Loudoun County, Va., 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.”

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