Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/31502
20 FIRE SYSTEMS INSTALLATION www.securitysystemsnews.com MAY 2011 SECURITY SYSTEMS NEWS FIRE SYSTEMS INSTALLATION UTCFS launches new brand U.S. fire/security services business realigned under Chubb name By Tess Nacelewicz FARMINGTON, Conn.—UTC Fire & Security recently aligned its United States fire and security services businesses under the Chubb brand. The company’s fire and security services businesses abroad have already consolidated under the Chubb name, and the branding in this country will provide “a new, more seamless interface to customers,” UTC Fire & Security said. The company also announced it has a new president: Scott Buckhout, previously a company senior manager. He succeeds William Brown, who is now senior VP, corporate strategy & development, United Technologies Corp. UTC Fire & Security, based here, is a unit of UTC, based in Hartford, Conn. On April 4, UTC Fire & Security announced that the U.S. business- es that will combine under the Chubb brand include Antronnix, CalProtection, Detection Logic, Diversified Fire Products, Fire Systems Inc., Florida State Fire & Security, HFP Corporation, Lane Fire & Safety, Pratt Landry Associates, John W. Polhemus, Red Hawk, and Vantronics Security Systems. “The transition is Scott Buckhout more than chang- ing our name--we are transforming our business,” Sean Flint, president of UTC Fire & Security’s ser- vices business in the Americas, said in a statement. He explained further in an email interview with Security UTCFS see page 21 Fire-Lite creates seismic kit By Tess Nacelewicz NORTHFORD, Conn.—Fire- Lite by Honeywell has won International Building Code seismic certification for its most popular addressable and conventional fire alarm systems, the company, based here, announced in March. Fire-Lite said it has created a seismic kit that can easily be installed inside its control panels to meet IBC seismic requirements and help ensure a fire alarm system stays func- tional in an earthquake. Gene Pecora, Fire-Lite mar- keting director, noted that fires are a common hazard after an earthquake, such as the one March 11 in Japan. “There’s a direct connection between fires and earthquakes,” he told Security Systems News. “If the fire protection system does not withstand the rav- ages of the earthquake, it could increase the loss of life and certainly the loss of property that could occur as the result of a fire,” he said. “With the addition of a seismic kit the fire system has a much, much higher probability of surviving the quake and providing life safety protection.” He said the kits have hardware to add stability to batteries and electronics in a panel to help it withstand earthquakes. IBC-certified fire protec- tion systems are required for buildings deemed essential and located in specific regions of the nation at high risk for earthquakes. Those regions include California and other Western states, but also places in the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast. “I was surprised to see there is more(seismic activ- ity) around than I thought,” Pecora said. Fire-Lite said its seismic- certified fire alarm equipment will give dealers and installers “a competitive edge.” SSN SmartWatch wins VA job By Tess Nacelewicz MOUNT DORA, Fla.— SmartWatch Security & Sound, a life-safety and security inte- grator based here, announced in March that it has won a $1.5 million contract to install a fire alarm system, surveillance cameras and an emer- gency personal protec- tion system (EPPS) at the new Orlando VA Medical Center. “It is one of the largest con- struction projects going on in the United States today,” Dean Farrell, operations man- ager and one of the principals of SmartWatch, told Security Systems News. Dean Farrell That $665 million, 1.2-mil- lion-square-foot facility is slated to open in the fall of 2012. Farrell said the proj- ect also is one of the largest for the company in more than 10 years of being in business. He said the 26- employee company is primed to take on such a big job because it didn’t cut staff or margins during the economic downturn. Farrell said 40 percent of SmartWatch’s business is fire. Madelaine Lock, president and founder, said the key to SmartWatch’s success is: “We work very hard at what we do, we have high ethical standards and we believe in a high quality of work, and we treat our cus- tomers well.” The company’s customers are local, state and federal governments, and its proj- ects include educational and other institutions and theme parks. SmartWatch stands out because it has no sales staff, Lock said. “Everything we do is by referral and existing customers,” she said. SSN Toronto to study alarm law By Tess Nacelewicz TORONTO—In its fight against a new zero-tolerance false alarm regulation here, the Canadian Security Association scored both “a loss and a win” at a March 30 meeting of a City Council subcommittee, CANASA’s execu- tive director JF Champagne told Security System News. The loss was that, at least for 2011, single family homeowners will not get a break from the city’s 2010 zero-tolerance false alarm by-law to allow them one free false fire alarm before fines of as much as $1,230 per incident kick in. However, Champagne said, the “very good victory” is that the city has directed the fire chief to establish a working group that will include industry members For a more robust version of stories in this section, see: WWW.SECURITYSYSTEMSNEWS.COM n to review the city’s false alarm policy. According to the city, the group, which also will include the fire chief, city councillors and members of the public, is charged with coming up with recommen- dations for “a fair policy and fee to discourage false fire alarm calls” for the 2012 budget cycle. “I think we’ve lost the 2011 battle, but we haven’t lost the war,” Champagne told SSN on April 1. The Toronto zero-tolerance false alarm by-law is the most onerous such regulation that CANASA, headquartered in Markham, Ontario, is aware of. Champagne said other laws pro- vide exemptions for single-family homeowners, who, he said, “are not repeat offenders.” Some city residents have report- edly been disconnecting their fire alarms to avoid the high fines. Toronto routinely sends three trucks out per alarm. The fee has been $350 per truck, but as of May 1, the cost will climb to $410 per truck, bringing the total fine to $1,230, Champagne said. The hike will bring the city about $1.9 million in extra revenue. SSN BRIEFS AES-IntelliNet Introduces IntelliPro Fire PEABODY, Mass.—AES Corporation’s IntelliNet division announced its new UL Listed AES-7794 IntelliPro Fire full data module at ISC West in Las Vegas. The IntelliPro Fire is an add-on module for AES subscribers enabling the transmis- sion of full alarm zone data from an alarm panel to a central station over an estab- lished AES-IntelliNet network. The company said IntelliPro Fire is easy to install and supports most popular alarm communication protocols including Contact ID and Pulse as well as Modem II and Modem III converted to CID. The IntelliPro Fire provides universal wireless alarm transmission to support commer- cial fire alarm applications with or without phone lines and can be used for primary or back-up communications. Silent Knight hosts free fire alarm Webinars NORTHFORD, Conn—Silent Knight by Honeywell has launched a series of free, one-hour Webinars to educate fire alarm dealers on new technologies, basic sys- tem design, time-saving tools and more. Security dealers considering fire for a new business venture also can benefit from the monthly sessions. The 2011 schedule, includes a May 24 seminar on distributed power. “With the power demands of systems growing along side the use of more horns, strobes and other notification appliances, Silent Knight will illustrate how distributed power can be used to boost output at a reduced cost,” the session description reads. To register for one of Silent Knight’s Webinars, visit www.silentknight.com. UTC participates in relief effort in Japan HARTFORD, Conn.—United Technologies Corp., parent company of UTC Fire & Security, announced March 15 that it had contributed $1 million to support humanitarian relief efforts in Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, according to a press release. UTC also will match 100 percent of employee contributions to Red Cross relief efforts, to a maximum of $500,000, the release said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this terrible disaster,” UTC chairman & CEO Louis Chenevert said in a statement. “United Technologies has been in Japan for more than 100 years, and we are deeply committed to our employees and partnerships there. We are thankful that all UTC employees are safe and want to offer this support to those affected by this tragedy.”