McLean, Va. (July 17, 2025) – The Monitoring Association (TMA) announced today that three Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) operated by Chagrin Valley (Ohio) Regional Communications — serving the cities of Bedford, Brecksville, and Cleveland Heights — went live with ASAP Service in mid-June. The state of Ohio now has nine 911 centers that are leveraging the solution.
ASAP Service was developed by TMA to lessen the impact of alarm notifications that typically enter an ECC over nonemergency administrative telephone lines. With ASAP Service in place, those notifications are delivered automatically to the ECC’s computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, with all information needed by ECCs telecommunicators to dispatch the appropriate emergency response. This saves about two minutes on average, a significant amount of time during emergencies when lives are at stake and every second matters.
In the first 12 days after ASAP Service went live at the four Chagrin Valley ECCs, a total of 554 alarm notifications were automatically entered into their CAD systems.
“By digitally streamlining alarm dispatches, we will free up valuable seconds and minutes, reducing dispatcher workload, minimizing human error, and ultimately, improving the speed and accuracy of our response to every emergency,” said Lisa Rapitis, deputy director, Chagrin Valley Dispatch.
ASAP Service leverages the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP). The protocol was developed jointly by TMA and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) 11 years ago. ASAP Service also leverages the Alarm Verification Scoring standard (ANSI/TMA AVS-01), which identifies five scoring levels to help telecommunicators prioritize the severity of an alarm notification.
The following alarm companies support ASAP Service in the area served by Chagrin Valley Regional Communications:
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The Chagrin Valley implementations follow recent ASAP Service deployments by the Tampa (Florida) Police Department, Frederick County (Maryland) Department of Emergency Communications, and Norfolk (Virginia) Police Department.
Learn more about how TMA's ASAP Service is saving lives every day nationwide at www.ASAP911.org.
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About The Monitoring Association
The Monitoring Association (TMA), formerly the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), is an internationally recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies, security systems integrators, and providers of products and services to the industry. Incorporated in 1950, TMA represents its members before Congress and regulatory agencies on the local, state and federal levels, and other authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) over the industry. Learn more online at https://tma.us/about-tma/.
About TMA’s ASAP Service
Launched in 2011 as a public-private partnership, TMA’s Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) service allows for the direct electronic dispatch of first responder calls for service from alarm companies to PSAPs and ECCs. Increasing the accuracy and efficiency of dispatches, the ASAP service utilizes ANSI standard protocols developed cooperatively by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and The Monitoring Association (TMA).
CONTACT:
Julie Howerter, marketing strategist
The ASAP Service
815-501-5832