NBFAA Member Update for Monday, April 18, 2005

The National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association bestowed the Morris F. Weinstock and Sara E. Jackson awards - two of the Association's most coveted honors - during an evening event hosted by NBFAA and the Alarm Industry Research & Educational Foundation (AIREF) on April 5 in Las Vegas.

The 2004 Morris F. Weinstock Person of the Year Award was presented to NBFAA Immediate Past President Cecil Hogan in recognition of a lifetime of service to the industry. Cecil has served in many volunteer-leadership capacities within the NBFAA throughout his career and was one of the first members of the Tennessee Burglar and Fire Alarm Association when it was formed in 1980. He has since been involved in industry affairs and activism at the state and national levels, while managing and growing his own business, Security Consultants, Inc. in Memphis, Tennessee.

First presented in 1970, the Morris F. Weinstock Person of the Year Award is nationally acclaimed as the most prestigious honor in the electronic life safety, security, and systems industry. The family of the NBFAA co-founder and past president initiated the award's creation to honor Weinstock's contributions to the industry.

The 2005 Sara E. Jackson Award was presented to NBFAA Treasurer Mike Miller in recognition of his outstanding leadership as a committee chairperson for the NBFAA. As an industry veteran, Mike has been involved in the alarm and security business for more than 30 years. A graduate of Northwest Nazarene College, Mike is vice president and co-owner of Moon Security Service, Inc. in Pasco, Washington. He also serves as the chairman of the NBFAA budget committee and co-chair of the investment committee. Mike has been an active member of local, state, and national organizations and trade associations for the majority of his professional career while holding a variety of leadership positions.

The Sara E. Jackson Award is named in honor of the 1950-51 NBFAA President and is given annually to an NBFAA committee chair that has displayed outstanding leadership.

"It is an honor and a great pleasure for us to recognize both of these gentlemen for the work they have performed not only on behalf of NBFAA and our members, but for the industry as a whole" said NBFAA Executive Director Merlin Guilbeau. "Working with both Cecil and Mike has been a tremendously rewarding experience. It takes passion to remain so dedicated to something - and their extraordinary level of dedication is evident in their volunteerism with NBFAA on behalf of their industry."

Family, friends, and industry colleagues surprised both Cecil and Mike to help them celebrate their awards.

NBFAA Executive Director Merlin Guilbeau received the President's Award from NBFAA President Scot Colby during the Association's annual Award's Luncheon, held April 4, 2005, during the NBFAA Spring Conference & Chartered State Association Symposium.

The President's Award is typically given to a NBFAA volunteer leader; however, this year, Merlin was the first - and only - staff person to ever receive the award, an honor which accredits his success as NBFAA executive director. In his short time of service, he has helped the NBFAA improve its once-degenerating financial situation, which previously threatened the Association's existence. Through careful management and skillful leadership, Merlin helped rebuild the financial foundation of the NBFAA by turning a $350,000 deficit into a positive net income (the first positive net income the NBFAA has shown since 1999) in just two years.

Merlin accepted the position of NBFAA's executive director in 2002, and has been in the industry for more than 17 years. Having been an alarm company owner in Louisiana, he has experience within the electronic life safety, security, and systems industry, and has held several association leadership positions at both the state and national levels. Merlin joined the NBFAA board of directors in 1996 and was elected to serve on the executive committee as vice president in 2000. He is also the past chair of the NBFAA Communications/PR Committee, as well as former secretary, vice president, and president of the Louisiana Burglar and Fire Alarm Association.

As he accepted his award, Merlin thanked all of his colleagues, staff, and volunteer leaders that put forth their time and effort to work toward the common goal of improving the security industry for security professionals nationwide.

"I am no different than all of you here today, I care about our industry. And though I am not a volunteer leader, I work with as much passion and dedication because I care about what happens to the security professionals we represent and their livelihoods," he said. "I am very honored to accept this award, and I thank everyone here for working with me to better our industry."

In presenting the award, Scot thanked Merlin on behalf of the NBFAA for his tireless dedication to the association.

"Merlin and I work very closely together in our current positions. I know the work that he does and the hours he spends planning, meeting, and talking with industry representatives, NBFAA members, and colleagues," Scot said. "He is a very dedicated individual to whom we owe a lot, and I was very honored to present him with the President's award. In Merlin's situation, it just made sense to break the convention of bestowing the award on a volunteer. After all that he has done for NBFAA - he pure and simply deserves this one."

The following is a listing of upcoming NTS courses scheduled for next month around the country. For more information on a course, contact NTS at 866-636-1687 or by e-mail at nts@alarm.org.

Complete course schedules for 2005 are also available at www.alarm.org/nts/. These schedules are updated regularly, so be sure to check back often.

Don't forget that online NTS training is also available! Alarm Technician (Level 1) and Fire Alarm Installation Methods (FAIM) are on-line - with Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician (ABAT) coming later this year.

Norshore Alarm Wins First Line of Defense Award

National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) members Ken and Elaine Hohs, owners of Norshore Alarm Company in Libertyville, Ill., were honored on April 6 at the ISC West Industry Summit in Las Vegas as the winner of the 2004 First Line of Defense Award. The award is co-sponsored by NBFAA and SDM Magazine and is presented annually to recognize and publicize the effectiveness of electronic life, safety, and security systems.

Norshore Alarms received the award for an installation it performed in May 2004 at a condominium complex in Evanston, Illinois. As a result of the city fire inspector's requirements, Norshore upgraded and expanded an outdated system. The new system included horn strobes inside each condo unit.

On October 17, a fire broke out in one of the building's 29 units. Thanks to the horn strobes in each unit, all residents were evacuated from the building without incident. The central station, Infinity Monitoring Services of Elk Grove, Ill., processed the alarm signal within seconds of receiving it and alerted the fire department.

"Winning this award is a tremendous honor," said Ken Hohs. "It was also very rewarding to hear all of the positive accolades coming from the Evanston fire chief on the effectiveness of the new system. We are accepting the award on behalf of everyone involved - our employees, the condo association, and the central station, which really saved the day in this case by reacting so quickly."

Ken and Elaine Hohs accepted the award from NBFAA Communications Committee Chair Ann Lindstrom and SDM Managing Editor Russ Gager.

"The First Line of Defense award is an excellent opportunity to honor those who's hard work and dedication have saved lives, protected property and prevented losses," Lindstrom said. "We are proud to recognize Norshore Alarm Company as the latest very deserving recipient of this award."

All winners of the First Line of Defense Award are treated to an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas to receive the award. They, as well as their companies, are featured in SDM Magazine, as well as publicized throughout NBFAA publications including Newsline, our weekly e-newsletter Member Update, and on the www.alarm.org website.

Established in 1999, the First Line of Defense Award recognizes the value of electronic life, safety, and security systems in preventing crimes, averting property damage, and saving lives. The NBFAA and SDM are currently accepting applications for next year's First Line of Defense Award, which will be presented at ISC West 2006 in Las Vegas. To be eligible, an event must have occurred in the two years between October 30, 2003, and October 30, 2005. Entrants must also be NBFAA members in good standing. To obtain an entry form, visit www.alarm.org or contact NBFAA at 301-585-1855.

The foursome from Silent Knight edged out the team from GE Security by one stroke for the low net score at the 2nd annual "Golf Without Guilt" AIREF/NBFAA Golf Tournament, held April 5 at Troon's Revere Golf Club in Las Vegas.

The Silent Knight team was made up of Craig Summers, Hugh Blair, Charlie Gallardo, and Dave Kosciuk, and the GE Security team consisted of Ken Parker, Bill Lew, Richard Steely, and Thad Gravo.

In third place, one stroke behind GE Security, was the foursome of Mike Horgan, Steve Klindworth, David Koenig, and Michael Ross.

In all, 29 foursomes participated in the tournament, which raised valuable funds for AIREF. Be sure to join us next year for the 3rd Annual AIREF/NBFAA Golf Tournament, "Golf Without Guilt" which will be held on Tuesday, April 4, 2006.

Member Benefit Spotlight: wildbullet.com

Finding and hiring highly qualified employees can be difficult, especially given the amount of time and money that must be spent in order to find the best candidate for a job.

NBFAA has recognized that personnel issues can be especially taxing for its members. Through a partnership with wildbullet.com, NBFAA offers its members discounted rates on wildbullet.com's job posting and electronic recruiting service.

Because wildbullet.com is the largest specialty recruitment site in the United States developed exclusively for the electronic life safety, security, and systems industry, its consultants are tuned in to the needs of both hiring companies and candidates. Since it opened in 2001, wildbullet.com has become the national registry for thousands of professionals in our industry.

wildbullet.com is just one of the many benefits available to NBFAA members. For more information on the program, contact wildbullet.com's NBFAA Account Specialist Eric Freedman at 949-253-4150 x4150 or visit their web site at www.wildbullet.com.

We want to hear from you. If you have a story you'd like to share with other NBFAA members, contact us at 301-585-1855 or by e-mail at communications@alarm.org.

Industry News

Milwaukee Requires Guards to Verify Alarms

A decision by the Milwaukee City Council on Tuesday, April 12, means that alarm companies in Milwaukee will now have to send trained security guards to verify alarms before police will respond.

The council voted unanimously to adopt the change, which stems from the police chief's decision not to send officers to respond to alarms unless a break-in has been verified.

The Wisconsin Burglar & Fire Alarm Association had joined with alarm companies in Milwaukee to argue that hiring guards would raise costs and force companies to raise prices that they charge end users.

In an earlier vote, the council voted 10-4 to oppose favoring police response rather than guard response.

For Member Update Sponsorship information contact
NBFAA Director of Business Development Tonja Jenkins.

Cecil Hogan and Mike Miller Receive Top NBFAA Awards

NBFAA Executive Director Honored with President's Award

Upcoming NTS Classroom Courses - Mark Your Calendar

Norshore Alarm Wins First Line of Defense Award

Silent Knight Team Captures Golf Tournament Title

Member Benefit Spotlight: wildbullet.com

Milwaukee Requires Guards to Verify Alarms