UTICA, N.Y. — The Oneida County Department of Emergency Services has implemented a new program to improve 911 response time by increasing data accuracy and eliminating miscommunications and unnecessary calls between alarm companies and telecommunicators.
“The installation of the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) program into our system will improve 911 response time for Oneida County residents and businesses who have alarm systems,” Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. contended in a news release. “Prior to this, alarm companies would call using our non-emergency numbers to report a burglary, fire, or medical alarm, requiring our dispatch to receive and manually enter that information. With this new addition, we will get the alarm notification electronically, which will automatically populate the data into our system.”
If an alarm company receives an error in sending the alarm electronically, it will contact the county 911 dispatch via phone to relay pertinent information for dispatch. The alarm company will continue to contact the home or business owner to inform them of the alarm.
The ASAP program went live in Oneida County on May 16 and 17 with the following security systems: Vector Security, Rapid Response Monitoring, Guardian Protection, Security Central, Stanley Security, Tyco (Johnson Controls), Protection One, Amherst Alarm, Doyle Security, National Monitoring Center, Affiliated Monitoring, Brinks Home Security, Vivint, Securitas, and ADT.
There is no registration required and no additional costs for residents from their alarm companies to use the ASAP program.
Oneida County is the seventh emergency communications center in New York and the 108th in the nation to implement the program, the release stated.