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Friday, June 15 , 2007
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In This Issue |
NBFAA NewsNBFAA Awards $20,000 in Scholarships to Students of Police, Fire OfficialsThere is nothing quite like seeing dreams come true, but that’s just what happened recently. Thanks to the members of NBFAA, and the association’s Youth Scholarship Program, three children of police and fire officials were told that they would be receiving funds to help them pursue their dreams of a college education
The first place winner, Leah Mainiero of Connecticut, received a $10,000 scholarship, while second place winner Harrison Turner from Pennsylvania and third place winner, Megan Crawley of New Jersey were awarded $7,500 and $2,500 respectively. The total $20,000 in awards is double the amount of previous awards. The honor of calling the winners to tell them the good news was given to Chartered Chapter representatives in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The scoring for the youth scholarship program is based on academic achievement, test scores, community activity and an essay titled, “What it means to ME to have my parent or guardian involved in securing our community.” Mainiero, a senior at Pomperaug Regional High School in Southbury, Conn., was “ecstatic” when she got the call. “I was so excited. When I hung up the phone, I jumped up and down and screamed with my mom," Mainiero said. The future International Relations major at John Hopkins University said that she's always been interested in culture and politics because of her father’s job as a Waterbury, Conn. police sergeant. A senior at North Allegheny High School in Wexford, Pa., an Eagle Scout and a National Merit Finalist, the second place winner also wrote about the pride he feels about his father’s role as a volunteer firefighter for the Bradford Woods Volunteer Fire Company. Like Mainiero, Turner was excited about winning the award. "The amount of money I'm receiving is really going to help," he explained. His future plans include studying mathematics at Carnegie Mellon. "Do you know those people that say math is boring and they don't understand it? Well, I'm not one of them; I really enjoy it," Turner added. Crawley, the third place winner from Sea Girt, N.J. Point Pleasant Beach High School plans to attend Bucknell University to study bio chemistry and hopes to one day work in genetic research. Be watching for the next issue of Newsline to read more about the Youth Scholarship Program, and see the Chapter News in this issue of Member Update. Election Ballots Due Next WeekElection ballots for the 2008 NBFAA Officer elections are due in the NBFAA office no later than Thursday, June 21 3:00 p.m. CDT. The candidates are: Uncontested Officers:
Contested Office:
About the Candidates
About the Election Process In order to be counted, ballots must be completed by the primary or secondary NBFAA voting representative of a regular, associate, multi-location, life, or national member company in good standing.
For more information on each candidate and their platforms, refer to the official 2007 ballot you receive in the mail. All questions about election issues should be addressed to the NBFAA at (888) 447-1689 or michellew@alarm.org. E & O Insurance Resource Guide Now Available OnlineNBFAA recently posted the Errors & Omissions (E & O) Insurance Resource Guide in the Member Resource section of NBFAA’s Web site. Today professional liability insurance isn’t just for the traditional doctor, lawyer and accountant. It is for all occupations that require extensive training and possess special skills, experience and knowledge. More and more service-oriented businesses are considered professionals and, therefore, are expected to meet a higher standard of performance or conduct. When their professional performance falls below the customer’s expectations, allegations, claims, and lawsuits may follow. The guide goes into detail on what E & O insurance covers and why it’s important for today’s alarm businesses. NBFAA also has available on its Web site a “How To” Guide for State and Federal Government Relations and a Guide to Customer Contracts.
These reports provide answers to your most important big-dollar opportunities, concerns, and questions like:
Recently, NBFAA posted a new report covering Rules on Travel, Auto, Meal, and Entertainment Deductions for tax reporting purposes. This report goes through in detail what you can and can’t deduct and reflects the most up to date tax code. You must be a member in good standing to access Member Rresources. To check on your membership status, or if you have forgotten the user ID and password, contact membership@alarm.org for that information. Tell Us What You Think About NBFAA’s Member DiscountsNBFAA is soliciting comments about the discounted products and services provided by our Member Benefit companies. If you have a comment on how one of these companies has helped your business or saved you money, NBFAA wants to hear it. To submit your comments please forward them to communications@alarm.org. If you haven’t used any of these benefits lately, visit NBFAA’s Web site today at www.alarm.org and see how these companies can help you. Information on the Member Benefit companies, including the special discount codes for members, can be found in the Member Resource section. Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician Course Now Available OnlineNTS offers many opportunities for technicians to broaden their knowledge in the industry. One such course, which paves the way to becoming an advanced burglar alarm technician and providing your company with the most highly trained staff in the market, is now available online. The Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician course offers participants the following:
For information about the online course go here. Educational Opportunities Heating Up In and Out of the Classroom
Upcoming courses: Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician Central Station Training Certified Alarm Technician (Level I) Electronic Access Control Fire Alarm Installation Methods Life Safety Code Course Work Networking 101 Video Systems Technologies NBFAA & Chapter Calendar HighlightsMake Travel Plans Now for 2007 NBFAA Fall Conference The NBFAA’s bi-annual Leadership Symposium will feature a Chapter Workshop, Board of Director’s meeting, committee meetings, and the Annual Leadership Awards Luncheon. The conference will be followed by the 2007 ISC East Expo event Sept. 11 and 12. NBFAA will welcome members to a booth at the ISC exhibit hall, as well as host additional meetings at the Javits Center. Watch your e-mail and check the Web site regularly for more information about this event. Registration will begin in late June. To have an event placed on the calendar, please e-mail it to communications@alarm.org. Be sure to include the date, time and location along with a short synopsis and a contact for the event.
NBFAA 2007 Fall Conference
2007 Tri Association Awards Dinner
California Alarm Association Chapter NewsNBFAA Chapters Build Goodwill through the Youth Scholarship ProgramIt’s been called one of the best programs NBFAA has to offer. It’s the Youth Scholarship Program and many of our chartered chapters are taking full advantage of it. “The program is boosting our relationship with the first responders, while at the same time providing a valuable community service,” said Marc Turner, president of the Indiana Burglar & Fire Alarm Association. His state recently awarded $1,000 to Kevin Hueston, a senior at Bloomington High School South in Bloomington, Ind. and the son of a firefighter. This marks the first time Indiana has participated in the event in many years.
The Ohio Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (OBFAA) participated in the Youth Scholarship for the first time ever this year. They awarded $1,000 to Kelly Webb, a senior at Shawnee High School in Lima, Ohio. Her father is an officer at the Wapakoneta Police Department. “I’ve been involved with the national association for many years now and have listened to what other states were doing. I felt this was a worthwhile endeavor and would be fairly simple to implement. It’s one of those programs that promotes such good will with our public safety officials that the benefit is worth much more than the effort put into it.,” said Barbara Kessinger, chairman of the OBFAA Membership Committee and vice president of Safe Harbor Security Inc. The OBFAA board also decided to present a scholarship to a member’s child in addition to the Youth Scholarship Program winner. The original award was to be $500 for each winner but two member companies, including Kessinger’s, matched those funds to increase the total winnings for each student to $1,000. An old pro at the Youth Scholarship Program, the Washington Burglar & Fire Alarm Association has participated in the program for several years. This year they awarded $1,000 to Noah Jennings, a senior at Lynden High School in Lynden, Wash. His father works for the Bellingham Police Department. Every state winner is eligible for the National Youth Scholarship Award. This year NBFAA gave away a total of $20,000 in scholarships to students in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The following chapters also participate in the Youth Scholarship Program.
For information on establishing the program in your state, contact the NBFAA today at (888) 447-1689. PBFAA Turns 25
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Tennessee has become the second state in the country to follow a new trend which some herald as a modern solution to redirecting police resources. On May 15, 2007, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen signed a law requiring the entire state to implement Enhanced Call Verification (ECV). According to the law, alarm monitoring companies must now call “at least two different numbers prior to dispatching police to a location.”
“What started out as a state law in Florida last year is proving to be a trend for false dispatch reduction across the country,” said Glen Mowrey, national law enforcement liaison for the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC). “Most agencies have had limited success with other policies in the past, but the proliferation of cell phones has made ECV the best solution for the future.”
The idea behind the law is that alarm monitoring companies can be highly effective in identifying false alarms by simply calling a second phone number when the first call goes unanswered. SIAC claims ECV, combined with the alarm industries “best practices,” can reduce dispatches by more than 70 percent. Tennessee’s law enforcement executives say they are enthusiastic that this new law will help save their limited resources, and allow them to redirect officers to more pressing needs.
“As public agencies, we are always limited on our resources,” said John Lowry, president of the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police (TACP). “We’re excited that our officers will now be able to spend their time more efficiently than responding to too many false burglar alarms.”
![]() John Knox |
“We were already working with municipalities across the state to implement local ECV policies,” said Penny Brooks, executive director of the Tennessee Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (TBFAA). “When we heard about Florida’s idea to make it a statewide law, it seemed like a no-brainer.”
“With the solid endorsement of law enforcement, passing the law proved to be very easy,” said John Knox, legislative chair for TBFAA and the TACP’s Alarm Management Committee. “Both the senate and the house passed the legislation unanimously.”
The new law will improve Tennessee’s ECV Resolution passed two years ago. The previous law was based on the International Association of Chiefs of Police as well as the National Sheriffs Association’s resolution.
“This is another joint effort that strengthens our partnership with the alarm industry,” said TACP Executive Director, Maggi McLean.
Honeywell Power Products is pleased to announce the appointment of Southeast Security Products as its sales representative organization for Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia territories. Honeywell’s comprehensive line of power supply products, from small plug-in transformers to large system power supplies, provides effective power solutions for fire, video, intrusion, and access control systems.
Southeast Security Products is a sales representative organization with a 15-person team of low voltage product experts. Teamed with Honeywell Power Products’ factory sales force, Southeast Security Products reps will provide sales and technical support to the territory’s power supply security distributors and installers.
For a comprehensive library of Honeywell Power Products’ data sheets, installation manuals, computer aided design files, and voltage drop calculators, visit www.honeywellpower.com.
DICE Corporation has collaborated with Dragon Payment Systems of Cadillac, Mich. As a systems integrator, Dragon Payment Systems specializes in working with DICE Corporation’s Central Station Clients to provide flexible pre-collection programs.
Through DICE eLink web solutions Dragon Payment Systems works with DICE clients to lower account attrition and prevent write-offs in accounts receivable.
There has been a noticeable increase in interest for alarm companies to handle all aspects of billing, accounts receivables, customer payment and collections in the most efficient way possible. DICE Corporation and a number of its clients saw these trends years ago and DICE enhances its Central Station Monitoring Software (CSMS) in collaboration with Dragon Payment Systems to bring DICE’s clients a streamlined approach to handling these functions.
DICE Corporation works with Acadian on Watch to deliver a true disaster ready answer to central station redundancy.
Acadian on Watch, headquartered in Lafayette, La., knows only too well how a natural disaster can have an impact on the central station business. While many of Acadian’s competitors were damaged or destroyed during Hurricane Katrina, Acadian on Watch, was spared and continued to provide services to dealers throughout the U.S.
However, Acadian on Watch did not rest on the “luck” they had during Hurricane Katrina. They began the process to design and build a regional redundant center that would be bi-directional. In other words, two centers, one in Lafayette and one in Houston that would be hot redundant to one another.
“Acadian needed a solution whereby the two centers could be live at the same time, or one live and one dark, and both are 100 percent redundant to the other 24/7,” explained Blane Comeaux, vice president of Acadian on Watch. “DICE engineered a rock solid system that will provide a superior level of protection for our dealer network and national call center businesses.”
Alarm Lock Systems Inc has developed Alarm Lock Power, a comprehensive family of high performance power supplies.
Most recently, two turnkey all-inclusive models have been added, a 1.5 amp and 3 amp 12/24 volt Power Supply Kits. Available at Alarm Lock Distributors, both the ALP-12v3A-KIT (3 amp) and the ALP-12V1A-KIT (1.5 amp), come pre-mounted in a locking metal enclosure and include a transformer and backup battery for added installation convenience.
Business Growth for Security Dealers
SecurityInfoWatch.com - Geoff Kohl, editor
I just returned from Day 1 of the NBFAA Business Focus 2007 event. This is a new event from the association that seeks to bring some of the thought leaders on business growth and management into one room to speak with security installing and integrating companies on topics that hit the bottom line.
:: Full Story
LIVE from NBFAA Business Focus 2007
SecurityInfoWatch.com - Peter Harlick
The NBFAA goes to jail -- and learns how to grow a security business. On the morning of Thursday, June 14, 2007, the NBFAA went to jail; they even were put into a padded cell. Ok, let me rephrase, "going to jail" was the kick-off event for the NBFAA Business Focus conference in Indianapolis, a two-day conference focusing on hands-on examination of what it takes to grow a firm in the security business.
:: Full Story
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