Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Association News

Executive Perspective:  NBFAA Hits the Road to Texas
With change come opportunities and challenges.  The association’s staff is gearing up for the next big challenge of packing and moving to Texas

NBFAA Fall Conference and CSA Symposium Online Registration Now Available
Start spreading the news!  Registration and information about this year’s Fall conference is now available online. Register Today!

NBFAA Holds Special Insurance Session at Fall Conference
Are you in the electronic security alarm business? – Then you have a TARGET on your back! Come to the first-ever NBFAA special insurance session, held in conjunction with the NBFAA Fall Conference and CSA Symposium to learn valuable tips so you can dodge that bullet.

NBFAA Youth Scholarship Winners Announced
NBFAA and Security Dealer magazine proudly honor two sons of active firefighters, awarding $10,000 in college scholarships to the two finalists, David Eichler, Mountain Lakes, N.J. and Jason Fariss, Pfafftown , N.C.

Demo Derby Reminder
Reserve your seat now for the first ever Demo Derby on Wednesday, August 3, 2005! Brought to you by The Security Industry Association (SIA), NBFAA and The CMOOR Group, this exciting Web event will initiate you to the world of online learning.

Upcoming NTS Courses
Take advantage of generous discounts for business-critical training. Check out the upcoming NTS courses. 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 in the Professional Development section at www.alarm.org.

Member News

Associate Member ADI Announces New Dealer Program
Associate member company ADI, a leading distributor of security and low voltage products, announced it has joined forces with several key manufacturers to create a comprehensive turnkey marketing program that delivers “big company technology” on a “small company budget.”

Publicity Key to Public Opinion
NFBAA wants to help you spread the word about your issues, triumphs, successes and ideas. 

Industry News

Texas Governor Signs Landmark Legislation to Manage Alarms
Texas Governor Rick Perry recently signed landmark legislation that establishes a framework for managing security alarms within the state. 

In The News

SecurityInfoWatch
Security Dealer and NBFAA Team for Firefighter Scholarships

PR Leap - Chula Vista , Calif ,
... Through a federation of state associations, NBFAA reaches grass roots members, enabling them to band together on national issues, and delivering to them ...

---

Association News

Executive Perspective: NBFAA Hitting the Road to Texas

By Merlin Guilbeau
NBFAA Executive Director

With change come opportunities and challenges.  The association’s staff is gearing up for the next big challenge of packing and moving to Texas. We are excited about the move and the next stage in the life of NBFAA, but we will miss those we are leaving behind. This is a good time to thank the Maryland staff for their dedication and support during this transition.  It hasn’t been easy getting ready for the move and we could not have done it without their support.  We wish all the Maryland staff well in the next phase in their careers.

Now the tough fun part begins.  We will be packing and preparing to shut down the Maryland office this week, and as a result we will not be sending out a weekly Member Update until the week after next.  Expect to see the next edition on July 28.

Our official move-in date in the new facilities at 2300 Valley View Lane, Suite 230, Irving, TX 75062 is July 25.  The office number in Maryland (301.585.1855) will be forwarded to our temporary office in Texas between the closing of the Maryland office and the opening of the Irving office, so members should find the transition a seamless one.  Once we have our new Irving telephone number we’ll let you know.

I want to thank everyone again – the NBFAA Board of Directors, Executive Committee, staff and all of our members for their support during this exciting, but challenging, undertaking. 

Register Today for NBFAA Fall Conference and CSA Symposium

Start spreading the news!  Registration and information about this year’s Fall conference are now available online.  You can now register online for the NBFAA Fall Conference and CSA Symposium, held in conjunction with ISC East, on August 22 - 25 at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Don't miss your chance to attend this year's event set to include presentations on media training, association management and insurance risk management. Plus, this year's conference includes the NBFAA/CSA Symposium designed to help state leaders and members operate with greater success. Visit www.alarm.org and click on the conference link to secure your attendance!

NBFAA Holds Special Insurance Session at Fall Conference

Are you in the electronic security business? – Then you have a TARGET on your back!

Come to the NBFAA Special Insurance Session, held in conjunction with ISC East in New York , to address techniques to reduce your risk of uninsured lawsuits, legal expenses, and penalties through the purchase of affordable professional errors and omissions insurance. The NBFAA and its Security America RRG insurance company are hosting the session. Go to www.alarm.org and click on the conference logo to learn more about NBFAA's full conference schedule.   The insurance session is Wednesday, August 24, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, Room 1E04 

NBFAA Youth Scholarship Winners Announced

The National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) and Security Dealer magazine proudly honor two sons of active firefighters, awarding $10,000 in college scholarships to the two finalists, David Eichler, Mountain Lakes, N.J. and Jason Fariss, Pfafftown, N.C.

The scholarship recipients were chosen based on grade point average, SAT/ACT test scores, extracurricular activities, and a written essay on “How Your Parent Helps Us Secure Our Community.” 

First-place winner Eichler was awarded $6,500 to use toward his education.  He will be attending Brown University in the fall.  Fariss will use his the second place award of $3,500 for higher education expenses at the University of North Carolina. After placing first in their state associations’ scholarship contests, Eichler and Fariss, who are both junior firefighters, became eligible for the national award.  

Created in 1996 to promote goodwill among the electronic systems industry and police and fire officials, this program provides college scholarship awards to deserving sons and daughters of police and fire officials.

Demo Derby Reminder

“The Demo Derby will demonstrate the payback of online learning.  This approach to education levels the playing field, making courses accessible and cost-effective for large and small companies,” said Dale R. Eller, NBFAA director of education and standards.   “Combine the flexibility of online education and training with the ability to use resources from a number of different sources and you can begin to see how powerful this type of learning can be.  We’re excited about joining with SIA and The CMOOR Group to introduce this curriculum to the security industry.”

For more information go to www.alarm.org and scroll down to the bottom of the page and link to the Demo Derby connection.

Upcoming NTS Courses

Generous discounts on business-critical training are a very popular member benefit! Check out the listing of upcoming NTS courses to see what is coming to your area in the next few weeks. 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 in the Professional Development section at www.alarm.org. These schedules are updated regularly, so be sure to check back often.

Remember 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!

Understanding Alarm Systems
July 16 – Monroe, La.

Certified Alarm Technician
July 15-17 – Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.
July 22-24 – Gonzales, La.

Fire Alarm Installation Methods
July 15-17 – South Alabama

Fire Alarm Installation Methods
July 13-15 – Long Island, N.Y.
July 15-17 – South Ala.

Life Safety Code
July 15 – Knoxville, Tenn.

Security Networking
July 25-26                    Newark, NJ
July 28-29                    Pittsburgh, PA

Member News

NBFAA Associate Member ADI Adds New Program

NBFAA associate member company ADI, a leading distributor of security and low voltage products, announced it has joined forces with several key manufacturers to create a comprehensive turnkey marketing program that delivers “big company technology” on a “small company budget.”

SNAPIT, or System Networking Application Portfolio Infrastructure Technology has four founding members (Leviton Integrated Networks, Vodavi Phone Systems, Honeywell Security and Honeywell Cable Products) with one ultimate goal – to enhance the installers potential by providing them with customized technology solutions to increase their profits in the small business sector.

With the support of the SNAPIT program, dealers in ADI’s national distribution network can now work more efficiently with today’s small businesses by providing a single source for a wide variety of technology and hardware solutions, including: cabling and connectivity, computer networking, telephone systems, A/V, power quality and security.

The result for ADI dealers is an infrastructure that also supports a steady stream of repeat business – an annuity of sorts – as their customers’ needs evolve and new SNAPIT alliance options become available.

 “ADI listened to its dealers and can now offer them a seamless marketing program designed specifically with their challenges and needs in mind,” explained Ed Constantine, Product Manager, Structured Cabling, ADI. “This is an excellent sales tool that all levels of installers can effectively use when making customer calls to highly integrated markets.” Said Constantine.

ADI is one of North America’s largest wholesale distributors of security and low voltage products, with over 105 branch locations in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. ADI’s product lines include intrusion, fire alarm, access control, CCTV, telephony, residential and commercial A/V, wire and structured cabling and tools and hardware. For more information about ADI, visit www.adilink.com.

NBFAA Wants to Help Our Members Communicate Your Good News

“Publicity is a great purifier because it sets in action the forces of public opinion, and in this country public opinion controls the courses of the nation.”  This quote from Charles Evans Hughes, US Supreme Court Justice, illustrates the importance of telling the public about security issues that affect their daily lives and that can impact our nation.  NFBAA wants to help spread the word about your issues, triumphs, successes and ideas.  If you have a story you'd like to communicate, a press release you would like to see online or other information to share, contact us at 310-585-1855 or by e-mail at communications@alarm.org.

---

---

Texas Governor Signs Landmark Legislation to Manage Alarms

Texas Governor Rick Perry recently signed landmark legislation that establishes a framework for managing security alarms within the state, the Texas Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (TBFAA) announced.  The bill, SB 568, outlines provisions for municipalities to follow when they develop alarm ordinances or policies.

The bill contains significant provisions designed to drive down the number of calls to police to dispatch a vehicle when an alarm proves to be inadvertent.  Cutting down the number of these calls saves police resources.

Three key features are included in the bill to help reduce the number of these calls to dispatch police:  An industry equipment standard, called CP-01; an escalating fine structure when an alarm proves to be inadvertent; and Enhanced Call Verification (ECV), where the monitoring center places two calls to a customer to increase the probability of a valid alarm before contacting law enforcement to dispatch an officer.

“We worked cooperatively with law enforcement and legislators to ensure these standards were put in place to reduce unnecessary dispatches.  This is a landmark piece of legislation for the industry because it creates statewide standards in Texas”, said Malcolm Reed, Chairman of TBFAA’s Legislative Committee.