Video verification takes center stage at ESC

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--Third-party monitoring station ESC Central plans to curb false alarms, work with verified response locations and spike RMR by adding video verification--with help from the VVM-110 DSC alarm panel, which uses OzVision technology. The marriage between DSC and ESC is unique. ESC Central's parent company is Electronic Supply Company, which distributes DSC products. ESC will not onxly employ the new module at the central station, but also offer the verification and notification solution at six locations. And the central will provide monitoring services for those dealers that work with the distribution centers. The central's traverse into video verification in January came after some of its 250 dealers throughout the nation, with a concentration in the south, requested a service that would decrease false alarms. Kristi Harris, vice president at the central, said that by just adding the OzVision module a camera could be hooked up to get video of pre-alarm and post-alarm activity to determine if police need to be dispatched. The technology can also be adapted to send emails to customers and police when alarm signal activity is triggered. This solution will be helpful to stabilize "our problem accounts, which are those that constantly have false alarms," Harris said. The added technology also provides another outlet for RMR. "Central stations are always looking for new services to integrate that will enable their dealers to increase revenue," she said. The video solution also integrates with the firm's Dice automation service. "When we get an alarm, the operator can view it to have a better idea of what is going on before and after the alarm," Harris said. Already ESC has held classes to teach dealers about selling video as a monitoring tool, as well as the technology itself. A marketing initiative has also begun at the central and the distribution centers.