TMA Members Recipients of ESX 2024 Innovation Awards

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The Electronic Security Expo (ESX) announced the winners of the 2024 Innovation Awards, recognizing excellence and innovation within the electronic security and life safety industry. Each year the awards program highlights next-generation products and services that present significant growth opportunities for integrator companies.

An independent panel of judges selected the winners based on a comprehensive set of criteria, including ingenuity, applicability, response to market needs and more. The 2024 ESX Innovation Awards judging panel, led by Preston Atkins, systems engineer at Certified Alarm Co. of AL Inc., also included Richard Tampier, vice president of Everon Solutions, Jamie Byrd, vice president of business development at Security Central, and Gregory R. Breyer, director of fire business development at Zeus Fire & Security.

Congratulations to the TMA member companies who were recognized as 2024 ESX Innovation Award Winners:

FIRE/LIFE-SAFETY

Detection Appliances – Smoke / Heat / Gas Detection Services

  • FireProtect 2 RB (Heat/Smoke/CO) UL Jeweller by Ajax Systems

Cellular / Radio Communications

  • Super Dual StarLink Fire Max2 Supervised Dual SIM/ Dual Path Communicator by NAPCO Security Technologies

INTRUSION SYSTEMS

Outdoor Detection

  • MotionCam Outdoor (PhOD) Jeweller by Ajax Systems

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE

Video Analytics

  • Alarm.com AI Deterrence (AID) by Alarm.com

Megapixel / HD Cameras

  • First Alert VX3 HD Outdoor Camera by Resideo

IP Cameras

  • TurretCam (8 Mp/2.8mm) by Ajax Systems

The ESX Innovation Awards ceremony was held during the ESX 2024 Expo in Louisville, Ky.

ADT’s Borgmann Honored with ESA’s Sara E. Jackson Award for Outstanding Leadership & Advocacy

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The Electronic Security Association (ESA) announced Holly Borgmann, Vice President, Government Affairs at ADT, as the esteemed recipient of the Sara E. Jackson Award for 2024. This award is presented to individuals who exemplify extraordinary leadership and dedication in advancing the electronic security and life safety industry.

“It is truly an honor to receive the Sara E. Jackson Award,” said Borgmann upon receiving the news of her award. “Sara’s story of resilience and leadership is incredibly inspiring, and I am humbled to be recognized in her name. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of our industry and look forward to continuing to work towards a safer future for all.”

“We are fortunate to have volunteer leaders like Holly Borgmann who are willing to lend their time and expertise to the ESA community.” says Merlin Guilbeau, CEO of the Electronic Security Association “Under her proactive leadership, ESA was able to advance initiatives that protect the industry and positively impact public safety.”

The award will be presented at the 2024 ESX in Louisville, KY prior to the Opening Keynote on Tuesday, June 4th at 11:30am ET. 

ESA Calls for Support of School Security Legislation [HR 7357]

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During this 118th Congress, ESA has been monitoring over a dozen bills on the issue of school security. Unfortunately, after they are introduced, they are assigned to a committee and rarely heard about again.

ESA is calling for security industry businesses to call upon Congress to take action on this important legislation. Ask your representatives to support HR 7357, the Securing Our Schools Act of 2024. Instead of being assigned to the House Education and the Workforce Committee, this bill was assigned to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

This legislation would authorize funding already allocated to schools, to be used for the purchase and installation of security and life safety systems. Congress does not need to increase spending at all, just let schools spend the funds on systems that we know would make the environment safer for students.

Our industry has the talents and equipment to make these vulnerable locations safer.

Learn more and contact your representative at https://www.votervoice.net/ESA/Campaigns/115872/Respond

 

Preview TMA’s NEW AVS-01 Operator Online Training

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The first of three new TMA-AVS-01 online training modules for monitoring center operators is now available for preview. Module 1 provides operators with a foundational understanding the ANSI/TMA-AVS-01 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard by explaining the “What and Why.” It is the first in a series of online training modules that will help monitoring center operators to understand the impact and tremendous benefits of the new standard for the professional monitoring industry and public safety community.

By adopting the AVS-01 Standard, monitoring centers can significantly enhance their alarm response processes, improve public safety outcomes, and contribute to industry-wide standardization and efficiency. By using real-time and historical data, AVS-01 provides us with a standardized way to calculate an alarm score that results in a repeatable metric to estimate the validity or potential threat level of an intrusion alarm activation.

The three modules are:

  1. TMA-AVS-01 Introduction for Monitoring Center Operators
  2. TMA-AVS-01 Introduction to Understanding Category Definitions
  3. TMA-AVS-01 Overview of the Call Handling Scoring Process

Preview the first module:

Learn more about TMA-AVS-01 HERE

Mandatory 10-Digit Dialing for Minnesota NPA 507 Announced

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This is a second notice.

Attention: Alarm, Security, and Elevator Service/Equipment Providers

To ensure a continuing supply of telephone numbers, the Minesota Public Utilities Commission approved the addition of the new 924 area code to the geographic region served by the 507 area code. This process is known as an area code overlay.

What will be the new dialing procedure?

The new dialing procedure will require that all calls in the 507 area code that are currently dialed with seven digits will need to be dialed using area code + telephone number. The same dialing procedure will apply to telephone numbers that are assigned in the new 924 area code.

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

As a result of the overlay, a new local dialing procedure requires callers to dial area code + telephone number.

Alarm, security, and elevator services and equipment currently located in the 507 area code and programmed to dial only seven digits must be updated or reprogrammed to dial ten digits (area code + telephone number) for all calls in the 507 and 924 area codes.

Reprogramming of alarm equipment must be completed by July 30, 2024.

To verify that equipment can complete calls to the new 924 area code, a special test number, 924-924-1924, will be in service beginning May 30, 2024, and will remain active through September 30, 2024.

When will the change begin?

Beginning July 30, 2024, the new dialing procedure must be used, as described above. On and after this date, if callers do not use the new dialing procedure, calls will not complete. A recording will instruct the caller to hang up and dial again including the area code.

Beginning August 30, 2024, new telephone lines or services may be assigned numbers with the new 924 area code. Anyone with a telephone number in the 924 area code must dial the area code + telephone number or the call will not complete.

DOWNLOAD INFO SHEET

TMA/AICC Meet with Congressional Committee on Privacy Act

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AICC attorney John Prendergast, Managing Partner, Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens & Prendergast, LLP, and lobbyist Bill Signer, Carmen Group, Inc., met this morning with House Energy and Commerce Democratic staff to discuss the American Privacy Rights Act. Several issues were raised  – two which are specific to the alarm industry and three which are generic to the bill and will impact any company subject to the Act.

Read update.

Next steps:

  • A memo containing recommendations for modifications and the needed legislative language will be drafted.
  • Outreach to the majority staff has been made.
  • Outreach to the Senate Commerce staff will also be made.

The Passing of Dale Eller Announced

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This morning, we were saddened to learn of the passing of TMA friend Dale Eller on April 29th following a brief illness. Our leadership and staff remember Dale fondly for his kind and thoughtful manner and his many contributions to TMA and the security industry.

Dale served in the U.S. Navy for six years before joining his family business, Glenwood Fire and Security, which was later acquired by Doyle Security. He went on to start his own company ITZ Solutions, a security management company. He was inducted into the Security Sales and Integration Industry Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife of 41 years and two children, a son, Joshua Eller and a daughter, Diane Sangster (Douglas) in addition to two siblings and many nieces and nephews.

Friends are invited to call at Brugger Funeral Homes & Crematory on Friday, May 3rd from 3 to 7 p.m. A funeral service will also be held at the funeral home on Saturday, May 4th at 11 a.m. Read the full obituary HERE.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations in Dale’s memory be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or the U.S. Navy Memorial.

Jefferson County, NY Goes Live with TMA’s ASAP-to-PSAP, April 16th

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Jefferson County Office of Fire and Emergency Management is the 143rd public safety communications center in the United States and the 12th agency in the state of New York to implement the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP).

Jefferson County Office of Fire and Emergency Management went live on Tuesday, April 16th, 2024, with Rapid Response Monitoring, Vector Security, Securitas, Guardian Protection, Protection One/Everon, Tyco (Johnson Controls), United Central Control, Vivint, Brinks Home Security, National Monitoring Center, Affiliated Monitoring, Amherst Alarm, Doyle and ADT.

Learn more about TMA’s ASAP-to-PSAP at https://tma.us/programs/asap/

TMA 2024 Awards Finalists Announced

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The Monitoring Association (TMA) is pleased to announce the finalists for its 2024 Excellence Awards and Marvel Technology Award.

TMA’s Monitoring Center Excellence Awards recognize any FM Approvals, Intertek/ETL or UL-listed monitoring center (TMA members) and outstanding personnel who perform in the highest professional manner, thereby making a significant contribution to the betterment of the alarm industry and the alarm profession while demonstrating exceptional service to their customers and community.

The purpose of the awards program is to:

  • Establish and promote the inherent value of professional monitoring services in general.
  • Honor those who have made the most significant contributions to the service.
  • Promote the distinct level of professionalism attained by NRTL-approved monitoring centers.

TMA’s Monitoring Center Excellence Awards are co-sponsored by SDM Magazine, which will publish a feature story on this year’s award winners in its August issue. This year, the TMA/SDM Excellence Awards competition received a total of 32 entries across five categories. Listed in alphabetical order by company within each category, the finalists are:

Monitoring Center of the Year – Enterprise

  • ADT
  • Affiliated Monitoring
  • Rapid Response Monitoring

Monitoring Center of the Year – SMB

  • Kimberlite
  • Per Mar Security
  • Stealth Monitoring

Monitoring Center Manager of the Year

  • Jessica Lambert, AvantGuard
  • Claudia Torres, Rapid Response Monitoring
  • Erik Chalifour, TELUS Security

 Monitoring Center Operator of the Year

  • Esperanza Sena, ADT
  • Angelica Miranda, Affiliated Monitoring
  • Brenda Eichfeld, COPS Monitoring

 Monitoring Center Support Person of the Year:

  • John Turner, ADT
  • Jennifer Acevedo, Affiliated Monitoring
  • John Balthrop, Stealth Monitoring

TMA’s Marvel Technology Award honors innovations in monitoring center technology. It is co-sponsored by TMA and Security Sales & Integration (SSI) and coordinated by the TMA Technology Committee. The purpose of the Marvel Award is to provide recognition for monitoring centers creating and/or using cutting-edge technology to raise awareness of these new technologies and is presented to one overall winner for the “best adoption of new technology to advance your business.”

The finalists for the 2024 TMA/SSI Monitoring Technology “Marvel” Award are:

  • Elite Interactive Solutions, Inc.
  • Rapid Response Monitoring
  • Stealth Monitoring

Award entries are judged by a volunteer judging panel appointed by TMA. The winners will be announced at a virtual award ceremony presented on April 18, 2024, at 3:00 pm ET. Register to attend at https://themonitoringassociation.growthzoneapp.com/ap/Events/Register/n4HmaGMtXHNCZ

Thank Your Local Public Safety Telecommunicators in April

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National Public Telecommunicators Week is coming up! make plans now to recognize the dedication and hard work of your local public safety partners.

There are many ways to show how grateful you are for the life-saving services these professionals provide 24/7/365.

APCO International has shared some ideas here: https://www.npstw.org/