safety. As the industry progresses, embracing AVS-01 becomes crucial for maintaining competitiveness and ensuring a safer future. This collective move toward AVS-01 paves the way for improved situational awareness, officer safety and optimized resource allocation, reinforcing the importance of collaboration and innovation in advancing public safety.
The industry’s commitment to AVS-01 is a call to action for all monitoring centers to embrace this change, assess their technological capabilities, and be part of this pivotal journey towards a safer, more efficient alarm response framework.
For more information on the AVS-01 Standard and its benefits, go here.
(Editor’s note: The online version of this article includes additional sections to explain Three Key Benefits of AVS-01 Implementation; Overview of Alarm Level and the Call Handling Process; Criticisms and Potential Challenges; and, Benefits to Public Safety and Increased Confidence. MT
Mark McCall is Director of Global Operations for Immix and current Chair of the TMA AVS-01 Committee.
