OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Osceola County introduces an Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) Service designed to greatly improve emergency response efficiency by automating alarm alerts. The new service aims to reduce the burden on 911 telecommunicators in the county’s emergency communications center (ECC).
In 2025, the ECC handled over 12,000 alarm notifications, causing delays due to manual responses. With ASAP, the county expects to save telecommunicators 33 to 133 hours per month, allowing them to focus on more critical calls.
Sheriff Christopher A. Blackmon of Osceola County highlighted the importance of implementing ASAP to decrease the number of manual alarm-related calls handled by telecommunicators. “Our agency decided to implement ASAP Service to reduce the volume of alarm-related calls that must be handled manually by our telecommunicators,” Blackmon stated.
Typically, alarm notifications involve multiple voice calls between the ECC and alarm-monitoring personnel, adding an average of six to eight minutes to response times. Blackmon noted, “Shifting alarm notifications to an automated system enables our telecommunicators to dedicate more of their time and attention to higher-priority emergency calls, ultimately improving overall operational efficiency and enhancing public safety within our community.”
This exciting development not only reduces response times but also enhances overall situational awareness. It does this by sharing images, video links, and extra details collected by alarm-monitoring centers, helping you stay better informed.
Several alarm-monitoring companies, including Rapid Response, Vector Security, Security Central, and others, currently use the ASAP Service to send notifications to Osceola County’s ECC.
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