A new Carbon Monoxide Alarms Law went into effect February 22 in the state of New York.

The new law requires a carbon monoxide alarm to be installed “within each dwelling unit or sleeping unit having a sleeping area,” and “within each dwelling unit or sleeping unit, on each story where a carbon monoxide source is located,” for all buildings constructed on or after January 1, 2008. The law stipulates that one carbon monoxide alarm will be sufficient when installed on a story of a dwelling unit or sleeping unit having both a sleeping area and a carbon monoxide source.

For buildings constructed before January 1, 2008, a carbon monoxide alarm must be installed on the lowest story having a sleeping area within each dwelling unit or sleeping unit.

The law also requires that carbon monoxide alarms be interconnected within the same unit in such a way that when one alarm is triggered, all of the alarms in the unit will sound with the exception of alarms that are permitted to be battery operated.

For more information, visit http://dos.state.ny.us/code/COAlarm.htm and http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wrvo/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1614377

The alarm industry in New Jersey hit the jackpot this year as the New Jersey Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NJBFAA) 2010 Symposium held in Atlantic City continued to grow strong, surpassing expectations and providing a well rounded convention filled with attendees, exhibitors, training, important guests and camaraderie.

Held January 27-29 at the Tropicana Hotel, the 2010 Symposium shattered attendance records with more than 600 people attending the training, Expo, and General Meeting.

With the August 2010 licensing deadline quickly approaching, the three-day event was built around training and license renewal. The association offered 21 training classes, for a total of 16 NJ-Approved CEUs, allowing many of the NJBFAA members to complete their training requirements.

Classes ranged from technology, legal and sales sessions and included courses such as Basic Alarms and Card Access, Electricity 101, Six Sigma for the Security Industry, Fire Alarm Inspection Test and Maintenance of Existing Systems, NFPA 72 – The National Fire Code, The Art of Buying and Selling an Alarm Company and Customer Needs Focused Selling. Classes were given by well-known industry veterans including Bob Shoremount, Eric Pritchard, Esq, Jeffrey Zwirn, John Drucker and Joe Russotto.

Outside of each training class, fingerprint biometric machines were placed to help streamline the state-required sign in process. This gave each member an opportunity to interface with technology that relates to the security industry and to add to their company’s offerings.

The Expo portion of the symposium also was increased dramatically. The 28,000 square foot expo floor area was over 4 times the size of the venue in 2009.  The floor was filled with 62 vendors, nine carving stations, and five open bar areas.   A total of $10,000 in door prizes was raffled to attendees.

The ESA (formally NBFAA) supported the NJ state association with representatives attending the Symposium.   On the tradeshow floor, ESA distributed important industry information, and spent some one-on-one time with the members.  They helped close the General Meeting with a reminder of all the benefits of belonging to ESA and the NJBFAA.

“We are truly proud of the dedication and collaboration of every member of our association who attended the Symposium and who helped in making it possible,” said Chris Mack, NJBFAA president. “I’d like to add a special thanks to ESA for their support, attendance and encouragement.”

The last day of the event included the NJBFAA General Meeting Session and Luncheon.  A new Board of Directors was elected, and prominent members of the Association were recognized.

Ira Hosid from I.R.A Security was voted Dealer of the Year, Joe Camarata from Mid-Atlantic Reps was chosen as Associate-Member of the year.  From the public sector, the NJBFAA recognized Chief John F. Lightbody of Ocean County, NJ and special guest, the Honorable Vincent Prieto was the recipient of the NJBFAA Distinguished Public Service Award. The final presentation honored Chris Mosley, past president and owner of Complete Security Systems with the President’s Award.

“The 2010 Symposium was well run and the training classes were top-notch,” said attendee Bill Chernack, owner of Alarms Plus of Flanders, NJ. “The association did a phenomenal job of putting on one of the most professional and well attended conventions I have been to. As an alarm company owner, I received more than I could have hoped for, especially being able to complete the licensing requirements.”

Following more than two years of determined effort, and overcoming steep opposition, the Electronic Security Association (ESA) is pleased to announce that the New York State Apprenticeship Council has approved the New York Burglar & Fire Alarm Associations application for a Unilateral Apprenticeship and Training program for the occupation of Protective Signal Installer (Fire Life Safety and Electronic Security Installer).

The approval of the apprenticeship program will guarantee New Yorkers working in the electronic security industry an opportunity to submit bids on construction work in New York. A series of new local ordinances requires companies to have an apprenticeship program, whether prevailing wage or not. Because of these ordinances large security and fire alarm jobs were previously beyond the industry’s reach.

ESA’s apprenticeship standards were federally approved in September 2006. Following federal approval, interested ESA Chartered Chapters are required to locally adopt these standards and file with the state agency for approval. The acceptance of the application gives NYBFAA member and non-member companies the ability to fill the void for qualified security and fire alarm technicians in New York and to provide structured, quality training to the industry at a reasonable cost.

“It took 28 months from application to approval but the ESA apprenticeship program was finally accepted,” said Ron Petrarca, former chair of ESA’s Apprenticeship Committee. “During our lengthy application process we watched and applauded the ESA Chartered Chapters Louisiana, Missouri and Nevada as they obtained their registered apprenticeship programs. Their success also reinforced our conviction that this was an important effort to the future of our industry and gave us the incentive to continue on with the job of securing a registered program in the state of New York.”

Michael A. Miller, president of the Electronic Security Association, said, “This is exciting news for NYBFAA. We want to commend Ron Petrarca who has worked so diligently on this apprenticeship program, along with members of the NYBFAA. We know, at the New York state level, that Ron has been the main driver of this effort and we truly appreciate all he has done.”

Rodney Bosch, managing editor for Security Sales & Integration, was one of the more than 300 attendees at this year’s California Alarm Association (CAA) Winter Convention that was recently held at the Hilton San Francisco near Union Square.

“The significance of the CAA’s positive impact on installing security contractors was on fine display during its winter convention in San Francisco,” Bosch wrote on his blog after the event. (Read the full article.)

The event featured three days of networking, educational sessions, vendor exhibits, and a tribute to George DeMarco, recipient of the 2009 George A. Weinstock Lifetime Achievement Award.

Check out these exciting pictures from the event.

ESA President Michael A. Miller addresses attendees during the general session at the CAA Winter Convention.

More than 300 industry leaders attended the 2009 CAA Winter Convention at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square December 10-12, 2009. California Attorney General Jerry Brown gave the welcome address. The program included workshops, CAA Executive Symposium and the CAA Tribute Dinner.

CAA George A. Weinstock Award recipient George De Marco received a surprise performance by his daughter, Lauren, at the CAA Tribute Dinner in San Francisco.

Past recipients Harvey Eisenstadt, Roger Westphal, Bruce Westphal, Ron Spiller, Frank Burke, Lessing Gold, George Gunning, Tony Smith, and Rod Uffindell celebrated the awarding of the CAA George A. Weinstock Award to George De Marco (center) at the CAA Tribute Dinner in San Francisco.

During its 2009 Winter Conference, the California Alarm Association (CAA) will award the George A. Weinstock Lifetime Achievement Award to George De Marco (retired).

De Marco has been a leader in both the CAA and at the national level for more than 20 years before selling his company, Greater Alarm Company, earlier this year. CAA will honor De Marco at the 2009 CAA Tribute Dinner on Friday, December 11 at the San Francisco Hilton. The dinner is part of the festivities during the 2009 CAA Winter Convention.

The convention will be held December 10 – 12, also at the San Francisco Hilton where attendees can enjoy a discounted room rate by calling (800)-HILTONS and using the group code CAA.

There’s still time to register for this annual event so download the proper form by clicking on one of the options below and return it today.

• Dealer Registration Form
• Exhibitor Registration Form

The Virginia Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (now known as Virginia Electronic Systems Association-VESA) is pleased to announce state-wide awards given at their annual meeting.

John Kochensparger, president of VESA, presented the awards. Mr. Kochensparger said, “It is always an honor to recognize the efforts of those who go above and beyond. Those companies and individuals who, while independently operate their separate businesses, are able to see a larger vision and dedicate themselves to the betterment of the industry at-large.”

The Lifetime Membership Award was presented to Beth Cain, former owner of Cain Security. Ms. Cain was recognized for her lifetime service to the security industry in Virginia as well as her contributions to ESA (formerly NBFAA). Ms. Cain remains actively involved in VESA. The contribution of her expertise has been an immeasurable asset to the organization.

Wayne Boggs, President, Richmond Alarm, was presented with the Dealer of the Year Award. Richmond Alarm has been active in VBFAA for many years. Richmond Alarm never waivers in their dedication to the association and the concerns of the industry. Corporate ADT received this award in 2008 and was the only other recipient of this recognition.

VESA wishes to thank ADI, the largest supplier of electronic security equipment in Virginia, fo their generous sponsorship of the prestigious Member of the Year Award.

Lynn A. F. Comer, President, Shenandoah Valley Security, was awarded the “Member of the Year ” award. Ms. Comer re-established Region 5, The Valley and Central Virginia areas. In doing so she was able to attract remarkable talent that has become an integral part of both regional and state operations.

“What an honor,” said Ms. Comer. “There is amazing talent in our industry and truly dedicated individuals who serve on the state Board of VESA. “Our region, which covers Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Harrisonburg, Staunton/Waynesboro and much of the Rt. 81 corridor, needed a voice and a vote at the state level. I am thankful to those who agreed with me and continuously volunteered their time and energies for the benefit of the companies doing business in our area and across the state.”

For further information please contact:
Lynn Comer, Chair of Communications, VESA
540-943-6942

The Wisconsin Burglar & Fire Alarm Association, the Vermont Alarm & Signal Association and the Virginia Burglar & Fire Alarm Association recently voted to change their names to align with the new brand of the Electronic Security Association.

The Wisconsin board, after discussing the best way of incorporating the chapter into the new national association name, voted unanimously on Wisconsin Electronic Security Association and the call letters of WIESA according the Chapter President Chris Utter.

“The main objective was to exhibit our strong connection with national by focusing on the name’s branding message. We talked to the Wisconsin membership about the name change, providing the specifics on why we felt it was important to update the name to more accurately reflect all aspects of the security industry,” Utter said. “It was the consensus of the Board of Directors, when learning of the proposed change at the national level, to support the outcome of the vote.”

Utter believes the change will help the chapter better represent the industry in his state. “With the words electronic and security as a part of the association’s name, no matter what type of security installations a business provides, how large a company it is, or how technically challenging the systems they install are, they will identify with WIESA,” he said.

The name change, Utter says, gives WIESA a much better opportunity to be considered as a source of technical training and information that more closely matches the needs of an industry whose services have grown in parallel with the electronic/digital age.

“We are in the process of strengthening our message to existing Wisconsin members, as well as potential new members, that WIESA is the ‘go to’ place for training, general information and current updates on local and state legislation,” Utter said.

In Vermont, their board elected to rename the chapter the Vermont Electronic Security Association (VESA).

“Following the decision for ESA to change its name to better reflect the current industry, our board found it an appropriate time to pursue the name change to keep pace with National,” said Angela White, VESA president. “In distancing ourselves from our previous acronym association, we can move forward, hopefully without the confusion.”

White said the chapter’s Executive Board is committed to change the face of the industry in Vermont. “Vermont has been, and continues to be, in a transitional stage. Our Executive Board is relatively new, our attendance to nationally sponsored events renewed, and with the pursuit of state licensing we have taken a very serious approach to projecting a more cohesive and professional image,” she said.

Virginia’s board also voted to change its name to the Virginia Electronic Security Association after ESA announced the results of the national vote.

The Pennsylvania Burglar & Fire Alarm Association has once again elected to take part in the ESA Youth Scholarship Program for 2010.

PBFAA will be awarding two scholarships to students of police officers and firefighters. A child of each will be eligible to receive a $1,000 scholarship. The chapter’s top winner will go on to compete at the national level for an opportunity to win either a $7,500 scholarship or a $2,500 scholarship. The deadline for students to submit their application to PBFAA is March 1, 2010.

ESA launched the Youth Scholarship Program in 1996 to promote goodwill among the electronic systems industry and police and fire officials by providing college scholarship awards to their deserving sons or daughters. Through the Youth Scholarship Program, thousands of dollars have been given to students attending higher education institutions across our country. In fact, more than $300,000 has been given out by the participating states and ESA.

If your state is interested in starting a program, visit http://www.alarm.org/pubsafety/ysp and download the Chapter Resource Kit today.

Now is the time to make your hotel reservations at the San Francisco Hilton Union Square for just $129 a night and register for the 2009 California Alarm Association (CAA) Winter Convention and Tribute Dinner honoring George De Marco December 10-12.  Registration forms, hotel links and schedule are at www.CAAonline.org on the CONVENTION tab.

The CAA Executive Symposium will feature APX Alarm COO Alex Dunn, Protection One CEO Richard Ginsburg and RSI Videofied CEO Keith Jentoft on Friday, December 11.  The symposium is a forum to provide industry leaders to give their view of the future trends affecting the industry.

Maria Malice, vice president of special projects at COPS Monitoring was voted Alarm Person of the Year by the Public Safety Committee of the Arizona Alarm Association (AzAA) for the second year in a row.

According to the voting criteria, the person should present a professional image as well as offer positive contributions including ideas, time spent, dedication to the false alarm prevention program and implementation and completion of tasks in conjunction with the Public Safety Committee. Malice has been instrumental in the planning and set up of the Public Safety Days event, and has spent a lot of time on statewide licensing legislation that will be submitted for the next Legislative Session that starts in January.

Held in September, the Public Safety Day event is specifically designed for alarm coordinators, security company owners and staff, monitoring station personnel and others in the security industry. The full schedule included a NICET Level I-II Test Prep Fire Alarm Class, various seminars and the Public Safety Appreciation Dinner.

Malice, currently the Arizona Alarm Association president, was honored at the annual dinner, which was held at Don & Charlies’ Restaurant in Scottsdale. The dinner also provides the opportunity for alarm coordinators, their Chiefs of Police or Sheriffs, and alarm companies to discuss issues of concern.

“It was truly a surprise to hear that I had been honored with this award a second time,” said Malice. “For me, working with the Public Safety Committee and serving the industry in the great state of Arizona is both an honor and a privilege.”

The AzAA formed the Public Safety Committee in 1989 to maintain open communication between alarm companies and the alarm coordinators for all of the jurisdictions throughout Arizona. The Committee is comprised of alarm coordinators and industry personnel and meets quarterly in various locations throughout the state.

Communication between alarm coordinators and alarm companies on various issues has consisted of what should be included in alarm ordinances, false alarm reduction techniques, and mobile and personal alarms.

Maria Malice may be reached at (602) 819-1172 or by email at mmalice@copsmonitoring.com.

The Alabama State Fire Marshal has recognized the NTS Certified Fire Alarm Technician as a valid certification for licensing.

The Alabama Certified Fire Alarm Act became law on Aug. 1, 2009 and requires that every business who installs fire alarm systems in commercial occupancies be licensed as a certified fire alarm contractor.

The law requires technicians who work for a certified fire alarm contractor be deemed a Certified Fire Alarm Technician by NTS or to hold a NICET Level II certification. The Alabama Alarm Association worked closely with the State Fire Marshal’s office to have the NTS certification recognized by the state.

Now, Alabama technicians can receive world class certification from NTS without worrying about requirements to receive certification from other sources. To become an NTS Certified Fire Alarm Technician, technicians must complete a two-day Fire Alarm Installation Methods course and a one-day Life Safety Code course and pass the required multiple-choice exams.

The certification is valid for one year and technicians are required to complete 1.2 continuing education units (CEUs) each year to maintain certifications – the equivalent of 12 classroom hours.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to the technicians, dealers and contractors in our state,” said Kristi Harris, president of the Alabama Alarm Association. “Now, technicians have a choice when it comes to state approved training. NTS has more than 100 instructors nationwide and offers classes both online and in the classroom to help technicians get the training and certification they need to keep their licenses current.”

To be approved for a license, the contractor must also have a NICET Level III Technician in a position of responsibility. The level III technicians are able to do the layout of the fire alarm systems but a professional engineer or architect should perform the design of the system to be considered for installation.

The Certified Fire Alarm Act gives every business three years to be in total compliance with the provision of the act. New employees of a fire alarm contractor have 12 months to become an NTS Certified Fire Alarm Technician or attain the NICET Level II certification.

NBFAA lists NTS course information and schedules on www.alarm.org. Contact NTS directly at (866) 636-1687 to get more information on certification.

The Inland Empire Alarm Association, a regional chapter of the California Alarm Association, will hold a dinner meeting at 6:30 p.m. on September 29 at Mexicali Grill in Riverside, CA.

Morgan Hertel will be on hand to speak about Access Control of IP. If you will be attending please contact Violet at (951) 255-0413 or info@inlandempirealarmassociation.org.

Time and Location:

Tuesday, September 29, 6:30 p.m.
Mexicali Grill
1690 Spruce St.
Riverside, CA 92507

The California Alarm Association (CAA) has begun accepting registrations for the 2009 CAA Winter Convention and Western States Security Conference.

The event will be held December 10-12 at the San Francisco Hilton. A special room rate is available for $129 per night with group code CAA.

A preliminary schedule, registration forms and hotel reservation information can be found on CAA’s Web site at www.caaonline.org.

On Tuesday, August 11, members of the New Jersey Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NJBFAA) voted to remain a chapter of NBFAA.

Throughout the decision-making process, NBFAA reiterated the benefits of being associated with a national association, such as strong representation on Capitol Hill and unified positions on issues impacting the industry. Additionally, supporters of NBFAA voiced their beliefs that NBFAA’s alliance of chapters provided value on the local, state and national levels through networking, support and representation as every NBFAA chapter contributes to the strength of the industry’s ‘collective voice’.

Through their votes, NJBFAA said that they understand the value of being affiliated with a strong partner like NBFAA. Both NJBFAA and NBFAA leadership look forward to the future and to establishing open communications for the benefit of their membership.

“The NJBFAA is pleased this meeting turned out to be a win-win for both organizations. The members have spoken. The leadership for both groups will move forward in an effort to strengthen the relationship, keep the lines of communication open and continue to do what’s best for the dealers,” said Christopher Mack, president of NJBFAA.

“NBFAA is gratified that New Jersey will retain its chapter status in our national alliance. Our strength is our ability to influence issues across the country for the benefit of all members, and the re-commitment of NJBFAA reinforces our ability to do this,” said NBFAA President Mike Miller.

The Greater Los Angeles Security Alarm Association (GLASAA), a regional chapter of the California Alarm Association, is set to kick off its 3rd Annual Golf Classic on October 1 at the Tierra Rejada Golf Club in Moorpark, Calif.

Sponsorship and player spots are still available so book your spot today. Sonsorship/participant packages are three-tiered with Platinum Packages ranging from $1,500 to $3,500; Premier Packages from $600 to $1,000; and A La Carte from $60 to $1,750. Proceeds from the event benefit the CAA Youth Scholarship Fund for children of active police and fire personnel.

Download Registration Form

Also be sure to enter for a chance to win a $2,000 Princess Cruise package through the 2009 GLASAA Helicopter Golf Ball Drop.

Download Entry Form

The New Jersey Burglar and Fire Alarm Association will hold a special membership meeting on August 11 at 6:00 p.m. local time in the Robert Meyner Reception Center at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ.

NBFAA will be on hand to speak to the membership about the value of being affiliated with NBFAA and how a partnership with NJBFAA benefits individual members and the industry.

Please mark your calendar and RSVP via email to chiggins@blynchassociates.com. You must RSVP in order to obtain a dinner ticket.

Map to the PNC Bank Arts Center.

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