Central One: Dispatch Agency Database

Dispatch Agency Database Fields:

The dispatch agency database contains important information about public and private agencies that are dispatched in connection with alarm signals. Common public agencies include police departments, sheriff’s offices, highway patrol units, and fire departments. Private agencies include private security companies such as Fox or Wackenhut and the individual security offices and posts maintained by them or other private companies. Sometimes an alarm dealer will require a special dispatch agency but this is not common.

Dispatch agencies are assigned a unique number in the database. This number is entered in the various subscriber accounts that are to be dispatched when signals are received. This is what is known as a relational database with a one to many relationship. Many subscribers use the same dispatch agency but the dispatch agency information appears only in one place. The dispatch agency number serves as a key or pointer in each subscriber account to the proper agency record. If a police department changes a telephone number or other information it is not necessary to change all of the subscriber records that refer to that police department. One change in the dispatch agency record is all that is required.

The screen below shows a typical dispatch agency record:

The agency name field contains the actual name of the public or private agency to be dispatched. The state where the subscriber’s account is located must match the state where the dispatch agency is located if the dispatch agency is a PD (police department), FD (fire department), EMS (emergency medical services) or guard agency type. It is not required to match for owner or dealer agency types.

The “Use Agency:” field specifies a central agency that covers multiple jurisdictions. Here is an example that explains the use of this field:

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (agency 72) dispatches alarms for the Town of Hypoluxo (agency 254). It is determined that subscribers in Hypoluxo need to have their own dispatch agency number for one of the following reasons:

1. There is an alarm permit or user registration requirement in one jurisdiction but not the other.

2. There is a false alarm fine in one jurisdiction but not the other or the fine schedules (amount per alarm) differ in the two jurisdictions.

3. The central station is required to be licensed in one jurisdiction but not the other or the license numbers are different.

4. There is a probability that Hypoluxo will have its own call center in the future and it makes more sense to create a separate agency now than to try to identify the accounts that belong in that jurisdiction later. For example, if the Town of Hypoluxo announced plans to open its own call center in the future, it makes sense to create a root dispatch agency for Hypoluxo and put that agency number in all the subscriber accounts located within the town limits. Until the town opens its call center agency 72 would be entered in the “Use Agency:” field. When the Hypoluxo call center opens the “Use Agency:” field would be erased and the appropriate dispatch telephone numbers would be entered for Hypoluxo (agency 254).

When none of the foregoing reasons apply there is no reason to create a separate agency. Subscriber accounts could simply use agency 72. When dispatching an alarm, operators will see the name and main and alternate dispatch telephone numbers of the “Use Agency” and the licensing, fine and administrative information of the root agency. Only one reference is permitted. If agency 3 has “use agency” 2 and agency 2 has “use agency” 1, subscriber accounts containing agency 3 for dispatch will be dispatched to agency 2 (not agency 1). Subscriber accounts containing agency 2 for dispatch will be dispatched to agency 1.

The second line of the database record contains the attributes of the dispatch agency. It is a PD (police department), FD (fire department), etc. The “owner” attribute is “Y” for yes for corporations that have their own security department of dispatch center that is responsible for more than one monitored account. The “dealer” attribute is “Y” for yes when the dispatch numbers reach a dealer or dealer employee. Use of the “dealer” attribute is rare, especially since important signals can now be emailed to the dealer automatically. When either the “owner” or “dealer” attribute applies it is prudent to enter the dealer number in the “Restricted to group:” field at the bottom of the record. This prevents the public and other dealers from seeing the record via the internet.

Dispatch telephone numbers 1 and 2 are the telephone numbers to be used by operators to report alarms at the time the alarm is received.

The autodispatch type and data are used for electronically transferring the dispatch information from the central station computer to the dispatch center. Currently supported types include:

1. Dispatch 911 currently installed in the Metro Dade, Florida 911 center.

2. Dispatch to a fax machine.

3. Dispatch to an alpha-pager using Motorola Moden 3 protocol.

4. Dispatch to an email address (also useful with alpha pagers).

It is not necessary or proper to use a dispatch to email signals unconditionally. Use the “Email Dealer (Y/N)?” field in the signal record or the account special instruction fields if you always want an email sent. A dispatch agency is required if you want conditional emails sent. For example, you want the operator to call the premises before sending the email. If code is obtained then no email should be sent. If no code then send the email (and perhaps other steps).

The “verification/non-emergency phone” field is used when the dealer or central station calls to verify that the subscriber’s address is within the jurisdiction of the dispatch agency. Every account entered in the central station database should be verified by a phone call. It is the responsibility of each dealer to submit accounts with the proper dispatch agency. The central station data entry personnel will eventually make a verify call (if the dealer does not) but this may take a long time and there is no guarantee that the central station will verify jurisdiction before an alarm is received and the authorities are needed at the premises.

The “fax” phone field that follows the verification phone field should contain the fax number of the dispatch authority. This number is used to send notifications of out of service NFPA required fire alarm systems, alarm registrations and other correspondence.

The “extension”, “contact name”, and “general remarks” fields contain valuable contact information for communication between the alarm dealer and the dispatch agency or between Central One and the dispatch agency.

The central station license/permit number, expiration date, permit office phone and fax numbers and permit office contact fields contain valuable information for communication between Central One and the dispatch agency in connection with compliance with local statutes and ordinances.

Some jurisdictions require the central station to register alarms. If this field contains “Y” for yes then a form number is required so that the central station computer will automatically produce the proper registration when the account is created. This field is not used if registration is required to be made by the alarm user or the alarm dealer.

When the “User Permit Required (Y/N)?” field contains “Y” for yes and a subscriber who uses the agency does not have a permit (or has an expired permit) the dealer will receive a daily notification via the subscriber trouble report that a permit is required. If “No Dispatch Without Permit (Y/N)?” contains “Y” for yes the report will say “no dispatch without permit”. In this case, the central station computer will instruct the operator not to dispatch the agency when an alarm is received. This field should contain “Y” for yes when (1) a fine is imposed against the central station for dispatching without a permit or (2) the local law makes dispatching without a permit a criminal offense.

If the “Callout must respond on second dispatch within 24 hours (Y/N)?” field contains “Y” for yes then the central station computer will place the callout notification step ahead of the dispatch step when a second alarm is received and instruct the operator not to dispatch by displaying “Callout Must Go” in the dispatch remarks field on the alarm screen.

The next six fields contain the dollar amount of the fines incurred for the first six false alarms in a given year. These fields allow Central One to provide false alarm warnings to your subscribers as follows:

1. You must elect to have false alarm warnings apply to all your subscribers.

2. Fine schedules must be entered for the police dispatch agency used by each subscriber.

When an alarm is received (1) that is to be dispatched to the police agency designated on the account and (2) a fine would result based on the fine schedule and the number of previous dispatches and (3) false alarm warnings have been elected the Alarm Traffic Manager software will put the callout step ahead of the police dispatch step and instruct the operator that a fine will result by placing “F/A FINE” in the remarks field of the police dispatch step. The operator will advise the callout that a fine will result if the alarm is false and ask the callout if the police should be dispatched.

The next five fields contain the name, address, phone and fax numbers for the user permit office, if applicable. Any additional information we have such as links to agency web sites and copies of or links to local ordinances can be found on our website at www.centralone.com/states. Simply click the state you are interested in and a page will display all of the information we currently have.

Dealer Access to the Dispatch Agency Database is Read Only:

Only the Central One data entry department personnel have the ability to create new dispatch agency records and edit existing records. This degree of control is necessary to assure Central One’s compliance with local laws. Before a dispatch agency is created a telephone call is placed to determine whether we need any type of licensing to monitor alarms in the agency’s jurisdiction. Dealers have the ability via the internet to create new accounts anywhere at all including jurisdictions where Central One is required to be licensed but is not yet licensed. It is the dispatch agency database that prevents us from violating the local licensing law. If no dispatch agency has been created then we cannot accidentally or improperly dispatch to an agency in the jurisdiction where we are unlicensed. It is for this reason that Central One has a strict policy against placing public agency telephone numbers directly in the subscriber record. Our operators are trained not to call police department, fire department, EMS or any other public agencies that appear improperly in the special instructions fields or on the callout notification list of an individual account.

When a dealer submits a new account that requires a dispatch agency to be created our data entry personnel must:

1. Search the existing database thoroughly to be certain the agency is not already in the database and will not be duplicated.

2. Call the dispatch agency and ask if the telephone number provided by the dealer is the best number for dispatching alarms.

3. Ask if there are other telephone numbers used for dispatching alarms and search our database again to be sure we do not already have the agency on file.

4. Ask for all of the information contained in the database record, described above, including license and registration requirements, user permit requirements, false alarm fine schedule, non-emergency and fax telephone numbers.

5. Ask if there is a web site providing additional information.

Verification of Dispatch Agency Jurisdiction:

For every subscriber entered in the Alarm Traffic Manager database the jurisdiction of the police, fire and medical dispatch agencies must be verified using one of the following methods:

1. Call the agency’s non-emergency number, give the address and request confirmation verbally.

2. Confirm via zip plus four. When entering a new account in the database if you enter the zip plus four and (1) one or more other accounts have the same zip plus four and agency usage and (2) no other accounts have the same zip plus four with a different agency usage and (3) jurisdiction of the existing account(s) has been verified via phone call then the matching agencies will be added to the account by default.

Central One relies upon the dispatch agency information submitted by the dealer when new accounts are created. We will eventually make verification calls on this data unless you have specifically instructed us not to do so. However, the lapse of time between the creation of the account and the verification call we make can be significant and alarms can be received before we make the call.

All Central One dealers have access to the dispatch agency database using the F5 option of the remote access main menu. You may search by phone number, name or any other data that appears in the record by typing the criterion in the “Other:” field and pressing enter to search. Central One asks that all dealers be diligent in identifying and verifying that every dispatch agency submitted to us is correct.