Scheme Modules | Market Requirements
SSAIB schemes cover a range of Monitoring Centre activities:
- Alarm Receiving Centres (ARCs)
- Remote Video Response Centres (RVRC)
- Control Rooms
- CCTV Monitoring Centres
Monitoring centres perform a central and critical role in both the intruder alarm and fire sectors. Intruder and fire alarm conditions from monitored systems must be routed through an ARC for verification using a Unique Reference Number (URN) before being passed to the relevant emergency service for response.
Remote Video Response Centres (RVRCs) reflect the convergence of technologies used by the security industry and BS 8418 was introduced to provide guidance on the design, installation commissioning, operation and remote monitoring detector activated CCTV systems. As such the standard includes recommendations applicable to the system, the remote centre where the system will be monitored and the operation of the system by the user.
Unusually, the standard places responsibility on the user of the system to ensure that it is operated correctly and that the RVRC is informed of legitimate activities at the supervised premises to avoid false alarms. This complex standard requires systems providers to be conversant with several other standards, all of which are critical to ensuring that the system is designed, installed and properly commission.
SSAIB can offer guidance and support to companies seeking monitoring centre certification.
Police
SSAIB schemes comply with the requirement of ACPO and ACPO Scotland Policy, which means that certificated provider’s monitored systems will qualify for Police URNs.
Fire Services
Changes in regulations and standards have led to an expansion in the need for certificated fire detection and alarm systems, in particular, the new Chief Fire Officer’s Association (CFOA) Policy for remotely monitored fire alarms.
The CFOA Policy became effective on 1st April 2005 being phased in over a three year period to become fully effective on 31st March 2008. Like the Police policy mentioned above, the CFOA Policy requires a URN to initiate a Fire Services response to a remotely monitored activated fire alarm and system.
SSAIB Certified Monitoring Centres can obtain fire service URNs as they are operating in compliance with CFOA policy.
