CSAA and 911 Call Centers to Create Communication Standard

VIENNA, Va.

July 26, 2005 SSI Staff

The Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) has joined up
with the association that promotes and represents officials
responsible for 911 and other emergency services to create
a standard alarm data exchange interface. The goal of the
joint standard with the Association for Public-Safety
Communications Officials (APCO) will be to have a standard
protocol and software platform for central stations to
communicate with 911 call centers and other public safety
answering points (PSAP).

CSAA and APCO will each be responsible for the management
and administration of the standard program, which will be
known as the “APCO Standard for Alarm Data Exchange.”

“This is truly a historic agreement that will very
positively effect the alarm industry for decades to come.
It is truly the Holy Grail of communications between the
alarm industry and the PSAPs,” said CSAA Executive Vice
President Steve Doyle. “After almost 15 years of pursuing
such an agreement, we have been able to combine alarm
industry efforts over the years with APCO’s ‘Project 36’
efforts to come to a joint initiative that will serve not
only our respective associations and industries well, but
also the public we serve.”

According to Doyle, SSI TARGET=’_blank’>Hall of Famer Ed Bonifas of Alarm
Detection Systems Inc. and Vector Security’s Pam Petrow
played a role in getting the standards project off the
ground. Also participating in the CSAA/APCO project are
alarm software providers GE, Bold Technologies, DICE and
MicroKey.

The final standard will be offered to any alarm software
vendor or PSAP, computer-aided dispatch provider or other
interested party involved in the delivery of alarm data to
PSAPs. No timetable has been given for the standard’s
completion.

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