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In This Issue
NBFAA News
FCC Announces Denial of AMPS Hearing
On June 15, 2007, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) formally denied the industry’s latest attempt to extend the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) sunset deadline to 2010.
The move by the FCC means the deadline of Feb. 18, 2008, will stand. Alarm companies should no-longer be installing alarm systems that utilize AMPS cellular services. Alarm companies should also take action and contact their current customers with older equipment and inform them of the FCC decision and offer options for upgrading their systems.
For more information on what you should be doing, see NBFAA’s Newsflash on May 25.
Calling All Members!
Do you know someone who deserves recognition as a chapter president or executive director? Have you been especially impressed this year with an NBFAA chapter or an NTS instructor or training coordinator? Do you believe your chapter newsletter is the best thing since sliced bread?
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Now is the time to submit a nomination.
The winners of the 2007 NBFAA Leadership Awards will be recognized during the NBFAA Fall Conference. Each recipient will be honored at a special awards luncheon and presented with a commemorative keepsake.
Any NBFAA member can submit a nomination in any or all categories. Tell us who you believe are this year’s best. The deadline to submit your nominations is July 20.
The categories are:
- Chapter of the Year
- Newsletter of the Year
- NTS Instructor of the Year
- Executive Director of the Year
- President of the Year
- NTS Training Coordinator of the Year
And plan to attend the 2007 NBFAA Fall Conference to share in the excitement when we announce the winners, who won’t know that they’ve won until we call their name!
NBFAA Seeks Member Photos
To help make NBFAA communications, marketing and public relations materials, such as Newsline, Member Update, Stay Connected, press releases and brochures, more visual for our readers we are seeking photos from our members and chapters.
We need action photos of monitoring stations, installation services, training classes, meetings, events and conferences.
Photos need to be in hi-res digital format for printing purposes. Send your photos to communications@alarm.org. If the file size of the picture is too large to e-mail please contact us at (888) 447-1689 for instructions to upload them to our server.
First Line of Defense Finalist Victim of Break-in
Sentry Watch owners Carol and Gene Loye were attending the Central Station Alarm Association meeting in Savannah, Ga. last year, when they were notified of an intrusion in their home.
Gene then called a neighbor and asked him to meet the Forsyth Co. sheriff’s deputy that had been dispatched to investigate the alarm. Both arrived at the house at the same time and noticed the garage door open. The deputy went to the front door to see if he could get someone to come to the door.
“All the while I’m on the phone with my central station and they are informing me of the alarm signals they were receiving,” Gene said. “They told me they had just gotten a signal from the basement door and then the basement patio door.”
Gene, communicating via two-way, told his neighbor what his central station had just said. “I said ‘Bob you’ve got to get to the back patio, they’re going to get away.’”
His neighbor and the deputy both went to the back of the house to find two men sitting in the Loye’s basement and drinking their beer. When asked what they were doing there one of the men told the deputy he had just inherited the property and they were checking it out.
When asked for identification the same man told the deputy he was the President of the United States and that he was just looking at the property and that his identification was upstairs. The deputy, along with the neighbor, escorted the man upstairs where the perpetrator turned on the officer and assaulted him.
After a brief altercation the officer was able to subdue the suspect. Both men were arrested.
“I think our people did an excellent job of responding and reacting to the situation as they always do with our regular customers,” Gene said.
The Loye’s story is a perfect example of why monitored intrusion detection systems and police response are so important to the safety and security of lives and property. Without the alarm system, Gene and his wife might have returned home to find two intruders in their residence, one of whom was obviously violent.
NBFAA is featuring the 2007 First Line of Defense finalists online, in articles in Newsline and Member Update. Go here for further information about the program.
NTS Offers Training in the Comfort of Your Home
 Online courses can be taken on your own time, in the comfort of your home. |
NTS knows your, and your employees’ time, is valuable and that continuing education sometimes takes a back seat to day-to-day activities. Keeping up on training for yourself and your staff, however, is still very important to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced industry. That’s why NTS offers thousands of online training opportunities.
Online courses can be taken on your own time, in the comfort of your home. NTS courses include Certified Alarm Technician (Level I), Fire Alarm Installation Methods, and, most recently, Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician.
NTS also offers more than 2,500 business skills courses providing professional, technical and desktop application software courses.
A complete listing of NTS’ online training courses can be found in the Education & Training section of NBFAA’s Web site at www.alarm.org.
Customer Confidence Soars with NTS Trained Technicians
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It’s no secret that when a customer relies on someone to provide their family the safety and security they desire, they want that person to be the best trained individual out there. NTS classes can help your staff get the training they need, and your customers expect. Complete course descriptions and schedules are available at www.alarm.org in the Education & Training section. Classroom courses are listed by state and class type. Individuals in states where classes are not currently offered, who are interested in receiving training, should contact NTS. |
Please use the following numbers when contacting NTS:
Send any hard copy correspondence to NTS at the following address:
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Upcoming courses:
Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician
July 7 – 8 – Bossier City, La.
Certified Alarm Technician (Level I)
June 29 – July 1 – Knoxville, Tenn.
July 10 – 12 – Riverside, Calif.
July 11 – 13 – Owings Mills, Md.
July 12 – 14 – Charleston, S.C.
July 17 – 19 – Owings Mills, Md.
July 19 – 21 – Salt Lake City, Utah
July 25 – 27 – Cincinnati, Ohio
July 25 – 27 – Brookfield, Wisc.
July 27 – 29 – Port Allen, La.
July 27 – 29 – Hattiesburg, Miss.
July 27 – 29 – Nashville, Tenn.
Electronic Access Control
July 19 – 20 – San Diego, Calif.
Fire Alarm Installation Methods
July 11 – 12 – Little Rock, Ark.
July 11 – 13 – Long Island, N.Y.
July 13 – 14 – Knoxville, Tenn.
July 21 – 22 – Kenner, La.
July 26 – 27 – Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.
Networking 101
July 24 – Oklahoma City, Okla.
July 26 – St. Louis, Mo.
Practical Electronics
July 13 – Little Rock, Ark.
Understanding Alarm Systems
July 14 – Monroe, La.
Video Systems Technologies
July 17 – 18 – San Diego, Calif.
NBFAA & Chapter Calendar Highlights
Mark your Calendars for the 2007 NBFAA Fall Conference
It’s not too early to book your flight to the Big Apple for NBFAA’s annual Fall Conference. Beginning just before the start of ISC East, NBFAA will kick off the Fall Conference Sunday, Sept. 9. The four-day conference will include two days in New Jersey where the Leadership Symposium will be held and two days at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
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, and host additional committee meetings at the Javits Center.
Watch your e-mail and check the Web site regularly for more information about this event. Registration will begin soon.
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.
Washington Burglar & Fire Alarm Association
6th Annual Golf Tournament
July 10, 2007
Elk Run Golf Course
Maple Valley, Wash.
This event will feature a putting contest, door prizes, a shootout for a BMW-Z4, par 3’s closest to the pin contest and a longest drive contest. For more information visit www.wbfaagolf.advantagegolfonline.com or contact Alan Foreman at golfnalf@msn.com or aforman@washingtonalarm.com.
Mississippi Alarm Association
13th Annual Trade Show & Convention
August 1 – 5, 2007
Imperial Palace
Biloxi, Miss.
For more information, visit www.msalarm.org.
Free Webinar: Securing America's Hospitals
August 8, 2007
1:00pm EDT
In this Webinar from SecurityInfoWatch.com, we take a close look at the risks America's healthcare facilities are faced with. From policies and procedures to integrated systems, our panel covers the current thinking and issues which hospital security managers and executive staff need to address.Click here to register for this complimentary Webinar!
Kentucky Burglar & Fire Alarm Association
TableTop & Golf Outing
August 9, 2007
Audubon Country Club
Louisville, Ky.
Please join the Kentucky Burglar & Fire Alarm Association and share with their members your resources of products and knowledge. August 9 will be the TableTop & Golf Outing at the Audubon Country Club in Louisville, Ky. Please arrive at 9:30 a.m. for registration and a light breakfast. Tee times will begin at 10:15 a.m. A box lunch will also be provided. The TableTop and free hors d’oeuvre buffet will be from 4 – 6 p.m. If you would, please bring an item worth $50 or better to be given away during the TableTop. For $50, you can also sponsor a hole during the golf outing. Please e-mail your RSVP or any questions to Chris Raupp at kbfaa@insightbb.com | Vendors Sign Up Form
NBFAA 2007 Fall Conference
September 9 – 12, 2007
Sheraton Suites on the Hudson
Weehawken, N.J.
Beginning just before the start of ISC East, NBFAA will kick off the Fall Conference Sunday, Sept. 9. The four-day conference will include two days in New Jersey where the Leadership Symposium will be held and two days at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
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, and host additional committee meetings at the Javits Center.
2007 Tri Association Awards Dinner
September 11, 2007
The Lighthouse on Chelsea Pier 61
New York City, N.Y.
The NBFAA, together with the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), is pleased to host the Tri-Association Awards Dinner annually in conjunction with the ISC East Expo. The event is hosted each year in honor of the recipients of the distinguished Tri-Association Triton Award and SIA's highest honor — the George R. Lippert Memorial Award.
2007 Triton Award: Stan Martin, executive director, Security Industry Alarm Coalition
2007 George R. Lippert Memorial Award: George Fletcher, president, DMF Consulting
Make a reservation
2007 ISC East Expo
September 11 – 12, 2007
Jacob Javits Convention Center
New York City, N.Y.
Security Canada Atlantic Conference
September 20, 2007
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Canada
More Information
South Carolina Alarm Association
Annual Convention & Trade Show
September 27, 2007
Holiday Inn, Patriots Point
Charleston, S.C.
The event will feature a golf tournament, training classes, roundtable discussions and trade show. Contact Gabrielle at (803) 252-0580 for more information. More Information
Alabama Alarm Association
Annual Meeting and Trade Show
October 10 – 12, 2007
Double Tree Hotel
Birmingham, Ala.
www.alabamaalarm.org
Washington Burglar & Fire Alarm Association
13th Annual Trade Show
October 11, 2007
Mirabeau Park Hotel
Spokane, Wash.
This event will feature a trade show, golf tournament and trade show. More Information
International Security Conference & Expo
October 17 – 18, 2007
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
More Information
Louisiana Life Safety and Security Association
Convention & Trade Show
November 14 – 16, 2007
The Pontchartrain Center
Kenner, La.
Please mark your calendars and make plans to attend the 11th annual Louisiana Life Safety & Security Association (LLSSA) Convention and Trade Show. The event will feature a golf tournament, putting contest, training opportunities, meetings and exhibits. More Information
California Alarm Association
Winter Convention
December 6 – 8, 2007
Crowne Plaza
San Francisco, Calif.
More Information
Member Benefit Spotlight
NBFAA has Your Solution for Employee Health Insurance Benefit Packages
Mass Marketing Insurance Consultants |
Health insurance is one of the most important benefits you can offer your employees. Health insurance plans are not "one size fits all" and finding the right plan for you and your employees can be very difficult. You need to be well-informed on the options available to make sound, educated choices when designing a health insurance plan for your company. Mass Marketing Insurance Consultants (MMIC) has more than 30 years of experience in the analysis and development of successful insurance programs for individuals and employer groups. As experts in health insurance, MMIC is capable of offering the broadest range of insuring companies, policies and plans. They will analyze the health insurance needs of NBFAA members and provide impartial objective advice with a view to improving coverage and reducing costs. Group plans are available in the continental United States and Alaska. Individual plans are available in 46 states not including Mass., Hawaii, Wash., and N.Y. Call Ed Sturczek for a customized quote offered to NBFAA member companies both large and small. You can also access information via their Web site at www.mmicinsurance.com. |
If you have used this or one of the other NBFAA Member Benefit programs, we’d like to know what you think. We are calling on members to send in their comments about these programs so that we may use them as testimonials in various NBFAA publications. If you have a comment please send it to communications@alarm.org. Be sure to include your name, company and location.
Industry News You Can Use
AMP News Briefs
The Other Analog Cut-off Date: 2/18/2008 for Security Systems
It’s the security industry’s equivalent of the shut-off date for analog TV. In this case, it’s the shut-off of analog mobile phone service, or AMPS.
:: Full Story
FCC Not Backing Down on AMPS Sunset
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rejected a petition and movement driven by the Alarm Industry Communications Committee on Tuesday, June 19, that would have extended the “sunset” on the AMPS cellular equipment. The deadline is currently set for Feb. 18, 2008.
:: Full Story
FCC puts Kibosh on AMPS Extension
Its official: On Friday, June 15, the FCC officially denied the AMPS extension request filed by the AICC and ADT Security and will continue with the Feb. 18, 2008, sunset of legislation requiring cellular licensees to support analog service equipment.
:: Full Story
AMPS Sunset Date Still on Track Next Year
Despite the best efforts of the industry, the scheduled date for cellular carriers to discontinue service to analog-based systems is expected to occur on Feb. 18, 2008 as scheduled.
:: Full Story
FBI, DOJ Report More than 1 Million Computers Victims of Botnets
Recently the Department of Justice and FBI announced the results of an ongoing cyber crime initiative to disrupt and dismantle “botherders” and elevate the public’s cyber security awareness of botnets. Operation Bot Roast is a national initiative and ongoing investigations have identified more than 1 million victim computer IP addresses. The FBI is working with industry partners, including the CERT Coordination Center at Carnegie Mellon University, to notify the victim owners of the computers. Through this process the FBI may uncover additional incidents in which botnets have been used to facilitate other criminal activity.
:: Full Story
Member News
Tri-Ed Welcomes New Team Members, Customer Realizes Great Expectations
Tri-Ed Distribution welcomed four new team members to its western region including branches in Las Vegas, San Diego, Sacramento, Calif., and Garden Grove, Calif.
John Rodda has come aboard as assistant manager of Tri-Ed’s Las Vegas Branch. With more than 26 years of security industry experience, Rodda has amassed extensive technical expertise and experience in the sales field as well. His hands-on experience spans intrusion, fire, access control and closed circuit television. He also has many years of experience in installation, service manufacturing, distribution sales, training and troubleshooting.
Also new to the team is Alex Ros who joins Tri-Ed as a sales associate in the San Diego branch. Ros worked, most recently, for a large integrator in the San Diego area and, prior to that, with a major security distributor in the San Diego area. Ros, who is also fluent in Spanish, brings with him incredible customer service skills.
New to Tri-Ed’s Sacramento branch is Sales Associate Ingrid S. Dela Cruz. Cruz brings many years of industry experience and a solid customer service track record and looks forward to meeting and exceeding customer needs in her new role with Tri-Ed.
Tri-Ed also welcomes Jason Clifford aboard as sales associate in the Garden Grove branch. With more than seven years experience in the security industry, Clifford worked with a leading industry manufacturer and has also served as head purchaser for a large integrator in Southern California.
Tri-Ed has also been showing it’s appreciation to its loyal customers through it’s new reward program.
BCI Technologies Inc is just one of Tri-Ed’s happy customers who has benefited from Tri-Ed’s Great Expectations program, the customer loyalty program that rewards customers with points on every purchase made at Tri-Ed. It also doles out bonus points for the purchase of participating manufacturers’ products.
BCI purchases a broad spectrum of products from Tri-Ed spanning intrusion, fire, access and closed circuit television. With the points he racked up, BCI Vice President/Operations Manager Tim Walsh received a set of Calloway golf clubs.
The Great Expectations program will run through March 31, 2008.
Member Product News
OPTEX Introduces New Wireless Outdoor PIR Detector
OPTEX announced the release of BX-80NR recently, a battery-operated outdoor passive infrared (PIR) intrusion detector. It is designed to protect the immediate perimeter of the building for the purpose of early warning before an intruder breaks into the premises.
The BX-80NR is quick and easy to install according to the company. The unit requires no complicated wiring so it saves installation time. The BX-80NR is designed to be effective with any manufacture’s transmitter and receiver, so it can easily be added to an existing wireless system.
In addition, the BX-80NR’s unique detection performance reduces false alarms. It creates a narrow 24 meter long detection area (12 meters on each side) and uses two double-layered detection patterns (upper and lower). Both detection areas have to be activated to generate an alarm. This detection logic provides high detection reliability in severe outdoor environments.
Napco’s Firewolf Now Available
Napco Security Systems Inc recently introduced the advanced Firewolf 12/24 volt direct current (VDC) carbon monoxide detector, designed for professional residential and commercial alarm systems.
A smart microprocessor, along with precise solid-state infrared sensor technology optimizes the Firewolf’s detection accuracy. Napco’s patented technology simulates carbon monoxide gas level response in the human blood stream. Independent lab tests by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (#40566 report) backup Napco’s claims the Firewolf provides better false alarm immunity over electrochemical units.
To learn more about this product, visit www.napcosecurity.com.
ADI Teams with Vontronix to Offer VoIP Alarm Solution
ADI announced June 7 an agreement with Vontronix, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider, to market the Vontronix VoIP Alarm Panel Communication module.
This VoIP module allows alarm systems to communicate over a broadband Internet connection while enabling dealers to increase recurring monthly revenues by selling the cost-effective VoIP phone service.
Manufactured by Linksys specifically for Vontronix, the VoIP module solves a major issue that has been plaguing the security industry. Now dealers are able to provide a cost-effective solution to the communication problem of sending alarm signals over VoIP. Dealers can also increase their residual and recurring monthly revenue stream by offering customers the VoIP telephone service from Vontronix.
The Vontronix module is a two-line analog telephone adapter designed to support VoIP alarm and telephone services, and is compatible with any Contact ID Panel or central station receiver. The VoIP module converts analog signals into TCP/IP (internet communications protocol) format to communicate over broadband Internet connections. This solution allows dealers to offer a dependable method for alarm transmission and feature-rich telephone service. The Vontronix service sends email alerts upon alarm activity, and allows latchkey notifications if alarms become disabled. The system is also fully supervised and will report upon failure.
For Member Update
Sponsorship information, contact
NBFAA Senior Director of Business Development Tonja
Jenkins.
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