Thursday, May 27, 2005

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In this issue:

Association News


Mark Your Calendar for the NBFAA Fall Conference

It’s not too early to begin making plans to attend the NBFAA Fall Conference, which will be held in New York from August 22-25 in conjunction with ISC East.

Among the many highlights of the Fall Conference are the CSA Symposium, NBFAA Awards Luncheon, NBFAA Breakfast, committee meetings and the NBFAA Reception. NBFAA, CSAA and SIA will also present the 2nd Annual Triton Award at the Tri-Association Dinner on August 24.

Members who register for the NBFAA Conference will also receive free admission to ISC East, which will take place August 24-25.

We will provide more details on the NBFAA Fall Conference in coming issues of Member Update. You can also visit www.alarm.org for information.

We hope to see you in New York !

NBFAA Spring Conference Photos are Online

Photos from the NBFAA Spring Conference, held in Las Vegas in early April, have been posted in the Information Center section of the NBFAA website.

Be sure to check out all the photos from the 2nd Annual AIREF/NBFAA Golf Tournament, “It Happened One Night” Evening Event and the NBFAA Conference posted at www.alarm.org

Upcoming NTS Classroom Courses for June

The following is a listing of upcoming NTS courses scheduled around the country for the month of June. 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 NTS training is also available online! Alarm Technician (Level 1) and Fire Alarm Installation Methods (FAIM) are available now – with Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician (ABAT) coming later this year!

Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician (ABAT)
June 1-3 – Long Island , N.Y.
June 4-5 – Gonzales , La.
June 4-5 – Montgomery , Ala.
June 25-26 – Bossier City , La.

Central Station Training (CST)
June 29 – Montevallo , Ala.

Certified Alarm Technician (Level 1)
June 2-4 – Louisville , Ky.
June 3-5 – Nashville , Tenn.
June 15-17 – Walterboro , S.C.
June 24-26 – Fort Smith , Ark.

Electronic Access Control (EAC)
June 24-25 – Memphis , Tenn.

Fire Alarm Installation Methods (FAIM)
June 11-12 – LaPlace , La.
June 17-18 – Knoxville , Tenn.
June 21-24 – Little Rock , Ark.

Practical Electronics (an NTS Level 2 course)
June 21-24 – Little Rock , Ark.

Security Networking Institute (SNI)
June 20-21 – Long Island , N.Y.
June 23-24 – Buffalo , N.Y.

NBFAA Position Paper on NFPA 731 Standard Available

The Technical Committee of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) will submit NFPA 71 - Standard for the Installation of Electronic Premises Security Systems at the NFPA World Safety Conference & Exposition in Las Vegas from June 6-10.

NBFAA is encouraging all members who are also NFPA members to attend the committee report sessions on June 8, 9 and 10 and vote against the standard.

The majority of equipment manufactured to meet current design specifications cannot mechanically meet the proposed requirements of NFPA 731. Any standard that is put into law without the technology being capable of complying with the law will be catastrophic to the industry.

NBFAA members could see a significant loss of business in elective system installations with the increased cost that would accompany system compliance. A complete position paper on the standard is available online.

The Technical Committee Report Sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, June 8, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, June 9, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Friday, June 10, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

2005 NBFAA Officer Elections

It's time to vote for NBFAA Officers. The positions up for election this year include: Vice President/President-Elect (one-year term), Vice President (two-year term), and Treasurer (two-year term). Ballots are to be completed by the primary or alternate representative of a NBFAA regular, associate, multi-location, or national member company in good standing.

Ballots must be mailed-in to the NBFAA headquarters by 2 p.m. EDT on June 15, 2005. The ballot must be enclosed in the official envelope provided or another envelope that specifically states the following information on the outside:

"Official NBFAA ballot enclosed"
Name of Member Company (in good standing)
Name of registered voting representative
Signature of registered voting representative

Ballot envelopes without this information will not be counted. Faxed ballots will not be accepted.

If you have questions about the voting procedure, the name of your company's primary or alternate representative, or if you have not received your 2005 ballot in the mail, please call the NBFAA office at 301.585.1855.

Member News

ADT-Sponsored Program Aids Victims of Domestic Violence

A program sponsored by NBFAA member company ADT to provide protection to victims of domestic violence is credited with saving 30 lives since it began in 1992.

Under the AWARE (Abused Women’s Active Response Emergency) program, qualified women receive in-home security and emergency necklace pendants from ADT at no charge. These devices can be activated when a woman is facing a domestic assault. After ADT receives the alert from the victim, the company notifies law enforcement.

According to ADT, a recent domestic disturbance in West Virginia resulted in an alert to the ADT system. The local law enforcement officers who arrived on the scene were able to save the life of a woman being threatened by her estranged husband with a knife.

ADT recently launched the 175th AWARE Program in Albuquerque , N.M. and has plans to expand this program to even more cities in the United States during the coming year. A similar program has been running successfully in a number of Canadian cities for the past 14 years.

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 email at communications@alarm.org.


Micro Key Software General Manager Rewarded for Serving our Country

Earlier this year, Brenda Judy, general manager for NBFAA associate member company Micro Key Software, received another promotion in recognition for her leadership skills and dedicated service in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Brenda was promoted to Master Sergeant (MSG), which is one of the highest non-commissioned officer rankings in the Army. An MSG is expected to display a high degree of leadership skills and perform all duties with the professionalism expected of any military officer. Brenda will add this promotion to her four previous commissions and the 16 awards and decorations received during her 23 years of meritorious service to our country.

Congratulations, Brenda, on your promotion and thank you for your service to our country!

Peter Harlick Named Publisher of Security Dealer Magazine

NBFAA associate member company Security Dealer magazine has promoted Peter Harlick to publisher. Peter joined Security Dealer’s parent company, Cygnus Security Company, in 2002.

Most recently, Peter served as associate publisher for the magazine, and has also been advertising director for Security Technology & Design.

PBFAA Annual Membership Meeting & Exposition Approaching

The Pennsylvania Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (PBFAA) will hold its 23rd Annual Membership Meeting & Exposition June 14-15 at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel in Camp Hill , Pa.

Included in the two-day Expo Pass is the Management Conference Session, featuring Bob Harris of The Attrition Busters. This high-energy seminar will provide direct focus on techniques and methods of communication all specific to the alarm industry. The two-day Expo Pass will also give attendees access to the Fire Alarm Test & Inspection Session, featuring Greg Kessinger of Security Dealer magazine. This session covers the requirements of NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code, for proper testing and visual inspections of fire alarm systems.

There will also be a number of other informative sessions and on June 16, PBFAA will host its annual golf outing at Dauphin Highlands Golf Course in Middletown , Pa. For a complete schedule of events and registration materials, call PBFAA at 800-458-8512 or e-mail info@pbfaa.com.

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.

Here is what some satisfied NBFAA members have to say about wildbullet.com:

“We actually met with three of the candidates that responded to our posting on Wildbullet.com. We hired one of them. Your website was a success for us and we will definitely use it again in the future. Thank you!” – Claire Gibbons, Human Resources Manager for LP Innovations, Inc., in Needham , Mass.

 “I am happy as a pig in mud about the response. We interviewed several qualified industry specific candidates. We would definitely recommend the site to others in the industry” – Sue Silva, HR Manager for JMG Security in Fountain Valley , Calif.

Your company could be the next satisfied customer!

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.

Industry News

Frost & Sullivan Report Cites Rising Interest in IP-based Cameras

According to a recent report by research firm Frost & Sullivan, titled “Advances in Video Surveillance Technology,” end users are recognizing the need for not only capturing security breaches, but also for transmitting, storing and controlling video feeds over the Internet. As a result, video surveillance equipment vendors are responding to this trend with IP-networked cameras that can accomplish these goals.

The demand for digital equipment has been a direct offshoot of the growing reliance on IP-networked surveillance systems. However, the report says that there is much reluctance from end users to go completely digital, based mainly on the heavy investment in existing analog cameras.

Sophisticated analog-to-digital converters are emerging where the translation to a digital signal occurs at the point of capture, rather than through a separate converter device. Such solutions are likely to compete intensely with traditional charge-coupled device (CCD) wide dynamic range cameras.

Manufacturers are also developing Ethernet-based video-matrix switchers that simplify the process of handling multiple video surveillance systems and also reduce the costs of running individual cables through an analog system.

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NBFAA Director of Business Development Tonja Jenkins.

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