What do standards establish?

• A. Standards enforce penalties
• B. Standards apply only to large agencies
• C. Standards provide performance measurements and can be voluntary or mandated
• D. Standards are irrelevant to alarm installations

Answer: (C)

Standards set benchmarks for how a system should perform and what quality is expected. They describe objective criteria for reliability, safety, and interoperability, and they define how testing and maintenance should be carried out. Importantly, standards can be voluntary—driven by industry best practices—or mandated by regulations, codes, or contracts. This dual nature is why they establish measurable performance and can be followed or required depending on the situation.

That’s why this choice is best: it captures both the idea of giving performance measurements and the fact that adherence can be voluntary or mandated. The other statements miss the core points: standards aren’t penalties themselves; they aren’t limited to large agencies, and they’re not irrelevant to alarm installations.