Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/34202
20 FIRE SYSTEMS INSTALLATION www.securitysystemsnews.com JULY 2011 SECURITY SYSTEMS NEWS FIRE SYSTEMS INTALLATION Custom Alarm’s fire business growing By Tess Nacelewicz ROCHESTER, Minn.—Custom Alarm, based here, started out 43 years ago in the home of company president and CEO Leigh Johnson, whose background was in sound. Today, the company of more than 75 employees still offers sound solutions, but also is a full-service security company with its own UL-listed central station, and more than 5,000 monitored accounts. And one of the fastest- Monica Nigon growing areas of the busi- ness is fire, said Nikki Johnson, Custom Alarm’s director of marketing and an owner of the company, a Notifier by Hon- eywell dealer that also has branch offices in St. Paul and Winona, Minn. She told Security Systems News the fire side of the business helped Custom Alarm, also known as Custom Communications Inc., weather the recession. “We do so much fire, and that was something that’s not an option for people, it’s a necessity,” she said. The fire part of business is doing so well that the company, about 90 percent of whose work is commercial, this spring hired Monica Nigon as a project manager to work specifically on fire projects with a large national retail customer. Johnson said Custom Alarm had for about five years done only CCTV work for that retailer, the name of which Custom Alarm cannot disclose. But last year Cus- tom Alarm also had a chance to do some fire jobs with that customer, and wants to do more of the fire jobs, which the cus- tomer puts out to bid individually. “We decided we’re going to commit to this and bid all the jobs with fire,” Johnson said. To do that, the company created a spe- cial crew dedicated to that retail customer and in April hired Nigon to lead that group. “Monica fit the bill perfectly,” Johnson said. “She has great certifications … and great technical experience.” Also, Johnson added, “It’s nice to see a woman in a normally male-dominated industry.” In addition to Nigon, the company, which primarily serves customers in Min- nesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, also has fire project managers for its regular fire cus- tomers, and for a second large, unnamed commercial customer, Johnson said. SSN Cooper Notification opens new technology center By Tess Nacelewicz SARASOTA, Fla.—Cooper Notification recently announced the opening of its new Technology and Customer Solutions Center and Training Institute here. Cooper Notification, a major supplier of life safety and mass notification solutions—which are increasingly in demand by governmental institutions and others—is a platform of Cooper Industries. The new state-of-the-art, 25,000-square-foot facility, which opened May 1, is “designed to meet the growing demands of mass notification industry,” the company said in a release. Ted Milburn, VP marketing for New Jersey-based Cooper Notification, told Security Systems News, “We’re so excit- Ted Milburn ed” about the new center. Participants at the training institute will receive an “inter- active, hands-on educational experience” and the informa- tion “needed to effectively sell, survey, design, deploy, install and maintain Cooper Notification’s mass notification sys- tems,” according to a company release. The new center will be used for “business and product development, customer demonstrations and fostering partner relationships.” Milburn said the customer center displays “working live systems of everything we offer, all of our solutions.” SSN Presidential change for UTC Fire & Security Mark Barry is new Global Fire Products president By Tess Nacelewicz FARMINGTON, Conn.—When Scott Buckhout became president of UTC Fire & Security in March, his job as president of Glob- al Fire Products became vacant. In May, the com- Mark Barry pany, which is based here, announced Mark Barry stepped into that position. Barry joined UTC Fire & Security in 2010 through the acquisition of GE Security. He has spent more than 20 years in the secu- rity and life safety industry, includ- ing senior leadership positions at Tyco, ADT, and most recently at GE Security. In an email interview, Barry was asked about the impact of the change BARRY see page 24 Sprinkler requirements in homes is a hot issue Bills to prohibit communities from requiring home sprinklers proving controversial By Tess Nacelewicz CONCORD, N.H. and HELENA, Mont.—Legislation prohibiting municipalities in New Hamp- shire from requiring fire sprin- kler systems in homes passed the Legislature this spring and was headed to Gov. John Lynch and he was reportedly consider- ing vetoing it. The governor’s spokesman, Colin Manning, told Security Systems News in early June that the legislation had not yet come to Lynch’s desk and that Lynch was speaking to state fire offi- cials, who opposed it. The president of the National Fire Protection Association, Jim Shannon, sent a letter to Lynch asking him to veto the legislation, Tim Travers, NFPA regional fire sprinkler special- ist, New England, told SSN. The governor of Montana recently vetoed a similar bill in that state, winning him praise from the regional director of the NFPA’s Fire Pre- vention Field Office, Maria Figueroa. “The Montana governor saw it was the right thing to do to overturn that particular law,” Figueroa told SSN. She said what the Montana Legislature did in passing the law, which would have prohib- ited state building codes from requiring sprinklers in one- and two-family homes, “was outlaw a minimum standard of life safety for new homes.” SSN BRIEFS Metro chiefs take action in Charlotte FAIRFAX, Va.—The Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association, a section of both the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and National Fire Protection Association, held its 2011 annual con- ference in Charlotte, North Carolina May 13-18, 2011. At the meeting, members elected new officers, engaged in educational ses- sions, and passed motions expressing unanimous support of national level initiatives. Among initiative supported were the NfPA Fire Sprinkler Initiative and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, according to the IAFC. NFPA offers updates on antifreeze code changes QUINCY, Mass.—To give the latest on code changes impacting the use of antifreeze in sprinkler systems, the National Fire Protection Association is offering free web updates on that sub- ject this summer. The NFPA, based here, in May announced the web updates on the changes to NFPA sprinkler-related codes. Matthew Klaus, a senior fire protec- tion engineer who will host the web updates, said in a statement: “Based on recent full-scale testing of various anti- freeze concentrations in sprinkler sys- tems, NFPA 13, NFPA 13R, NFPA 13D, and NFPA 25 have modified the require- ments for antifreeze usage through recently approved TIAs (Tentative Interim Amendments).” He said the broadcasts would provide a brief his- tory on the use of antifreeze in sprinkler systems, explain the new requirements and discuss alternatives to antifreeze.” Broadcast dates are June 28, July 7, and July 19. For more information and to register, visit www.nfpa.org/ antifreeze. NJBFAA awards scholarships tostudents TRENTON, N.J.—The New Jersey Burglar & Fire Alarm Association in May announced scholarship prizes totaling $2,500 given by the NJBFAA to two deserving students. The association’s scholarship pro- gram recognizes the academic and community achievements of the chil- dren of local firefighters and police officers. “As an industry, we want to give back to the police and fire communities for their hard work and dedication. The scholarship program is a small way for us to say, ‘Thanks and a job well done,’” said Chris Mack, scholarship chairman.