According to the U.S. Fire Administration, non-residential fires increased 20 percent with fatalities up 70 percent in the study period (2011-2021). “This is a way that we can now get first responders that information faster and it will dramatically improve, and hopefully reduce those fatalities,” Mayer said. “We won't be able to prevent the fires, but we can respond better and faster to them.”

With RapidSOS, alarm signal data can be shared from the fire panel communicator, assessed by a central station, and received by ECCs and field responders all digitally, eliminating manual handoffs, transcription errors and reducing transmission time.

“They are now sending that information directly to first responders,” Mayer said. “Whether they’re a volunteer firefighter, or a municipal firefighter who’s on the payroll, they are able to get that information. Battalion chiefs are getting that information and now they can respond faster and with the same level of information that was taking probably minutes. Now, we’re talking about a dramatically reduced timeframe.”

Central stations play a critical role in commercial fire emergencies by assessing and verifying the accuracy of the signal data received from the building’s fire panels. With digital alerting through RapidSOS, UL-certified central stations can seamlessly share data with ECCs and field responders without the need for a phone call or manual input. Honeywell’s CS Premium compresses a 2.5-minute dispatch call into a mere 13 seconds. This not only establishes a new industry benchmark but also presents significant potential for revolutionizing emergency response.

“On the next wave of this technology, we’re going to be able to pass on additional information, whether it be passing on a floor plan or locations where the panel or the Knox box is — which has special keys for firefighters to access the building — or where we can pass on video of what's going on,” Mayer said.

One key benefit for first responders — speed to dispatch. The Emergency24 integration delivers critical data, including the type of hazard, severity and location within the impacted building, directly into the hands of telecommunicators and field responders. Combined with the RapidSOS capability to triage incidents by the criticality of a situation, emergencies that include commercial fire signals will be addressed faster. Emergency24 led on integrating commercial fire data directly into its monitoring centers and digitally sharing it with first responders, in an effort to more efficiently deliver data in an incident.

“Supporting speed and accuracy of fire response is important at Honeywell, and we are happy to work alongside RapidSOS, who is improving not only the speed of delivery of emergency incident data but also the quality of information,” said Sameer Agarwal, vice president and general manager, Commercial Fire Americas, Honeywell Building Technologies, an investor in RapidSOS. “The technology integrations between RapidSOS and its partners will help further modernize and digitize the public safety communications infrastructure.”

For more information, visit Emergency24 and RapidSOS. //

With the integration between Mission Control and Clearance, all cameras tied to an event can be exported in a single action to a case in Clearance. This reduces the time operators spend documenting and creating a synopsis of an incident and helps to ensure that cameras that captured the event are not missed. Once uploaded to Clearance, recordings can be stored based on the retention period defined by the nature of the incident, and the organization’s business policy.

The Mission Control incident report is also preserved as part of the case, which allows organizations to demonstrate policy compliance when handling an event as all actions related to the incident are documented in the report. Like the video exports, these reports can then be shared with other parties or used internally for audit purposes.

“With the integration of Mission Control with Clearance, we’re simplifying the process of launching an investigation following an incident,” said Erick Ceresato, product group director, Genetec. “This efficiency enables our customers to do more with their systems and the information they’re collecting, while at the same time leveraging existing technology to achieve their business objectives.”

For more information, visit Genetec. //

Since its founding in 2012, Eagle Eye has been committed to an open platform with a comprehensive RESTful API accessible by all, and extensive camera support. With the launch of API V3, Eagle Eye continues its platform investment for developers to easily create applications leveraging and integrating cloud video surveillance.

“Over the past 11 years, we have learned many lessons about what is needed in a cloud platform for broad video surveillance applications, AI and operating at scale,” said Dean Drako, CEO of Eagle Eye Networks. “We have incorporated developer feedback, developer requests, integration needs and large customer requirements to make V3 of our API that delivers even more.”

Eagle Eye will continue to support its V1 and V2 APIs for the foreseeable future, but recommends all new development be done on API V3.

Used by thousands of enterprise organizations across the globe, the Video API Platform and mobile and web software development kits (SDKs) bring cloud video surveillance and AI capabilities to developers for faster development and integration with video surveillance. The API allows resellers and business owners to build custom solutions.

Technology partners say the V3 Video API Platform offers benefits beyond technical ease of use.

“Eagle Eye’s newest Video API Platform is feature-rich and developer friendly, which streamlines even complex integrations, allowing us to bring groundbreaking new capabilities to market in record time,” said Chris Brown, CEO of Immix, a provider of central station and security platform software. “The platform also improves our ability to serve our customers and expedite the onboarding process for their customers, most notably end users with very large camera counts.”

For more information, visit Eagle Eye Networks. //

“This partnership further solidifies our commitment to equipping security teams with solutions that empower them to protect their facilities and personnel in all conditions,” said Matt Strautman, director of global business development, security, at Teledyne FLIR. “Magos Systems’ radar technology is renowned for its resolution and coverage in the security industry, making it an ideal complement to our expansive portfolio of perimeter protection solutions.”

In addition to thermal cameras, FLIR is known for its visible cameras, video management systems, site planning tools and command and control software, catering to a wide spectrum of security applications.

“We believe that true innovation in security lies at the intersection of technology and effectiveness,” said Yaron Zussman, Magos Americas GM. “Our partnership with Teledyne FLIR is a testament to our commitment to providing cutting-edge perimeter protection solutions that enhance security and redefine the industry's standards. With the seamless integration of our MASS solution with FLIR’s visible and thermal PTZ cameras and VMS, the security teams get the most relevant alerts to react in real-time.”

When integrated with FLIR United VMS, a family of network video recorders built on a highly customizable open platform, Teledyne FLIR’s pan-tilt-zoom thermal cameras and Magos Systems’ radars, alongside their advanced MASS software, empower users with complete situational awareness. This early detection capability classifies potential threats long before they reach the perimeter and filters out false alarms triggered by wildlife and fauna. This proactive approach leads to enhanced reaction time to respond quickly to security events while reducing infrastructure, maintenance and manpower costs, allowing for a cost-effective end-to-end perimeter security solution for sites in various verticals.

For more information, visit Magos Systems and Teledyne FLIR. //

“We will be investing in each partner company, who will have approximately 5-50 employees, and are selling into the residential and small commercial space,” said SFA’s Tony Smith. Smith added, “We will create significant volume by focusing on training sales associates via Audrey Pierson, one of the leading sales trainers in our industry. Through Aabo Home, we will provide full management of created accounts, including nationwide monitoring, through the life of the monitoring contract.”

Unlike other dealer programs, the program will not acquire 100 percent ownership of the contract, but share ownership and financial equity with partner dealers on an approximate 50-50 basis. Financing of installations will be through several banks who have committed to this program and its low attrition operating plan. This process will create cash flow for the partner dealers that is substantially more than they might receive through traditional dealer programs, according to the announcement. There will be no dealer holdbacks, and there is a guarantee only for the first year of the contract.

For more information, visit Security Funding Associates. //

According to the announcement, SDS’s engineering team has long acknowledged the importance of improving energy efficiency in life-saving technologies. By utilizing stored energy more efficiently, sensors can consistently deliver exceptional reliability and reduced maintenance costs, creating better value for customers. The ’248 patent, which is SDS’s eighth patent, pertains to a novel testing mechanism supporting the sensor’s practical testing utilizing the low-power approach, while SDS’s ninth patent, the ’414 patent, introduces methods and technologies for reducing sensor power consumption.

“SDS has always strived to design and engineer products that exceed expectations,” said Rich Onofrio, chief technology officer, who is a lead engineering contributor and a co-author of these and all other SDS patents. “Our progress in power management illustrates to our customers and the industry that SDS products are engineered to deliver value.”

Patent US 11,688,414 is the first SDS patent co-authored by Frank Bachmann, principal hardware designer, a Northeastern University graduate who started his career with SDS in 2018. “I am honored to be acknowledged by both the USPTO and my colleagues,” said Bachmann. “Patents entail years of research, testing, and collaboration before submission, and the SDS engineering team is constantly exploring new ideas.”

For more information, visit Shooter Detection Systems. //

“In recent years, security professionals have adopted significant advancements in technology to help keep their occupants and assets safe,” said Julie Brandt, president of Building Solutions North America at Johnson Controls. “However, these systems are not designed to set and forget, and instead require continuous monitoring and updates to operate effectively. The intelligence provided by the OpenBlue platform empowers our customers and our service teams with actionable steps to improve security device performance and enhance building safety, taking the legwork and guesswork out of system maintenance and risk management.”

Johnson Controls expert resources can help identify and address degrading security system performance before a critical outage occurs and ensure customers’ security systems are operational, compliant and cybersecure.

For more information, visit Johnson Controls. //