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In This Issue
NBFAA News
Save the Date for the 2007 Spring Conference and Golf Tournament
It may be a little early talking about spring right smack dab in the middle of winter but it’s never too early to start planning your trip to Las Vegas.
NBFAA will hold the annual Spring Conference in Las Vegas in conjunction with the ISC West Expo, March 28 – 30. The conference begins on Sunday, March 25, 2007 and runs through Thursday, March 29.
The fourth annual Alarm Industry Research and Educational Foundation (AIREF)/NBFAA Golf Tournament will be held Tuesday, March 27. All proceeds benefit AIREF. Prior years’ proceeds helped fund the industry’s first comprehensive study of verified response. The results of the study can be found at NBFAA’s Web site at www.alarm.org.
Check NBFAA’s Web site often for conference updates. Online registration will be available next week.
NBFAA Participates in GAO Study
The NBFAA was recently contacted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for assistance in a study being conducted to determine how federal protective service could better measure the performance of its control centers.
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The NBFAA assisted the GAO by setting up interviews with the private sector so the GAO could analyze their activities as an example for federal government recommendations. As a result, NBFAA is mentioned in the report on page two as the sole alarm association contributing to the study. A copy of the report can be obtained from the GAO by clicking here. |
Alarm History 101: Where There’s Smoke…
Editor’s Note: The Alarm Industry has an illustrious and interesting history going back more than 100 years. Many do not know the history of the industry that they have chosen as a profession. Because of this we have decided to include a brief look in Member Update at some of the events that have shaped the alarm industry into what it has become today. Alarm History 101 provides information on the path the industry has taken and of the ideas that have impacted it. If you have questions about our industry’s history you would like answered send an e-mail to communications@alarm.org.
While American inventors upgraded burglary protection, Europeans improved the art of fire detection with the ionization smoke detector. The technology was invented in Nazi Germany to protect munitions plants in the late 1930s. Thereafter, Swiss scientists working for the firm Cerberus refined the German model. In the mid-1950s, Cerberus began marketing smoke detectors in America through the company Pyrene, which was owned by Baker Industries.
The ionization detector was a major improvement in fire protection technique, which is best understood in view of the four stages of a fire:
- Incipient stage – tiny charged particles of combustion, ions, are released as the fire starts.
- Soldering stage – smoke appears and heat increases.
- Flame stage – heat increases to the point of igniting the gases and particles release during the first two stages.
- High heat stage – quickly follows the flame stage. Fire causes the most damage at this stage and its hardest to extinguish.
Ionization Smoke Detector - When charged
particles entered the sampling chamber,
resistance is created, triggering an alarm.
Electric Eye Trained toward Fire - Photoelectric smoke detectors proved to be effective and versatile. Here an ADT installer mounts a unit inside a duct as part of a large system for industrial loss prevention. The unit was made by Electro Signal Lab, Inc., an ADT subsidiary. |
Ionization detectors were designed to sense the tiny particles released in the incipient stage. Photoelectric sensors were activated by smoke, and heat sensors, even the rate-of-rise units were not activated until the third or fourth stages. The advantage of the ionization detector was its ability to sense entities common to all fires in their early stages: charged particles.
The Europeans designed a system that exploited the electrical properties of ions. In a small chamber they created an electrical current using radioactive radium. The radium emitted energy that charged the air molecules and created a steady current through the chamber. Ions produced by a fire would enter the chamber and cause resistance in the closed circuit, triggering an alarm.
Early problems centered on the poser source. The detector needed 220 volts of direct current to operate, which made it costly and vulnerable. The high power demand required that it be tied to the electrical system. If a fire destroyed the electrical system first, the alarm would be dead before it could sound.
American inventors made important contributions that made the detector suitable for mass use. In 1964 Denver Burglar Alarm founded fire alert to refine and manufacture the ionization detector. Fire alert’s Don Stroh developed a detector that required only 24 volts of alternating current to operate.
With innovation and mass production, suppliers were able to market the best protection value ever conceived: a reliable and effective detector that retailed for less than $25. Intense competition drove down the prices for some units to $10. Consumers could install the sensors themselves in less than 10 minutes and maintain them by replacing the battery annually and dusting the interior.
Consumers recognized a good value and began snatching them up at a dizzying pace – urged on by fire-fighting officials who believed that the detectors should be in every structure in America. In the early 1970s the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development mandated fire detection systems in a variety of new buildings constructed with federal funds, including hospitals and nursing homes. Property standards issued thereafter required fire protection in most new and old buildings using government money. The endorsements and regulations fueled the boom in smoke and ion detector sales: from 500,000 units in 1973 to 2.9 million in 1976 – a 600 percent increase in for years.
A series of major hotel fires gave the market for protection services another boost. A fire at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas on Nov. 21, 1980, killed 84 persons. The flames destroyed the amplifiers on a manual fire alarm system before it could be activated. Only the first three floors of the 26-story building had sprinklers, and most of them failed to operate. This arrangement defies common sense since the first three floors are the only ones accessible to a fire department ladder. The upper floors are the most hazardous in a fire. In addition, the hotel had no smoke detectors.
Fire department officials were still analyzing the wreckage of the MGM fire when a flash fire killed 26 guests in the conference rooms at Stouffer’s Inn in White Plains, New York, on Dec. 4. This hotel had sprinklers in all the guest rooms, but local fire codes did not require the conference rooms to be so protected and they weren’t.
Yet another fire killed eight and injured 300 guests of the Las Vegas Hilton on Feb. 10, 1981. The wing of the hotel where the fire burned did not have sprinklers, which were not required by the code. The fire was attributed to arson. In an ironic twist, a fire broke out at the Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas on the final day of NBFAA’s convention there on April 1, 1981. Unlike the others, this blaze was contained and extinguished within 30 minutes. The tower where the fire broke out had no sprinklers, but it did have detectors, which worked.
These fires prompted a widespread upgrading of fire codes for all kinds of structures. By the mid-1980s, most businesses protected their premises with some type of fire-detection equipment, according to a survey of 1,500 readers of Security World magazine. And history repeated itself as fire protection was upgraded in the wake of major tragedy.
Source: A History of Alarm Security Copyrighted by NBFAA 1979, 1980, and 1991.
Enjoy FAIM Today
Sign up for a Fire Alarm Installation Method (FAIM) course in your area today and receive world class training of the latest fire alarm services today.
This two-day course is ideal for individuals seeking to expand their knowledge of the installation, service and maintenance of fire alarm systems. Additionally, this course provides the necessary review material to prepare for NICET Level 1 and 2 examinations.
This course follows the structure of NFPA 72 and is based on the 1996 edition of NFPA 72 and NFPA 70. This course will end with the administration of a two-hour, multiple-choice examination. Attendees successfully completing the examination will receive a certificate of course completion.
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Have Peace of Mind over the HolidaysWorried about leaving your business for the holidays? If you had a well-trained staff you would have no worries. NTS courses can provide your staff the training they need to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. Give your self that peace of mind. And give your employees the tools and knowledge to be the best. Sign up for a class near you today. |
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Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician
Dec. 2 – 3 – Lafayette, La.
Dec. 7 – 8 – Philadelphia, Pa.
Dec. 9 – 10 – Montevallo, Ala.
Certified Alarm Technician (Level 1)
Dec. 1 – 3 – Montevallo, Ala.
Dec. 18 – 20 – Fairfax, Va.
Fire Alarm Installation Methods
Dec. 5 – 6 – Philadelphia, Pa.
Continuing Education Courses
Dec. 8 – NICET Test Prep – Columbia, S.C.
NBFAA & Chapter Calendar Highlights
December Packed with Events
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December is shaping up to be a busy month with several events slated for the winter months. Don’t be left out in the cold. Send us your special event and meetings schedule today. To have your event added, send an e-mail to communications@alarm.org. Be sure to include a description of the event along with the dates. Check out the events near you on the NBFAA Web site at www.alarm.org. |
llinois Electronic Security Association
Casino Night, Auction & Holiday Party
Dec. 2, 2006
Holiday Inn, Elk Grove Village
Be sure to invite your significant other, employees and guests. There will be casino style gaming, a “funny money” auction for prizes, great food and a silent auction. Each guest will receive $300 in funny money for gaming. Companies sponsoring or bringing an auction item will receive additional funny money.
Besides being a wonderful evening of fun, your support will raise funds for IESA projects. Here’s how you can help!
The Holiday Party Committee is asking for creative sponsors who will donate items or cash for the silent auction. Suggested items include sports tickets, merchandise, theatre tickets, dinner certificates, hotel weekend packages, gift certificates, shopping spree. A cash donation could sponsor the evenings entertainment or beverages.
IESA welcomes your thoughts, suggestions and donation! Be sure to register early. Registration is required by Nov. 24.
California Alarm Association Winter Conference
2006 CAA Winter Convention & Western States Security Conference
Dec. 7 – 9, 2006
Crowne Plaza, San Francisco
Micro Key Software Users Conference
Jan. 30 – Feb. 2, 2006
Sheraton Studio City Hotel
Orlando, Fla.
Micro Key Software will hold its 14th annual users conference at the Sheraton Studio City Hotel in Orlando, Fla. The conference, to be held Jan. 30 – Feb. 2, is focused on how to increase efficiency and profitability. Sessions will include training on the enhancements requested at previous conferences, revealing 2007 product plans, user forums, and much, much more. Although sessions are geared toward users of Micro Key’s software, any alarm dealer, central station manager or owners is welcome to attend.
New Jersey Burglar & Fire Alarm Association Annual Symposium
Feb. 1, 2007
East Windsor, New Jersey
Annual Symposium for Dealers and Integrators
This 1-day event features a small trade show, an awards ceremony recognizing NJBFAA members, education programs, networking and more.
Member News
SDi Product Line Now Available From The Systems Depot
The Systems Depot is excited to offer SDi’s complete line of fire detector testing equipment and service equipment.
SDi detector testing equipment has been specifically designed for all fire alarm technicians to save both time and money.
The SOLO line is the universal line of testers for accessing and functionally testing smoke and heat detectors, at heights of more than 30 feet. The SOLO line is covered under a lifetime warranty.
TRUTEST is a field service test instrument for sensitivity testing of smoke detectors. TRUTEST is a fully portable device, enabling fire alarm technicians to measure the actual sensitivity of smoke detectors quickly and easily in one test, displayed in a percent-per-square-foot format.
CHEKKIT® SMOKE aerosol and the CELLCHECKER™ pulse load battery tester are the latest products from SDi. CHEKKIT® SMOKE is a hand-held functional tester of both ionization and photoelectric detectors while CELLCHECKER™ determines a battery's remaining power capacity by measuring its ability to maintain voltage while under load.
For more information on SDi products, visit SDi online at www.sdifire.com or call The Systems Depot today at (877) 797-3376.
Member Benefit Spotlight
Mass Marketing |
Give Your Employees the Gift of Health Insurance this ChristmasProvide affordable employer-paid health insurance benefit packages for your employees through Mass Marketing Insurance Consultants. Call Ed Sturczek for a customized quote offered to NBFAA member companies both large and small. You can also access information via NBFAA’s Web site at www.alarm.org. |
Industry News You Can Use
Back-Up Arrives For Fight Against False Dispatches
Reinforcements have arrived for the battle against false dispatches. Last month the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) passed a resolution urging municipalities and counties to require the Security Industry Association (SIA) CP-01 standard for all alarm control panels. The resolution calls for panel manufacturers to comply with the standard in producing all new panels as well.
“The CP-01 standard has proven to be successful in reducing false dispatches. Now we just need to get more people to adopt it,” said Stan Martin, executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC). “Support from the IACP shows this is not just an alarm industry initiative. Both the alarm and law enforcement industries want to reduce false dispatches and we know this is one of the best ways to do it.”
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“Use of this standard frees up law enforcement resources that can be redirected to problem solving initiatives, homeland security issues and other community needs,” said Bill Berger, Chief of Police, Palm Bay (FL) Police Department, and a past President of IACP. |
The SIA CP-01 standard sets higher design requirements for alarm control panels. Its goal is to reduce alarms caused by equipment failure as well as user error. Under the new provisions, control panels must cover event recognition, information handling sequences, as well as provisions for system layout testing. In addition, installers must use specific program options and test procedures to ensure compliance.
“Underwriter Laboratories has tested burglar alarm control panels and found that most manufacturers have at least one product in compliance with the new standard,” said Martin. “Dealers should use this newer equipment. In addition to proper user training, it's the best long-term solution to reducing user error."
For a copy of the resolution or to learn more about CP-01 standards, log onto www.SIACinc.org.
The Legal Side: The N.J. Case - A Problem for the Alarm Industry?
SecurityInfoWatch.com
Here's what we know about this case. ADT installed a burglar alarm system for a commercial subscriber called Synnex Corporation, which is a distributor of computer systems.
:: Full story
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NBFAA Senior Director of Business Development Tonja
Jenkins.
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