Brinks Home has announced that its Monitoring Centers have earned UL certification for Alarm Validation Scoring (AVS-01).
The AVS-01 certification is a new development in the security industry, and Brinks Home’s certification underscores the company’s dedication to innovation and customer safety, according to the announcement.
The AVS-01 certification comes at a time when the security industry is grappling with the growing challenge of false alarms, which place unnecessary strain on emergency communication centers (ECCs) and local law enforcement. Designed by The Monitoring Association (TMA), AVS-01 is a framework for alarm validation scoring that provides ECCs with the information needed to accurately assess the severity of an alarm and pass that information to the appropriate authorities before they arrive on-site.
With this scoring standard, monitoring centers like Brinks Home can categorize alarms with specific threat levels — from no threat to a confirmed threat to life — ensuring law enforcement understands the situation and can respond accordingly.
“Accuracy in security monitoring is critical to ensure the most effective response to an alarm,” said Rick Sheets, vice president of monitoring and compliance at Brinks Home. “Through the AVS-01 certification, we can provide ECCs with the most accurate information possible, reducing false alarms and improving safety for everyone involved.”
To achieve this certification, Brinks Home adopted the necessary technology in its monitoring systems and underwent a UL audit for compliance. The process also involved integrating new workflows into the monitoring platform, training emergency dispatch operators (EDOs) to gather and score information accurately, and implementing a quality assurance program to ensure adherence to the new standards.
As technology evolves, Brinks Home says it is exploring advanced verification methods, including video monitoring and AI recognition, to further enhance alarm assessment. The AVS-01 system will continue to refine alarm prioritization, aiming for police to respond to the most critical alarms first with more accurate information to make better decisions and improve emergency response.
