Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/31501
SECURITY SYSTEMS NEWS APRIL 2011 www.securitysystemsnews.com FIRE SYSTEMS INSTALLATION 27 Moving beyond servicing to packaging deals By Tess Nacelewicz ACTON, Mass.—Packaging a variety of services together has benefited Protex Central’s customers and the Iowa-based company, said company president Shawn Mullen. Protex, serving the commercial and institutional verticals in Iowa and Nebraska, began 45 years ago as a fire alarm inspection busi- Monitor Continued from page 24 “The primary motivation of the proposed bill is to take over an area of private busi- ness that took over a hundred years for private industry to build. It is a revenue booster for fire districts. It does not, however, improve response time or increase firefighter safety. As such, HB 1301 should be rejected,” the IESA said in a statement. Lehan told SSN that the indus- try believes the bill is “a reaction to the temporary injunction” a federal judge issued late last year in favor of security giant ADT and four other security compa- nies, all of whom had sued the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District. That Illinois fire district had passed an ordinance putting itself solely in control of commercial fire alarm monitoring. It had declared monitoring contracts ADT and the other companies had with customers to be null and void and required those commercial property owners to contract exclusively with the fire district for fire monitoring through its wireless radio net- work, paying monitoring fees to the district. The judge in his ruling— which is under appeal by the fire district—ordered reinstatement of the company contracts, say- ing the district had no “express authority” in the law to engage in the fire alarm monitoring business. The new bill would authorize fire districts to take control of fire monitoring and exempt them from federal antitrust laws. “They asked for the world, specifically with the antitrust (language),” Lehan said. The measure was still pend- ing before SSN’s deadline. The bill had gone to the Executive Committee of the House of Representatives, and Lehan said industry members were trying “to put pressure on the executive committee to make sure this bill dies there (in committee).” Republican Rep. Donald Moffitt, the bill’s sponsor, could not be reached for comment. Bill supporters argue putting fire districts in charge is a safer way to do fire monitoring. SSN ness, Mullen said. Today, about 60 percent of the company business is fire-related, and it has a recently renewed focus on inspection, testing and maintenance services that have led to growth, Mullen said. For example, he told Shawn Mullen Security Systems News, “we will provide not only the fire systems inspection work ... fire extinguisher serving and tagging and ... we’ll [coordinate with the sprinkler contractor and bill for sprinkler services] so it’s a kind of one bill kind of thing.” Protex is just one systems inte- grator “expanding their brand” by selling service agreements on a wide range of systems, said Joe Siderowicz, owner of AfterMarket Consulting Group, based here. Siderowicz has helped Protex and other companies expand and package service offerings. “Many have moved beyond ser- vicing just the equipment they dis- tribute by offering a broader service offering that may include packag- ing fire alarm, security, sprinklers, fire extinguishers, (and more),” Siderowicz said. “They find that by integrating various services into one agreement they can add revenue and compete better in the marketplace.” SSN Global security solutions to meet the demands of the modern world. Security is a growing concern, and Interlogix is expanding to include new brands that are synonymous with innovative security technology. These include some of the most-trusted product names covering all aspects of security: Intrusion, Video, Transmission, Fire and Access. They are progressive brands backed by our commitment to offer advanced designs that keep pace with requirements as they change over time. Over the long term, effective security will help you stay two steps ahead of the threats. To learn more about how Interlogix's comprehensive solutions can meet your needs, visit us at booth 11087 at ISC West. © 2011 Interlogix, A UTC Fire & Security Company. All rights reserved. GE and the GE monogram are trademarks of the General Electric Company and are under license to UTC Fire & Security, 9 Farm Springs Road, Farmington, CT 06034-4065