This Week in Security: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Better Support 911 Emergencies, 2024 Youth Scholarship Award Winners and more!
ESA - Electronic Security Association
THE voice of the electronic security and life safety industry.
Each week, the marketing team at ESA gathers the latest news from the security industry for our weekly integrator round up!
This week we look at new study finds cybersecurity as top concern among automotive manufacturers, ESA Creates the Stan Martin Excellence in Advocacy Award and More…
Don’t Miss Out on the Latest News and Technology
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Better Support 911 Emergencies
In a year, around 240 million 911 calls are made in the U.S. That is more than 600,000 calls per day. Emergency call centers are overwhelmed, trying to keep up with staffing shortages while being inundated with calls.
Besides the staffing crisis, many public safety agencies across the country are still working towards modernizing their systems and connecting to citizens in a more digitally friendly way. Some still don’t have the capability to text someone in need or request video.
There has been a lot of progress made in digitizing public safety agencies and there is more data flowing into 911 than ever before, but not from every call.
Outside of the basics such as location and type of sensor or alarm, when it comes to security and safety products, there is other data, including multimedia content and live streaming video, 3D indoor maps and gun detection.
So how does 911 handle all of this data when it comes in? How can it be acted upon? Also, what role can security companies and integrators play in the digitization and future of emergency response?
It Starts with Data
Recent data from analyst firm Frost & Sullivan shows that, by 2027, “IoT-initiated calls will surpass human-initiated calls.”
Most IoT products installed in residential and commercial spaces are now connected to the internet. This allows devices to be part of a home or building network and work with other devices. It also allows them to communicate with smartphones and apps, delivering alerts and updates to individuals, or to security offices and monitoring companies.
The last mile, which many of these devices are already doing, is connecting data directly to 911 during an emergency. This data, which could be from an alarm or sensor or something autodetected via camera, is then delivered directly to CAD and cloud interface systems inside emergency communications centers and integrated into the daily workflow.
This real-time data could be critical in identifying an emergency early and getting the right assistance sent before a 911 call is made.
The digitization of public safety is happening fast, in concert with ever-increasing bandwidth across cellular and broadband networks. The future is near where sensor and alarm triggers can be sent to 911 directly with any other critical information available, such as live video from a connected camera, presence and object sensing and even indoor 3D maps.
As a professional in the emergency response industry, we can play a role in improving security and educating our customers– both commercial and residential– about products with emergency-forward capabilities and their importance.
The Future of Digital 911 Alerts & How AI Can Help
Further development of the IoT and the expansion of tech devices, sensors, and apps created opportunities and challenges for public safety agencies. On one hand, the wealth of data that can be shared with 911 during an emergency is infinite.
On the other hand, the barrage of information that is coming into 911 at any given time has exponentially increased. This is why creating a viable ecosystem of information that provides additional context to 911 telecommunicators is key, beginning with artificial intelligence.
Think of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) assistance as the co-pilot of a plane and 911 telecommunicators as the captain. Though the captain is the ultimate authority, the co-pilot is there to assist and plays a significant role in a safe and timely flight.
Artificial intelligence serves this purpose for public safety agencies, helping sort through and learn from every call and making triaging based on patterns or triggers.
This allows human operators to prioritize resources more effectively, potentially dispatching a smaller preliminary response team to verify the situation before committing full emergency resources – a crucial step especially as emergency communications centers (ECCs) are experiencing staffing shortages.
An AI co-pilot allows for billions of data payloads to be integrated into 911 and first responders’ existing software and operational procedures during an emergency.
This helps public safety professionals in three central purposes:
Models such as a large language model (LLM) with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) set the foundation for AI integration with public safety. Connecting devices to communities works seamlessly with the systems, operating procedures, and human ingenuity to save lives.
What the Immediate Future Holds
AI-powered digital alerts are an essential solution to integrating systems in an emergency and already live inside many existing systems. It’s a seamless and automated feature that anticipates an alarm from a sensor and fuses human intelligence and data-powered strategies to verify an incident and appropriately route the call for processing.
AI can help showcase patterns that may indicate a false alarm and provide real-time decision support. This provides operators with instant access to a wealth of information that might influence their decisions. This layered approach not only improves accuracy but also speeds up the decision-making process for faster help.
AI can use machine learning to continually improve its accuracy over time, learning from each false alarm and real emergency to refine its algorithms, thus steadily increasing the reliability of emergency alerts.
AI will never diminish the life-saving work humans do in an emergency response, but it is the reality of both future call generation and incident response.
Read the Full Article - Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Better Support 911 Emergencies - Security Sales & Integration
New Study Finds Cybersecurity as Top Concern Among Automotive Manufacturers
Rockwell Automation, Inc. today announced the results of the 9th annual "State of Smart Manufacturing Report: Automotive Edition." The global study encompasses the responses of 182 leaders from automotive manufacturers, automotive supply manufacturers, and electric vehicle manufacturers across 15 of the leading manufacturing countries.
This year's report emphasizes the evolution of the automotive industry, revealing a focus on harnessing emergent technology to reduce risk, generate growth, and maximize workforce potential. Automotive manufacturers are acutely aware of the industry's evolution in the era of Industry 4.0, particularly as cyberattacks resulted in $1.99 billion in system downtime costs in the first half of 2023 alone.
Key global findings include:
"As the automotive industry is navigating an era of rapid transformation, setting clear goals and fostering cross-departmental collaboration have emerged as critical factors—and obstacles—for success," said James Glasson, vice president, global industry – auto, tire & advanced mobility at Rockwell Automation. "This year's report highlights the pressing need for automotive manufacturers to prioritize organizational change management and adopt technologies that enhance the capabilities of their workforce."
Automotive manufacturers are focusing on strategies that prioritize workforce retention, upskilling, and engagement. Technologies such as smart manufacturing and automation, which complement and augment the value brought by their employees, are key to driving positive business outcomes.
"At Rockwell, our deep industry expertise and comprehensive portfolio of industry solutions, combined with our extensive PartnerNetwork, puts us in a unique position to serve as a trusted advisor to automotive companies worldwide," said Glasson. "Regardless of where companies are in their digital transformation and smart manufacturing journeys, we meet them where they are and help them achieve sustainable growth."
Read the Full Article and Report - New study finds cybersecurity as top concern among automotive manufacturers | Security Info Watch
Recommended by LinkedIn
ESA Creates the Stan Martin Excellence in Advocacy Award
Advocating on behalf of an industry is not easy work. Many of the people in the industry are focused on the job that their company is paying them for. After the work is done people want to spend time with friends, family, and doing things they really enjoy. There is zero fault in that. However, some people do a little more in their career by getting involved to serve the entire industry. They take that little extra time to send an email on an issue campaign, visit legislators, or serve on code making committees. Doing so benefits everyone in the industry. While some companies are focused on getting a bigger piece of the pie, industry advocates are working to grow the entire pie.
ESA wanted to recognize these champions of the industry, so they knew their efforts were appreciated. That is why ESA created the Excellence in Advocacy Award. However, anyone can simply create an award. We wanted there to be a strong significance to it. We wanted it to be named after a true champion of advocacy so that whenever someone won the award, they knew exactly what sort of service they provided. Naming it after Stan Martin was about as easy of a decision as there could be.
Martin began his service with the association as a volunteer in 1987 when he was asked to reorganize the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) state chapter program. In 1989, he received the Sara E. Jackson Memorial Award. Presented annually by ESA to a committee chairperson who displays outstanding leadership. In 1990 he was recognized as the Morris F. Weinstock Person of the Year, the association’s most prestigious honor.
His success as a volunteer led to his appointment as Executive Director of the NBFAA. Immediately, his advocacy skills were put to the test when the Regional Bell Operating Companies suddenly became deregulated by a federal court ruling and stated their intent to enter the alarm business.
The threat was tremendous to the industry. The Bells had previously targeted answering service businesses and decimated the industry. In just over a year using predatory practices and marketing advantages. As a result, the industry, led by Martin, engaged in the largest, most extensive grass roots lobbying campaign ever undertaken by NBFAA. The successful process yielded a seven-year ban on the Bells entering the alarm business. And more important the elimination of the Bells’ use of customer proprietary network information. This was inside information they collected on specific vendors a consumer would call.
Martin’s support of the industry did not stop there. Since 1994 to the present, he has led a national effort to reduce unnecessary alarm dispatches, first by leading programs like Model Cities and Model States to develop best practices for law enforcement, and then for the last twenty plus years as the Executive Director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC). He remains the driving force behind the utilization of industry best practices like Enhanced Call Verification and the development of codes and standards like ANSI SIAC CP-01 for alarm control panels.
With such an amazing amount of service it was easy to name the award after Stan. Who though, could receive the very first Stan Martin award? How about another industry legend who is as well known for his legislative advocacy efforts as he is with his service on code making associations like NFPA, UL, and ICC. How about Dr. Shane Clary?
Dr. Clary entered the industry 50 years ago, has been with Bay Alarm for the last 40 years, and is more than deserving of the first Stan Martin.
Dr. Clary has been involved with code promulgation for over thirty years, serving on several NFPA® Technical Committees, including NFPA 1, 25, 70, 72, 101 and 5000. Shane also serves on several UL®, IEC and ISO committees as well as being involved with the development of the building and fire codes through the ICC®.
Shane was recently elected the President of the Automatic Fire Alarm Association, Inc., and is a past President of the California Automatic Fire Alarm Association and Past Chairman of the Western Burglar & Fire Alarm Association Unilateral Apprenticeship Training Committee. He writes a monthly column, “Fire Side Chat”, for Security Sales and Integration.
Most recently, Shane has become an industry “watchdog” with regards to right to repair legislation having submitted numerous letters of opposition in multiple states, taking the lead in amending legislation in California so it exempted the life safety industry, and virtually testifying against the Oregon bill and testing the knowledge of a state representative who serves as a professional firefighter. Ask Shane sometime about that story.
If you think that would be enough, he also makes time to join us in federal advocacy efforts. He participated virtually in the first ever Security Hill Day in 2023 so that he could meet with a California Congressman, and he joined us personally, in advocating on behalf of the industry within the halls of Congress, just like Stan Martin did years ago.
On June 3, 2024, ESA was honored to announce the creation of the Stan Martin Excellence in Advocacy Award and to present it to its first recipient, Dr. Shane Clary. We look forward to continuing our work with these industry legends and the many other advocates who serve to benefit the entire industry!
Read the Full Article - ESA Creates the Stan Martin Excellence in Advocacy Award (esaweb.org)
ESA Announces its 2024 Youth Scholarship Award Winners
Our police, firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs put their lives on the line to keep us safe. The security industry works closely with these forces, providing support and technology to help them do their job more efficiently.
But ESA wants to do more than just that. To give back to this brave group of public servants, ESA has developed the ESA Youth Scholarship Program — a philanthropic endeavor that aims to support the futures of first responders’ children. The program has awarded over $941,500 to high school seniors dedicated to excellence and inspired by their first responder parents.
“Participating in the youth scholarship program for children of first responders is profoundly rewarding, as it offers these incredibly deserving young individual’s opportunities they might not otherwise have.” says Kelly Bond, Partner at Davis Mergers and Acquisitions Group and Scholarship Chairwoman “Seeing their individual successes, and knowing you’ve contributed to their futures, brings immense personal satisfaction and pride.”
The Youth Scholarship Award strives to make an impact on youth so they can make an impact on the world, much as their parents have. This year, 9 state associations participated with ESA in a programmatic effort to support the families of first responders. Awards were given in each state and national first and second place winners were recognized.
This year’s first place award recipient is Brady Freundel of police officer James Freundel. Brady highlights how proud he is to have a first responder father.
“I have always been proud to tell others that my father is a police officer for the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.” says Brady Freundel, 2024 ESA youth Scholarship Winner “His sacrifice, like others in public safety, is honorable yet he is humble and expects nothing in return for his dedicated work. I have tried my best to incorporate these traits in my life as well.”
In the Fall, Brady will begin my endeavor of becoming an electrical engineer. He hopes to serve the United States of America by creating weapons systems that deter aggression against our country. As an engineer, Brady plans to use his skills to make the world a better place and empower those in need while giving back to the community through coaching STEM programs at local schools.
“I strive to live a life of service to my community like my father. This scholarship will help me reach my goal of becoming an electrical engineer and making my community the best it can be.” says Brady “I am sincerely grateful to have received the Electronic Security Associations Youth Scholarship. No words can describe the immense pride and joy I experienced when I received the call that I was the national finalist! Not only was I being honored for my community service, but my father’s work as a police officer was being honored as well. This generous support will help pay for my tuition in the fall and will help relieve some of my financial burden. I am committed to excellence in my Electrical engineering studies, and plan to be an active member of my college community. Thank you for believing in my potential and granting me the ESA Youth Scholarship. It means so much to me!”
ESA flew Brady and his father, James Freundel, to ESX 2024 in Louisville for them to receive the award in the amount of $13,500 in person.
These ESA scholarship awards are made possible by contributions from ESA and from our partners COPS Monitoring and the Law Offices of Marc Katz.
ESA’s second place national winner, Jesse Stewart from Washington state, whose father is a firefighter for Shoreline Fire Department Station 61 was awarded $3500.
ESA also wants to recognize the following state winners:
Online donations, which will enhance these awards, are now available to the electronic security and life safety channel supporters who are interested in contributing. All donations will go directly to scholarship awards for high school seniors across the country. Supporters will be recognized on the ESA website. Donations can be made at: ESAweb.org/scholarship-donate.
The ESA’s Youth Scholarship Program’s Volunteer Committee Members
Program Chairwoman: Kelly Bond, Partner at Davis Mergers and Acquisitions Group
Jason Etter, Owner of AVX Integrated Technologies
Lilianne Chaumont, President of Chaumont Law Inc.
Karen Smith, Sr. Director at Cultris Security Systems, Inc.
Mike Perdue, General Manager at Fire and Data Systems, Inc.
Read Full Article - ESA Announces its 2024 Youth Scholarship Award Winners (esaweb.org)
And that’s all for this week, but don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram for real-time announcements of all our news content!
Sources: Security Sales & Integration and SecurityInfoWatch.com