Loudoun County, Virginia Goes Live with Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP)

October 12, 2017

Alarm users to benefit from faster, more accurate emergency response.

PITTSBURGH, October 12, 2017 – Loudoun County, Virginia becomes the latest municipality to go live with Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP), a technology that automates communication between alarm monitoring central stations and 911 centers, resulting in improved accuracy and speed of emergency response.

Within Virginia, Loudoun County joins the counties of James City, York and Henrico, as well as the cities of Richmond and Newport News, which are already online with the use of ASAP technology. Loudoun County went live on October 10, 2017.

Transmitting data electronically speeds up alarm notification delivery and reduces the number of phone calls and processing times at emergency response centers. It also eliminates human error and miscommunication between operators; all pertinent data goes directly to first responders within seconds.

In areas where it is used, ASAP delivers alarm notification information from central stations directly to public safety answering points (PSAPs) via computer rather than by phone, eliminating the need for communication between monitoring center operators and 911 operators.

ASAP was created in partnership with The Monitoring Association (formerly the Central Station Alarm Association) and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO), with Vector Security President and CEO Pam Petrow co-chairing the steering committee. Vector Security was the first alarm company to use ASAP in the City of Richmond, VA in 2012. Vector Security assisted with implementation in Loudoun County by helping to perform extensive testing prior to the system going live.

“Alarm users in Loudoun County, including more than 1,700 Vector Security customers, will benefit from faster and more accurate emergency response with the implementation of ASAP,” said Anita Ostrowski, Vice President of Central Station Services, Vector Security. “We hope the positive impact that ASAP will bring to Loudoun County will encourage other major 911 centers in the nation to adopt this technology as well.”

“As a security provider, we seek ways to promote ASAP’s value to municipalities and public agencies, and help other alarm companies implement it for the greater good of the industry and the safety of our communities,” she added.

Currently, Loudoun County dispatches fire and medical responders for the entire county. It dispatches police to all of the county with the exception of the City of Leesburg, which handles their own police dispatching.

Other municipalities that have implemented ASAP include Richmond, VA; Houston, TX; Washington D.C.; James City County, York County and Henrico County, VA; Tempe and Chandler, AZ; Boca Raton, FL; Cary, High Point and Kernersville, NC; Guilford County, Wilson County, Durham County, Johnston County, and Union County NC; Denton County and Grand Prairie, TX; Morgan County, AL; Delaware County, OH; Bucks County, PA; Newport News, VA; Manatee County, FL; Monroe County, NY; Williamson County, TX; Dane County, WI; and Highland Park, TX.

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

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About Vector Security

For more than 50 years, Vector Security, Inc. (www.vectorsecurity.com) has been a premier provider of intelligent security solutions tailored to the needs of the customer. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, the company offers a full suite of electronic security services for residential, business and national account customers across North America and the Caribbean through a network of branches, authorized dealers and their ADS Security division. The Vector Security Networks division offers customized physical security and managed network services to multi-site commercial customers. Vector Security is a sister company of the Philadelphia Contributionship, a mutual insurance company founded in 1752, and currently provides cost-effective, technology-based security and automation solutions to nearly 400,000 homes and businesses across 58 branch locations.

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