10.4.24 – SSI – Tom Nakatani
AVS-01 initiative by TMA, PPVAR and ADT aims to provide critical details to first responders using both historical and real-time data
A new alarm evaluation standard, known as the Alarm Validation Scoring Standard (AVS-01), is being implemented nationally to enhance how emergency services assess alarm calls and improve response efficiency.
This initiative, led by The Monitoring Association (TMA) in collaboration with the Partnership for Priority Verified Alarm Response (PPVAR) and ADT, aims to provide critical details to first responders using both historical and real-time data. These insights help responders gauge the severity of threats as they take place and make informed decisions swiftly.
Traditionally, U.S. monitoring centers have dispatched emergency services on a first-come, first-served basis, but this approach does not take into consideration the severity of each unique situation.
AVS-01, introduced as the new standard in June 2024, ensures that monitoring centers can categorize alarms starting at Level 1 – with the flexibility to escalate or deescalate based on additional information received – and provide a description of the event.
By using corroborating evidence from smart home security systems to produce a validation score, AVS-01 shifts away from the traditional approach. Instead, it prioritizes responses based on the gravity and credibility of the alarm.
Inside the AVS-01 Level Classifications
The full AVS-01 alarm level classifications are:
- Level 0 – No call for service (event canceled/cleared)
- Level 1 – Intrusion alarm with no additional or limited information
- Level 2 – Intrusion alarm with confirmed or highly probable human presence with unknown intent
- Level 3 – Intrusion alarm with confirmed threat to property
- Level 4 – Intrusion alarm with confirmed threat to life (non-user initiated event)
Historically, alarm level classifications differed between municipalities, resulting in inconsistent emergency responses. AVS-01 addresses this by introducing a standardized, structured approach that provides dispatch centers and law enforcement with more situational awareness.
This improves decision-making for dispatch centers, leading to more efficient and effective allocation of emergency resources as well as more prepared emergency responders.
For AVS-01 to become a national standard, it needs adoption across the diverse landscape of 911 centers nationwide. ADT, leveraging its extensive experience and partnerships in public safety, is spearheading efforts to implement AVS-01 across various jurisdictions by offering a first-of-its-kind pilot program that educated and provided training information for emergency call centers on the new standard.
ADT also supported this by becoming the first national provider to obtain UL Certification on the adoption of AVS-01. Acquiring and maintaining the UL Certification assures customers and public safety that ADT fully complies with the standard we helped develop.
AVS-01 promotes enhanced emergency response by encouraging businesses and homeowners to equip their alarm systems with real-time verification capabilities. This new standard also drives add-ons and upgrades to their systems, helping customers better protect what matters to them most. This includes the use of technologies like real-time video and sensors, combined with 24/7 professional monitoring.
Looking ahead, we expect AVS-01 to significantly impact the alarm industry by making video and other technology verified systems essential for ensuring prompt emergency responses. This new standard will also serve as a competitive differentiator that will distinguish professional monitoring companies that can quickly and accurately provide alarm level information to public safety from those that cannot.
Organizations adopting these advancements not only protect their assets and personnel but also contribute to community safety.
The adoption of AVS-01 on a national scale has the potential to greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of emergency response services as a whole, as well as how professional monitoring can work alongside emergency services to keep people and their property safe and secure.
Tom Nakatani is the vice president of IT, customer monitoring technology for ADT Security Services.