In just a short period of time, the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) has moved mountains.
For decades, our industry has been known as burg and fire. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it certainly doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the depth and breadth of services available today from the professional security installation community. So it came as a bit of a surprise, albeit a pleasant one, when NBFAA announced that it was strongly considering and moving ahead with a potential name change for the 60-year-old-plus organization—to the Electronic Security Association.
NBFAA is one of the largest professional trade associations in the U.S. so I’m sure this was no easy endeavor but this type of territory comes with any forward-thinking organization. But then, I thought about those who have been in the industry for a long time, and wondered what they really thought about the name change. And that’s just what I asked Mike Miller, president of NBFAA and vice president of Moon Security Services Inc., in Pasco, Wash.
“We recognized that there was a tug of the heart strings among many in the organization with regards to the name change and it has been a bit hard,” Miller said. “But at the same time, most members recognize that we need to move forward in our endeavors…be more ‘modern’ as it will.”
He expects the name change, which needs to be ratified by a 2/3 vote of the membership, to be approved before the end of the year, most likely sooner. (The vote can now be cast via e-mail or mail, as approved by the general membership last year, in lieu of an in-person general membership meeting).
“The industry recognizes that its business is much more than burg and fire,” Miller continued. “And another reason for the name change was to elevate our stature in lobbying to the legislature in Washington, D.C. ,” he said.
In this issue, we have more of the content that also addresses the evolution of the industry into full systems solutions providers but of course we’re not discarding the core business of burglar and fire alarms because that’s all part of the solution. The residential market may have stabilized and the opportunities have been recognized by integrators like Rich Thompson, Bill Riley and Clifford Pfleger who have signed on with the Smith & Wesson Security Services Authorized Dealer Program, page 40. Check out a great niche for integrators in the story on environmental monitoring, page 44. Don’t miss the access control story, a mainstay of the industry, on page 48. See page 52 for the latest information on monitors, racks, viewing components and central station essentials. There’s more--the fiber optic technology update on 60.
‘Hats off’ to the NBFAA and all their compatriots and especially the integrators, who know what they want and what they need to do to achieve success. We are here with you and want to be part of the plan moving forward, and we will be.
Deborah O’Mara, editor
SECURITY Dealer & Integrator magazine
[email protected]
