Guardian implements ASAP to PSAP in Richmond

WARRENDALE, Pa.—When Jason Bradley was named director of central station operations for Guardian Protection Services in April, he said implementing the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol program would be high on the agenda. Just a few months into his tenure, that objective has been realized, with the company going live with the program in Richmond, Va., where the company has a strong account base.

It's a critical first step toward broader implementation in other PSAP-ready jurisdictions, Bradley told Security Systems News.

“That's essentially how it works,” he said. “You go to one agency first, pass their criteria, then it's basically an introduction program. As you pass one agency and they sign off on you, you get handed to the next. It's almost a pass along the chain type of situation.”

What's next for Guardian's ASAP implementation? Bradley wants to see the company go live in Washington, D.C., one of the largest ASAP-ready jurisdictions in the country.

“That will benefit the company even more, because we have an even larger account base in Washington,” he said. “We have a presence in every one of the markets in the program, so as we continue moving through it's going to benefit customers and our efficiency within the central station tremendously.”

Bradley said the six-week process was completed with no snags, and that the smoothness of the implementation was in large part due to how well Guardian maintains its data and to how well the ASAP program is designed. He credited the IT department, data entry and central station personnel for their collaboration in ensuring the company's customer database was ASAP-compliant.

He said the process was as simple as having ASAP membership, setting up a VPN to CSAA's ASAP server, and doing data transmission tests with the Richmond PSAP. Guardian's MAStermind platform had previously been upgraded to prepare for integration of the program, Bradley noted, so the next step on that end involved configuring the platform for the protocol, which took “a couple of hours.”

“I don't want to simplify things but it's actually not a difficult process,” he said. “They've built the system very well.”

Bradley views the program as a differentiator that dealers and subscribers alike will recognize. �

“I think dealers are going to be looking for any new technology in the marketplace that's offering a definite differentiator as the ASAP program is,” he said. “I think it's incumbent upon anybody in the marketplace to provide that type of service. The benefits of ASAP are obvious, and people are looking for differentiators for both customers and dealer partners.”

Bradley also believes the ASAP to PSAP program is destined to bring “exponential” value to the industry—not only as its geographic reach expands, but also as the program continues to adapt to the signal transmission possibilities that lie ahead.

As an example, he said it's conceivable, down the road, that the ASAP program could be combined with some of the Partnership for Priority Video Alarm Response's latest efforts to create best practices for video verified response.

“I know this isn't today, but tomorrow anything is obtainable,” Bradley said. “Imagine ASAP and PPVAR kind of merging those two things together, allowing us not only to transmit alarm dispatch info by the ASAP program, but also clips of live video data, or streamed data, with that dispatch. How wonderful would that be? I think that could be part of a phenomenal future in the industry.”