Public Safety Alarm Validation Scoring standard AVS-01 Education Resources
These resources are brought to you by PPVAR, The Partnership for Priority Verified Alarm Response. For more information about PPVAR Click Here
TMA-AVS-01 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard History
The genesis of the idea of an alarm classification process began at PPVAR. PPVAR began collaborating with The Monitoring Association (TMA) to create an intrusion alarm classification ANSI standard. As an ANSI Accredited Standards Development Organization, TMA often serves as the lead organization for the development of various standards impacting the security monitoring industry.
The Alarm Validation Scoring Standard (AVS-01) Committee invited stakeholders from Public Safety, Law Enforcement, Emergency Communications, the Electronic Security and Monitoring Industries, Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories and consultants to these fields.
After approximately two years of work by this diverse group of stakeholders and internal and public comment required by the ANSI process, the AVS-01 Standard received ANSI approval in January 2023.
Click here for the approved ANSI TMA-AVS -01 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard TMA-AVS-01-2024-Rev-2
Implementing the AVS-01 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard for your company READ HERE: TMA AVS-01 White Paper Executive Summary_FINAL
Training for AVS-01 is provided Free of charge and is suitable for Alarm Monitoring Center Operators, ECC Telecommunicators and anyone interested in understanding this important standard.
Embed or Download the AVS-01 Education Video below.
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Other Resources
The AVS-01 postcard contains a short explanation of the Alarm Validation Scoring standard and is a quick reference, with color coding, of the five Alarm Levels. A QR code directs your members to this informational page and resources. Good to print and hand-out or send electronically.
This is the AVS-01 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard approved by ANSI. It contains all the details of the standard. Good for Call Center supervisors and managers.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dwl6XaLC1Aw?si=eMfvj5d-N9b3p5IB" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Text copied to clipboard.
Click the top corner to copy Embedded YouTube Code to paste to your website
Other Resources
The AVS-01 postcard contains a short explanation of the Alarm Validation Scoring standard and is a quick reference, with color coding, of the five Alarm Levels. A QR code directs your members to this informational page and resources. Good to print and hand-out or send electronically.
This is the AVS-01 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard approved by ANSI. It contains all the details of the standard. Good for Call Center supervisors and managers.
About the TMA-AVS-01 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard
AVS (Alarm Validation Scoring) is an intrusion alarm classification standard. The standard defines intrusion alarms based on various threat levels and the process to determine the alarm level. This process can be done manually by a central station operator or can be adapted by automation providers or other parties for automated processing. It also includes language on communicating these classified or scored alarms to Public Safety through Emergency Communication centers (ECCs/911) as well as language regarding compliance for alarm monitoring centers.
There are five alarm levels:
No call for police response
Police response request with no or limited additional information
Police response request with confirmed or ‘highly probable’ human presence with unknown intent
Police response request with confirmed threat to property
Police response request with confirmed threat to life
TMA-AVS-01 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard
Prior to AVS-01, video, as well as other verification technologies, played a large role in better situational awareness for law enforcement. If an Alarm Monitoring Center were to inform an ECC/911 operator there was video of the onsite presence of an unknown, or unauthorized person, police would likely respond with a higher sense of urgency, certainly with a different enhanced and informed awareness.
Following AVS-01, the key difference is that information will be passed along in a standardized format. Simply, if an unknown person that was unable to be verified by the call list is determined to be on site, that will always be reported as an Alarm Level 2. That report will include whatever added information is available that the central station operator is observing or had observed.
The benefit to the Central Stations is standardization of the observe and report elements as identified in the standard elements.
The benefit to Public Safety—including the ECCs/911 centers, and law enforcement—is improved information that can be applied to determining the levels of and logistics of response. Instead of an alarm notification that is generic without more detailed information, the AVS-01 scoring standard creates a scaled metric of observations for reporting. This process heightens what public safety refers to as actionable information. This further enhances greater credibility and confidence.
