In celebration of a signature year of achievement and change 77 members and guests attended the May 20, 2010 Annual Meeting.  Eleven Awards were given to Wisconsin Electronic Security Association members and their staff who provided exceptional service to the security industry during the past year.  The Awards Committee, consisting of past presidents, chose members in six service categories for Member of the Year Awards, one special support acknowledgement and a special achievement award.

Created to honor individuals deserving recognition for dedication, generosity, significant contribution, and excellence in their work on behalf of the security industry in Wisconsin, the Robert W. Shirley Achievement Award was first presented in 2005. This highest honor of the Association is not an annual award but is reserved for special achievements.

WIESA Past President, Chris Utter was chosen to receive the second Robert W. Shirley Achievement Award.  In presenting the award, the first honoree and Past President Mike Horgan stated that, “Nobody has done more for this association and the Wisconsin Alarm industry during recent times.  Nobody has attended more meetings, taken more calls, faxes, e-mails, and other correspondence, done more lobbying, done more relationship building, especially with the city of Milwaukee, but elsewhere too”.  Thanks in large part to Chris Utter, WIESA has a strong relationship with Milwaukee’s Neighborhood Services Department, and has a real voice in the City of Milwaukee Private Alarm Systems Taskforce.  No one has shown more enthusiasm, more determination, more passion, and more care for the association and the security industry.

In the 2010 Members of the Year categories, top honors went to H&S Protection Systems, Inc recognized as the Dealer Member of the Year and also receiving the Administration Person of the Year award was H&S Protection Systems, Inc, Administrative Assistant Renee Smith.

The Associate Member of the Year Award went to Honeywell Security, represented by Mike Witchie.  Lead Alarm Technician, Tim Johnson, Engineered Security Solutions, Inc received the Technician of the Year award.  Salesperson of the Year honors went to Sherman Salter, Stanley Security Solutions, Inc and Richard Paur from the Department of Neighborhood Services, City of Milwaukee was recognized as the Public Safety Member of the Year.

A WIESA Support Award was presented to Carl Johnson, General Manger, Broadview Security for his support of employee involvement in WIESA activities.  Outgoing WIESA President, Chris Utter, paid honor to three members with Presidents Awards.  Receiving those awards were Bob Wolf, Past Education and Training Chairman and Retired NTS Trainer who returned to teaching for special needs of the Association; Gary Talma, Broadview Security & WIESA Chairman of Education and Training who provided many hours of NTS planning, organizing and teaching to meet the new certification requirements in Milwaukee, and Maureen Mecham, Engineered Security Solutions, Inc, Past Member-At-Large and Marketing Chairperson who was strategic in the planning and implementation of the first WIESA/ESA Youth Scholarship Program.

The following members were elected to serve as directors of the WIESA Board of Directors for a two year term from May, 2010 through May, 2012.

• President, Tom Binish, A&A Fire & Security
• Vice President, Josh Manring, Per Mar Security
• Treasurer, Mark Weidemann, Stanley Security Solutions
• Secretary, Dave Fontecchio, TECC Security
• Member at Large, Jill Greenwood, A&A Fire & Security
• Associate Member at Large, Brandon Dobratz, APD
• Immediate Past President, Chris Utter, Magnasphere

If you are a resident of New York or have employees who live in New York, the New York Burglar & Fire Alarm Association could use your help to fight potentially devastating legislation.

The New York Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NYBFAA), along with the Electronic Security Association (ESA), is urging opposition to Senate bill 2074, which recently passed the New York Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill would declare ‘void and unenforceable’ certain contract terms indemnifying or exempting manufacturers, sellers and/or monitors of burglary protection systems from liability for negligence.

“The bill would have a devastating effect on insurance, creating a deteriorating situation for security alarm dealers and monitoring companies by causing insurance to become scarce or unavailable. Many small businesses would be forced to close their doors, and those remaining would be forced to charge such a premium for their services that alarm systems would become unaffordable for most homes and businesses,” said Tim Creenan of Amherst Alarm in Amherst, NY, and NYBFAA legislative chairman.

This is not the first time this bill has been brought to the New York Senate Judiciary Committee. NYBFAA fought off an attempt to pass a similar bill last year.

Most concerning to NYBFAA and ESA is that the legislation threatens to make alarm monitoring services unaffordable to the general public, and if passed could have devastating consequences not only in New York, but throughout the country. Additionally, the associations view the new legislation as unnecessary. Currently, a contract which grants an exemption from liability for a willful or grossly negligent act is already void.

“State bills in California and New York have a tendency to be copied by other states in rapid order. If this bill survives the year-long session in New York, it will generate copycat bills in the 2011 state legislative sessions nationwide. This bill is a real threat to the security industry and we need to stop it,” said John Chwat, ESA’s Director of Government Relations.

Please contact your Senator TODAY and urge him or her to oppose Senate Bill 2074 and please encourage your employees who live in New York to do the same. (Locate your Senator)

To ensure a continuing supply of telephone numbers, the 938 area code will be added to the area served by 256. The new 938 area code will serve customers in the same geographic region as the current 256 area code, which includes the communities such as Anniston, Florence, Gadsden and Huntsville.

What is an area code overlay?

An overlay is the addition of another area code (in this case 938) to the same geographic region as an existing area code (256).  An overlay does not require customers to change their existing area code.

How does this affect providers of alarm and security services and equipment?

As a result of the overlay, a new dialing procedure requires callers to dial the area code + telephone number. This means that all calls in the 256 area code that are currently dialed with seven digits will need to be dialed using the area code + telephone number.

Alarm and security services and equipment currently located in the 256 area code and programmed to dial only seven digits must be updated or reprogrammed to dial the code + telephone number for all calls in the 256/938 area code.

When will the change take place?

• Effective November 7, 2009, customers should begin using the new dialing procedure (area code + telephone number) when placing calls from the 256 area code.  If customers forget and use the old dialing procedure of dialing just seven digits, calls will still be completed.

• Beginning June 5, 2010, customers must use the new dialing procedure for all calls.  After this date, if customers do not use the new dialing procedure, calls will not be completed, and a recording will instruct them to hang up and dial again.

• Reprogramming of alarm equipment should take place between November 7, 2009 and June 5, 2010. This period allows either the old or new dialing procedure to be used to complete calls.  All alarm service providers must make their programming changes during this period.

• To enable you to verify that equipment can complete calls to the new area code, a special test number will become available on April 10, 2010.  This test numbers, (938) 926-2222 & (938) 946-4444, will remain active through August 10, 2010.

• Starting July 10, 2010, new telephone lines or services may be assigned numbers with the new 938 area code, and it will be necessary to dial area code + telephone number for all calls within the 256 and 938 area codes.

What will remain the same?

The price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change due to the overlay, and what is a local call now will remain a local call regardless of the number of digits dialed. Customers can still dial just three digits to reach 911, as well as 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711 and 811.

Questions about the dialing procedure change should be directed to your local service provider.

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