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In This Issue
- NBFAA News
NBFAA Federation of Chapters is Stronger by Two
No Name Change This Year for NBFAA
NBFAA Mission in Vegas a Success
Win a Free Vacation-Here's How
NTS Heating Up with Spring Savings
- Chapter News
Washington to Host Golf Tournament
Mississippi Licensing Bill (MS SB 2742) Signed into Law
- Member News
ADI Signs Three New Dealers To Compete In IP Industry
J.D. Power Recognizes Security Contact Center for Three Consecutive Years
Summary
NBFAA News
NBFAA Federation of Chapters is Stronger by Two
The Association welcomes the newly formed state associations of Idaho and Georgia into the federation.
No Name Change This Year for NBFAA
The name change vote for the NBFAA fell 13 votes short of the 375 affirmative votes needed for a two-thirds majority. Is the name here to stay?
NBFAA Mission in Vegas a Success
The Association had another successful year in Vegas where members and industry professionals from around the world gathered to network, celebrate achievements and awards and even raise money playing golf.
Win a Free Vacation—Here’s How
Win a free vacation while gaining greater influence through a larger, more powerful association that promotes, represents and protects your industry. Learn more about the 2006 Member Get a Member Campaign.
NTS Heating Up with Spring Savings
It’s heating up outside, and while you are soaking up the sun, soak up the savings by taking advantage of all your member benefit programs like NTS and watch your educational opportunities grow!
NBFAA Calendar Highlights
Upcoming Events
This is your one-stop-shop for information on upcoming events, meetings, conferences, and courses. Submit your upcoming event today and share your news with members.
Chapter News
Washington to Host Golf Tournament
The Washington Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (WBFAA) wants to ensure the success of the WBFAA Fifth Annual Golf Tournament. See how you can help.
Mississippi Licensing Bill (MS SB 2742) Signed into Law
Sponsored by Sen. Nolan Mettetal (D-10) on Jan. 16, 2006, the bill MS SB 2742 creates the State Residential Electronic Protection Licensing Act and was signed into law by the Mississippi governor on April 3.
Member News
ADI Signs Three New Dealers To Compete In IP Industry
The company’s newly acquired partnerships is said to offer customers more Internet Protocol (IP) technology solutions than ever before.
J.D. Power Recognizes Security Contact Center for Three Consecutive Years
J.D. Power and Associates recently recognized a company’s contact center operations for customer satisfaction excellence. Find out which member company won the honor.
Member Benefit Spotlight
This member benefit program uses the most effective method of recovery for defaulted alarm monitoring contracts in the industry today!
Industry News
Legislative Action Alert: Congress Needs to Hear VoIP Concerns
Recently, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications marked up legislation that is the first step in the rewriting of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. But for NBFAA to have an effective position, we need your active involvement.
Industry Product News
Altronix Features New HubWay Product Series
Altronix to offer a new, simple way to lower the cost of closed-circuit television installations. Read on for more information.
Bosch Expands IP-Based Video Surveillance
Expanding IP-Based Video Surveillance with scalable client-server software is just one of the ways Bosch is improving service to their customers.
Talk-A-Phone and Millennium Integration Offers Streamline Monitoring
Users of Talk-A-Phone Co. emergency phones and Micro Key Software’s Millennium Monitoring Module can now manage their emergency phone locations and alarms using the same monitoring platform.
In The News
NBFAA in the News
NBFAA News
NBFAA Federation of Chapters is Stronger by Two
The NBFAA Board of Directors voted on Monday, April 3 to add two new chartered chapters to the association. The Idaho Alarm Association (IAA) and the Georgia Electronic Life Safety & Systems Association (GELSSA) were welcomed to the association.
Mike Latty will serve as president of GELSSA and Ken Webster as president of IAA.
Additional officers for the IAA include:
- Brent Crane-Regional Vice President
Crane Alarm - Phil Omas-Treasurer
Sentry Security Systems - Chris Foster-Secretary
Command Performance
NBFAA Executive Director Merlin Guilbeau said the association believes maintaining a strong federation between the charted chapters and national is paramount to the future of the industry.
“We are very pleased to welcome these new chapters,” added Guilbeau. “Our strength as an association is enhanced by the seamless bond between national and the chapters, and it enhances our influence as a collective voice.”
No Name Change This Year for NBFAA
The name change vote for the NBFAA fell 13 votes short of the 375 affirmative votes needed for a two-thirds majority.
On, Jan. 26, 2006 the NBFAA Board of Directors overwhelmingly approved a motion to recommend to the general membership a name change to ”Electronic Life Safety & Systems Association.” The association’s bylaws require that members must approve any bylaw change, including a name change, by a two-thirds majority.
“As the vote indicated, a large percentage of our members voted for the name change, but since we did not reach a two-thirds majority, we will continue to use the NBFAA name. Our vision and mission as an association remains strong and focused,” Guilbeau said.
NBFAA Mission in Vegas a Success
The Association had another successful year in Vegas where members and industry professionals from around the world gathered to network, celebrate achievements and awards and even raise money playing golf.
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NBFAA held various association meetings and events including the annual Evening Event where the Morris F. Weinstock and Sara E. Jackson awards were presented. Mel Mahler was presented with the Weinstock award and Paul Baran was awarded the Jackson award. The Third Annual Golf Without Guilt tournament co-sponsored by the NBFAA and the Alarm Industry Research and Educational Foundation (AIREF), was also held during the week on Tuesday, April 4. More than 130 golfers participated in the tournament held at the Revere Golf Club. The tournament, the sole fundraiser for AIREF, grossed more than $160,000, which will benefit research efforts. |
 (Left to right) Ken Kensill, Erie Police Department, Andrea Kensill, IQ Program, Patrick Egan, Past Pennsylvania Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (PBFAA) and NBFAA President, Tom Ridge, First Secretary of Homeland Security, Paula Eller, PBFAA and New York Burglar & Fire Alarm Association, Dale Eller, NBFAA director of Education and Standards, Amanda Moodie, NBFAA National Training School, and Ralph Manento, PBFAA Past President. |
NBFAA and SDM Magazine presented American Alarm and Communications Inc. of Arlington, Mass., with the NBFAA/SDM Magazine 2005 First Line of Defense Award at the Industry Breakfast, Wednesday, April 5.
Another big hit was the ISC West Eighth Annual Industry Summit. The summit began with the Industry Breakfast and then guest speaker Tom Ridge, the country's first-ever Secretary of Homeland Security, presented a Keynote Address.
More than 23,000 security professionals and 1,000 exhibiting companies were in Las Vegas April 5-7, to participate in ISC West.
With the help of the association staff, Board and members, we completed a successful mission in Vegas and we can’t wait till next year!
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Conference photos will be available next week on www.alarm.org. |
Win a Free Vacation—Here’s How
The 2006 NBFAA Member Get a Member campaign rewards members who recruit new members. Every time an individual sponsors a new member, their name is added to a drawing to win a prize. The sponsor who recruits the most new members will win a Grand Prize trip for two that includes a free four day-three night stay at a Las Vegas Hotel of choice, golf for two at the Revere Golf Club, two tickets to a Las Vegas show of choice and two round-trip airline tickets to Las Vegas.*
Sponsors must be a current NBFAA member or work for a current member company to be eligible.
Sponsors in all categories of membership (Regular Members, National Company Members, Multi-Branch Company Members, Associate Members, Affiliate Members, Life Members, Alumni Members, Honorary Members, Applicant Members, and Public Safety Members) are eligible to participate in the Mission Possible: Member-Get-A-Member Campaign.
To be considered for the Grand Prize and entered into the drawing for other prizes, the sponsor’s new member must be a National Company, Multi-location Company or Regular Member. The campaign began in January and ends June16, 2006.
For more information about the campaign, please visit www.alarm.org. Remember, the more new members recruited, the greater the chance of winning!
*Up to $300/ticket
NTS Heating Up with Spring Savings
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It’s heating up outside, and while you are soaking up the sun, soak up the savings by taking advantage of all your member benefit programs like NTS and watch your educational opportunities grow! NTS has recently announced new training opportunities in Georgia, Oklahoma and Nevada, visit www.alarm.org for more information. Please use the following numbers when contacting NTS: |
Course schedules for 2006 are available in the Professional Development section: www.alarm.org/nts/
Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician Certified Alarm Technician Electronic Access Control |
Fire Alarm Installation Methods Security Networking Institute Understanding Alarm Systems |
NBFAA Calendar Highlights
Upcoming Events
California Alarm Association Conference
May 11-13, 2006
Palm Springs, California
www.CAAonline.org
Central Station Alarm Association Expo
May 17-21, 2006
Savanna, Ga.
www.csaaul.org
New Jersey Burglar & Fire Alarm Association
April 27, 2006
Northern Region Membership Meeting
www.njbfaa.org
May 10, 2006
Central Region Membership Meeting
www.njbfaa.org
Kansas City Burglar & Fire Alarm Association
June 7, 2006
Spring Golf Tournament
www.kcbfaa.com
Chapter News
Washington to Host Golf Tournament
The Washington Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (WBFAA) wants to ensure the success of the WBFAA Fifth Annual Golf Tournament. See how you can help.
Held July 11, 2006, at the Elk Run Golf Course in Maple Valley, Wash., the event honors America’s firefighters and police officers with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the NBFAA Youth Scholarship Program.
Corporate and vendor sponsorship are still needed. For more information about the event or to sponsor, contact Alarm Foreman (206) 328-3288 ext. 722 or e-mail aforeman@washingtonalarm.com.
Mississippi Licensing Bill (MS SB 2742) Signed into Law
Sponsored by Sen. Nolan Mettetal (D-10) on Jan. 16, 2006, the bill MS SB 2742 creates the State Residential Electronic Protection Licensing Act for companies offering electronic protection systems to the general public; authorizes the State Fire Marshal to assess and collect fees; relates to burglar alarms, electronic protective systems, closed circuit television alarm systems and related services.
Referred to the House Committee on Judiciary, it was signed into law by the Mississippi governor on April 3.
“The Mississippi Alarm Association worked with our state legislators and endorses this bill which we believe will benefit not only alarm companies in the state, but consumers as well,” said Shelley Pettit, executive director of the Mississippi Alarm Association.
Member News
ADI Signs Three New Dealers To Compete In IP Industry
ADI has partnered with three IP dealers – Firetide™ Inc., IPIX, and On-Net Surveillance Systems (ONSSI) – a move that hopes to strengthen ADI’s position as an IP provider within the security industry.
“Our goal is that ADI will carry dealers into the IP era,” said Nick LaBella, director of Product Management at ADI. “ADI has everything a dealer needs to adopt new IP technology. We provide the products, training, and education dealers are looking for as their interest in IP technology grows.”
To ensure customers have easy access to information on IP technology or other ADI products, ADI released their first-ever IP Surveillance Catalog, an educational end-to-end solution product resource. The catalog provides dealers with a complete listing of all ADI products, as well as an educational component that includes technical, training, and vendor information.
J.D. Power Recognizes Security Contact Center for Three Consecutive Years
J.D. Power and Associates recently recognized Brink’s Home Security’s contact center operations for customer satisfaction excellence. It is the third consecutive year the contact center has been recognized under the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Call Center Program.
Contact center operations for Brink’s Home Security handle thousands of alarms, telephone calls, e-mails, and other correspondence each day from more than one million customers through its contact centers in Irving, Texas, and Knoxville, Tenn. The contact center operations successfully passed a detailed audit of their recruiting, training, employee incentives, management roles and responsibilities, and quality assurance capabilities.
Customers give high ratings for their interactions with the Brink’s customer service specialists and are particularly pleased with the timely resolution of problems and the convenience of service hours.
Member Benefit Spotlight
Alarm Debt
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The Alarm Debt Liquidation Group, a division of Anderson, Crenshaw & Associates, specializes in the collection of overdue accounts receivable for the alarm industry. Using extensive knowledge of both the alarm industry and the collection process, they are able to consistently achieve high recovery rates, contributing to the profitability and growth potential of clients. They use the most effective method of recovery for defaulted alarm monitoring contracts in the industry today, because their collection agents have extensive knowledge of alarm contracts and the legal resources you have to settle an account. |
Industry News
Legislative Action Alert: Congress Needs to Hear VoIP Concerns
On Wednesday, April 5, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications marked up legislation that is the first step in the rewriting of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. NBFAA’s position on this bill is that Congress should enact a provision requiring that before a VoIP system is activated, the customer is notified that the system needs to be tested. But to have an effective position, we need your active involvement.
You can help by contacting your Congressperson on the House Energy and Commerce Committee during the Congressional Easter recess (April 10 – 24). Ask them to support Rep. Cliff Stearns’ (R-FL) amendment to the House Telecommunications Bill.
A list of key Committee members is available in the Government Relations section of the Information Center at www.alarm.org. We urge you to make a special effort to contact them especially if you do business in any of the states listed.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact NBFAA Director of Government Relations John Chwat at (703) 684-7703. Additional information on VoIP is available on the Web site.
Editor’s Note: NBFAA sent out an e-mail blast this week in support of the New Hampshire Alarm Association asking that members who do business in NH contact the state senators there.
NBFAA Director of Government Relations John Chwat said, “We expect that New Hampshire will not be the last place that we see this kind of legislation introduced. It is important that our members get involved early and often to ensure that the alarm industry is heard when licensing or other legislation that will impact business is being considered.”
For more information go the Government Relations section in the Information Center at www.alarm.org.
Industry Product News
Altronix Features New HubWay Product Series
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Altronix demonstrated its new HubWay Video/Data/Power Product Series at the International Security Conference West in Las Vegas, April 5-7, 2006. |
The company said the new HubWay Series offers a simple way to lower the cost of closed-circuit television (CCTV) installations by providing centralized unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) video, data control protocols and distributed camera power over a single structured cable. This eliminates the need to utilize expensive coaxial cable and additional wiring.
HubWay2 provides centralized UTP video, RS422/RS-S485 data and distributed camera power over a single CAT-5 (or higher) cable for distances up to 1000 feet. It also features eight built-in individually selectable 24/28 volt of alternating current (VAC) power outputs and is universally configurable for alternating current (AC) and/or direct current (DC) cameras when used in conjunction with HubWay Series matching AC or DC video combiner/transmitters.
Bosch Expands IP-Based Video Surveillance
Bosch Security Systems is adding the VIDOS Pro Software Suite to its VIDOS Video Management System for Internet Protocol (IP)-based closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance installations.
The company said the modular suite of software is powerful, flexible and scalable, tailoring VIDOS to a greater variety of applications and facilities. With the Pro Software Suite, VIDOS enables a smooth migration from analog and hybrid systems to digital IP-based CCTV systems. Multiple authorization levels and privilege allocations permit the creation of hack-proof systems that control an entire network of cameras, monitors and recorders from a central or remote location.
As a facility’s requirements for interconnected security resources increase, VIDOS with the Pro Software Suite enables smooth transition and streamlined system expansion with its flexible, scalable client-server IP technology base according to Bosch.
Talk-A-Phone and Millennium Integration Offers Streamline Monitoring
Users of Talk-A-Phone Co. emergency phones and Micro Key Software’s Millennium Monitoring Module can now manage their emergency phone locations and alarms using the same monitoring platform.
The system works with a serial connection from Talk-A-Phone’s EB-300 Base station receiver to a signal processing computer. The connection enables security monitors to receive alarms from their Emergency Phones into Millennium’s signal processing application, which, in turn, will display all contact and dispatching information just like any other alarm processing.
The compatibility between the two systems allows Talk-A-Phone and Micro Key Software users to completely avoid watching multiple monitors, learning how to operate multiple systems, and having to view separate history reports for each of their alarms and emergency.
In The News
NBFAA in the News
NBFAA Adds Alarm Classes in Georgia, Nevada and Oklahoma
Security Sales & Integration-March 29, 2006
NBFAA Expanding its Training Opportunities to Three States Currently Without Chartered Associations
:: Full story
Alarm Industry Event Draws Out Golfing Masters
Security Sales & Integration-April 7, 2006
AIREF/NBFAA Third Annual Golf Tournament Results
:: Full story
NBFAA Hands Out Top Awards
Security Sales & Integration- April 7, 2006
Weinstock and Jackson Awards Presented at NBFAA Evening Event
:: Full story
For Member Update
Sponsorship information, contact
NBFAA Senior Director of Business Development Tonja
Jenkins.
If you have questions, comments or concerns about Member Update, please contact the Communications Department.
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