Custom Alarm Renews TMA Five Diamond Monitoring Center Designation
The Monitoring Association grants the designation annually to monitoring centers that satisfy all requirements of the “five points of excellence.”
The TMA Five Diamond Monitoring Center designation is granted annually to alarm monitoring centers that satisfy all requirements of the “five points of excellence” per guidelines of The Monitoring Association.
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Custom Alarm, based here, has renewed its TMA Five Diamond Monitoring Center designation.
Custom Alarm is locally owned and operated with its own UL-Listed central station. The company specializes in fire alarm systems, intrusion, video surveillance, access control and home automation.
The Five Diamond designation, administered by The Monitoring Association, is granted annually to monitoring centers that satisfy all requirements of the “five points of excellence.” They are:
- Commitment to ongoing job-related education and testing by having all monitoring center operators certified using the TMA online training series on industry best practices.
- Commitment to random inspections and quality criteria standards by a nationally recognized testing laboratory such as FM Approvals, Intertek/ETL and UL.
- Commitment to raising the industry standards through TMA membership and participation in its activities.
- Commitment to reducing false dispatches.
- Commitment to the highest levels of customer service.
The TMA Five Diamond designation means, in particular, that a monitoring company has demonstrated an exceptionally high degree of responsibility to their local community and their customers through the investment of time, money and commitment to quality operator training.
Operators serve as the life-saving link between residential or business properties and the police, fire and emergency services in local areas. The TMA Monitoring Center Operator course covers virtually all phases of monitoring center communications with customers, police, fire and emergency services communications centers.
In order to achieve the Five Diamond designation, each operator must not only pass the course but demonstrate proficiency in:
- alarm confirmation process, which helps reduce false alarms
- communications with Public Service Answering Points, such as the emergency 911 centers
- the area of emergency preparedness under a wide scenario of possibilities
Each operator must also demonstrate knowledge of electronic communications equipment, including cellular, radio and Internet communication systems. Also, operators must have an understanding of the codes and standards of such organizations as UL, Factory Mutual, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), among others.
There are approximately 2,700 monitoring centers in the United States that communicate and interact with police, fire and emergency services agencies, according to TMA. Of this group, fewer than 200 monitoring centers have achieved the Five Diamond designation.
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