Connect with us

Technology

Minnesota County Is Still Reaping Huge Benefits from ASAP Service Five Years Later

Published

on

The Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) Service is saving telecommunicators at the Anoka County Emergency Communications Center an average of 30 hours each month.

ANOKA, Minn., May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The Monitoring Association (TMA) announced today that Anoka County Emergency Communications Center (ECC) has dramatically reduced the amount of time that 911 telecommunicators spend on calls generated by alarm and sensor systems as a result of implementing TMA’s ASAP Service. The solution leverages the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP), which was developed jointly by TMA and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO).

Rarely does the public-safety sector encounter a decision that is a no-brainer — but implementing ASAP Service is one of them. I urge every ECC to do so as soon as possible.

“Our latest data shows that ASAP Service is saving our telecommunicators an average of 30 hours each month,” said Kari Morrissey, Anoka County’s director of emergency communications.

Anoka County ECC has handled 911 and nonemergency calls for service, and has dispatched the appropriate emergency response, since 1974. ECC officials sought a way to lessen the impact of alarm- and sensor-generated calls for a variety of reasons. One is that the 911 community has been suffering from an acute staffing shortage for several years — it is estimated that 77 percent of ECCs nationwide are understaffed.

Another reason for the ECC to address the high volume of alarm-and sensor-generated calls that it was receiving is that the role of 911 telecommunicators is inherently stressful and such calls exacerbate that stress. ECCs nationwide field about 240 million calls for emergency service annually and most of them involve life-and-death situations. Consequently, it is estimated that 25 to 44 percent of telecommunicators have experienced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at some point in their careers.

Arguably the most important reason, however, is that the legacy approach to handling alarm- and sensor-generated calls is time-consuming and prone to human error on several levels. Both outcomes are highly detrimental to the ability of emergency responders to save lives.

Traditionally, alarm- and sensor-generated alerts have been delivered to ECCs via telephone. Each one requires interaction between alarm-monitoring-center personnel and 911 telecommunicators. Sometimes it takes as many as five voice calls to deliver the information needed by the ECC to dispatch the appropriate emergency response.

ASAP Service eliminates these inefficiencies by automating the alarm-notification process and directly integrating with an ECC’s computer-aided-dispatch (CAD) system. The platform electronically transmits alarm and sensor data directly into the CAD system, reducing response times by up to two minutes. Further, the automation that ASAP Service provides also reduces administrative call load significantly, freeing telecommunicators to prioritize 911 calls that require their unique skills and expertise.

Anoka County ECC implemented ASAP Service in 2020. Today, about 36 percent of the alarm- and sensor-generated calls that reach the center do so via ASAP Service.

Consequently, the human errors that plagued the legacy approach to handling alarm- and sensor-generated calls have been reduced dramatically because verbal information-sharing for such calls has been eliminated, as has manual data entry into the CAD system. Further, the platform provides pre-verified addresses, eliminating transcription and geographical errors that can delay emergency responses.

“Rarely does the public-safety sector encounter a decision that is a no-brainer — but implementing ASAP Service is one of them,” Morrissey said. “I urge every ECC to do so as soon as possible.”

Learn more about how TMA’s ASAP Service is saving lives every day nationwide at www.ASAP911.org.

About Anoka County Emergency Communications

Anoka County Emergency Communications has been providing public-safety communications services to the citizens of Anoka County since 1974. The department answers 9-1-1 and non-emergency calls — about 400,000 annually — for the county’s 367,018 citizens and provides dispatch services for 11 law-enforcement agencies and 17 fire departments. The department also is responsible for operating and maintaining the countywide 800 megahertz (MHz) public-safety radio system that is used by all emergency responders in the county, which is the fourth-largest by population in the state.

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).

Media Contact

Alex Oltmanns, Pipitone, 1 412-321-0879, aoltmanns@pipitone.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/minnesota-county-is-still-reaping-huge-benefits-from-asap-service-five-years-later-302444095.html

SOURCE Anoka County Emergency

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

Saramonic WiTalk9 X: Modular-Designed, Lightweight Wireless Intercom System Redefines Team Communication

Published

on

By

NEW YORK, April 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Saramonic, a leading brand in audio solutions, announced a 9-Person Modular Full-Duplex Wireless Intercom System WiTalk9 X and the WiTalk9 Base. WiTalk9 X builds upon the success of the WiTalk9 with a focus on lightweight comfort and modular adaptability, introducing unprecedented flexibility and scalability of modern production teams from small to large.

Industry-First Modular Design for Maximum Flexibility

The Saramonic WiTalk9 X sets a new standard for adaptability in wireless intercom systems. Its industry-first modular construction allows users to switch between single-ear, dual-ear, or helmet-ready models, accommodating the diverse needs of different crew roles.

Weighing just 172 grams (6 oz) with battery in its single ear configuration, the WiTalk9 X delivers all-day comfort for demanding production environments. The IPX4-rated, lightweight design allows professionals who wear headsets for extended periods during long shoots or live events to focus on their work.

Intelligible Voice Communication: Saramonic ClearTalk™2.0 Technology and AI Noise Cancellation

Saramonic ClearTalk™2.0 combines the dual-microphone array and Saramonic AI Noise Cancellation. The cardioid main microphone focuses on the speaker’s voice, and the omnidirectional secondary mic collects the noise as samples for Saramonic AI Noise cancellation to separate the vocal and noise, ensuring clear and stable voice communication.

Saramonic AI Noise Cancellation is trained by over 700,000 noise samples across 20,000+ hours. Compared to traditional environmental noise cancellation that only handles ambient sounds, it identifies and separates noise in real-time to keep voice clear and stable within team communication, even when multiple crews speak at once in a complex environment.

Efficient Team Work with Dual-Antenna Design and Saramonic WiTalk Wireless Intercom Ecosystem

The WiTalk9 X features both internal and external antennas to continuously monitor signal quality and select the stronger signal. It operates on the 1.9 GHz DECT Technology and offers up to 12 hours battery life with a spare rechargeable lithium battery for quick replacement, enables teams to stay connected within 1,300 ft (400m) – ideal for events, film shoots, and live performances.

Saramonic WiTalk9 X supports a 9-person system without a hub, and can be easily scaled up to 64 users via WiTalk Base, enabling group cascading and remote collaboration with an industry-leading range of up to 700 meters.

Pricing and Availability

The Saramonic WiTalk9 X is available through official stores. For detailed pricing and configuration options, please contact your local Saramonic representative or visit www.saramonic.com.

Contact: marketing@saramonic.com 

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2959888/9x__________1_1.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/saramonic-witalk9-x-modular-designed-lightweight-wireless-intercom-system-redefines-team-communication-302746569.html

Continue Reading

Technology

Siemon Releases 2026 ESG Report and Progress Update Report

Published

on

By

WATERTOWN, Conn., April 19, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The Siemon Company, a global leader in high‑performance network infrastructure solutions for data centers and smart buildings, is proud to announce the release of its 2026 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, showcasing accelerated climate action, third‑party‑verified performance, and continued leadership in transparent, responsible business practices. The report highlights Siemon’s strongest ESG results to date, including early achievement of science‑based climate targets, expanded renewable energy adoption, increased product transparency, and a people‑first culture that supports accountability, equity, and long‑term value creation.

Sustainability is not a side initiative; it’s embedded in how we operate, how we innovate, and how we lead. This year’s report reflects disciplined execution across our Sustainable Development Goals, our value chain, and our workforce.

Key Highlights from the 2026 ESG Report:

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Achieved a 69% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from a 2021 baseline, surpassing the company’s 2031 SBTi‑validated target four years ahead of schedule.Reduced Scope 3 emissions intensity by 23.1%, while maintaining essentially flat absolute emissions despite business growth.

Energy, Water & Waste

Increased renewable energy usage to 90% of global operations, achieving Scope 2 carbon neutrality at major U.S. and China facilities.Reduced water usage by 30%, exceeding the company’s long‑term reduction goal.Delivered a 17.1% absolute reduction in waste, supported by expanded recycling and sustainable packaging initiatives.

Product Transparency & Customer Enablement

Expanded Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) coverage to 41% of sales and Health Product Declaration (HPD) coverage to 49% of sales, supporting green building and material health requirements to a screening threshold of 100 ppm.Launched an online compliance portal providing on‑demand regulatory and standards assurance for 99% of finished goods, including RoHS, REACH, PFAS, and conflict minerals.

People & Social Impact

Certified™ by Great Place To Work® in the U.S. for the third consecutive year, with 90.4% of employees globally affirming Siemon as a great place to work.We have made a commitment to ensure that 100% of our employees are paid at or above the living wage. Contributed 2,600+ volunteer hours and over $160,000 in charitable giving, supporting education, community, and conservation initiatives worldwide.

Governance & Transparency

Advanced alignment with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), completing a third‑party‑reviewed Double Materiality Assessment and Limited Assurance Audit.Maintained 100% employee training on the Company Code of Conduct, aligned with the UN Global Compact and Responsible Business Alliance principles.

“Sustainability is not a side initiative; it’s embedded in how we operate, how we innovate, and how we lead. This year’s report reflects disciplined execution across our Sustainable Development Goals, our value chain, and our workforce. We’re focused on delivering measurable progress today while building the systems and governance needed for the future.”

– John Siemon, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Siemon

In a unique effort to bridge corporate reporting with tangible action, Siemon has integrated an interactive giving component into the digital publication. Within the executive summary and each primary pillar – Environmental, Social, and Governance -readers will find a dedicated link to unlock a corporate donation. This initiative empowers stakeholders to personally direct Siemon to fund toward one of five global non-profit partners: Habitat for Humanity, Doctors Without Borders, Engineers Without Borders, One Tree Planted, or Oceana.

The full 2026 ESG Report is available for download at www.siemon.com/esg.

About Siemon

Siemon is a global market leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance connectivity solutions for data centers and smart buildings. We empower our customers to connect faster, scale smarter and deploy with confidence. Founded in 1903, our legacy of customer-driven innovation, engineering excellence, and an unwavering commitment to sustainability has made us the benchmark for quality and reliability. We deliver precision-built copper, fiber and high-speed connectivity solutions that perform at scale, with the flexibility, speed, and support our customers rely on. With operations in over 100 countries, Siemon has one of the industry’s broadest solution portfolios and is the trusted partner behind the networks that connect the world. Find out more at www.siemon.com.

Media Contact

Brian Baum, Siemon, 1 8609454200, brian_baum@siemon.com

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/siemon-releases-2026-esg-report-and-progress-update-report-302746314.html

SOURCE Siemon

Continue Reading

Technology

Quickplay’s Triple Play of New Customers, Products and Partnerships Set to Dominate NAB 2026

Published

on

By

LAS VEGAS, April 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — (2026 NAB Show) – Quickplay, the Content to Value Operating System, today unveiled a broad array of company news including: an AI-enriched solution that identifies social signals and trending topics, and connects them to relevant content within minutes; transformative customer deployments; and powerful industry research and partnerships.

Debuting at NAB, Social Signals is a new technology within Quickplay AI Studio that identifies trending cultural moments and matches them with high-value content assets to automatically generate social-ready clips and posts. By combining external trend data with performance insights from owned channels, Social Signals enables content teams to move from insight to publishing in minutes, rather than days.

Social Signals is a key part of Quickplay’s AI Studio Solution, which includes metadata enrichment, moment detection, smart verticalization and multi-platform publishing. Its Smart Verticalizer uses multimodal AI and action tracking to intelligently reframe video –preserving key visual elements such as faces, gameplay and on-screen graphics – to maintain broadcast-quality standards across short-form formats. The company has also partnered with Visible Things, the creator-driven platform to deploy the first implementation of Social Signals across the Visible Things infrastructure.

Quickplay further announced it has gone live with Gray Media (NYSE: GTN)’s new streaming experience, which included consolidating 1,300 digital touchpoint, including 163 websites, 326 mobile apps and 815 CTV apps onto a single data-driven platform powered by Quickplay and Google Cloud (NASDAQ: GOOGL). The system now manages 269 live channels and 123 FAST channels across Amazon Prime Video, Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU), Samsung TV Plus, Vizio and Fire TV, delivering hyper-local content to 37% of U.S. TV households.

Quickplay also announced the cloud-native transformation of Television New Zealand’s streaming platform, TVNZ+. Completed in 12 months, Quickplay replaced a fragmented ecosystem of six+ vendors across UI/UX, content management, video processing, advertising and analytics with a single, unified platform. The team at TVNZ also named Amazon Web Services (NASDAQ: AMZN) as its preferred cloud platform for the transformation, further increasing efficiencies and lowering costs by consolidating onto a single cloud vendor. The technology overhaul will drive unprecedented innovation and efficiency for TVNZ, New Zealand’s state-owned broadcaster, which reaches over two million New Zealanders daily.

“Broadcasters don’t need another point solution. They need an AI-enabled operating system that turns content into measurable outcomes,” said Paul Pastor, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at Quickplay. “At NAB, we’re showing how to bring cultural moments, content catalogs and distribution workflows together to create engaging and revenue opportunities in real time.”

In partnership with Caretta Research, Quickplay will also release new research, “The Broadcaster Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” highlighting a critical bottleneck in the industry: North American broadcasters spend approximately 75% of their time on technical workflows, leaving only 25% for content creation. The report outlines how automated workflows and unified operations can help broadcasters meet the growing demand for short-form video while maintaining editorial quality and accelerating monetization.

Additionally, Quickplay has joined NAB PILOT, a coalition of innovators, educators and advocates dedicated to advancing broadcast technologies and cultivating new media opportunities. As a part of this group, Quickplay is expanding its collaboration with broadcasters to redefine how value is derived from content.

Quickplay at NAB 2026:

Paul Pastor, Jordan Bartow, and Peter Tanner of Quickplay, and Albert Lai of Google Cloud will be on a panel: An Audience of One: How Gray Media + Google Cloud + Quickplay are Using AI and Cloud OTT to Personalize Local News, Enable User-Generated Content, Engage Younger Viewers, and Unlock New Revenue for Broadcasters. Central Hall Stage, Monday, April 20 at 4:15p PTAt the NAB Streaming Summit TVNZ’s Chief Digital Officer, Rob Hutchinson, will present “How TVNZ+ Built a Co-Viewing Product” on Tuesday, April 21 at 11:30 AM PT.Live Demonstrations: See Quickplay technology in action at AWS, GCP, TwelveLabs and the Encore. To book a meeting, email hello@quickplay.com

About Quickplay:
Quickplay is the Content to Value Operating System for media and entertainment, connecting every stage of the content lifecycle, from creation to monetization. By applying intelligence where it drives measurable impact, Quickplay enables broadcasters, sports operators, streamers, and creators to turn their catalogs into revenue. Quickplay powers 2.5 billion streaming minutes per month, with 5 billion ad impressions served and 99.999% streaming uptime. 

Quickplay was founded by four innovators with deep media and entertainment technology experience from AT&T, McKinsey and Company, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Headquartered in Toronto, the company has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Chennai, and throughout Europe. For more information, visit quickplay.com.

Media Contact:
Breakaway Communications for Quickplay
quickplaypr@breakawaycom.com
+1 917-731-5734

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quickplays-triple-play-of-new-customers-products-and-partnerships-set-to-dominate-nab-2026-302746637.html

SOURCE Quickplay

Continue Reading

Trending