Honoring Our Veterans, November 2020

TMA is proud to honor those within our community who have served in the U.S. and Canadian military today, Veterans’ Day, November, 11, 2020.

We invited members to share details of their service and photos to mark this special day.

You may view a presentation of our 2020 honorees HERE.

The TMA Board of Directors and staff extend heartfelt gratitude to all of those who have served and sacrificed.

TMA President Appoints New Committee Chairs

The Associate Members’ Liaison Committee and the Proprietary Council both welcomed new chairs in October.

Jennifer Holloway, CIBC Bank USA, is joining DMP Vice President of Marketing Mark Hillenburg, as co-chair of the Associate Members’ Liaison Committee, which represents suppliers and Associate Members to the TMA Board of Directors. “As a long-time member of the Associate Members’ Liaison Committee I look forward to partnering with Mark Hillenburg to represent my fellow associate members’ needs and concerns on the TMA Board and with general membership,” Holloway stated. “Every member plays a role in reaching TMA’s goals, and I am grateful to have this new opportunity as co-chair.”

With the resignation of TMA’s longtime Proprietary Council Chair Dan Jackman, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Don Young appointed Michele Levcik, Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., to the position of Council chairman. “I am very excited and honored for the opportunity to serve on the TMA board. My goals are to increase proprietary participation and retention and continue to build relationships and knowledge in the industry,” commented Levcik.

Richard Flores, Puget Sound Energy, will support Levcik on the Proprietary Council as her new vice-chair. Flores has served as the Council’s Secretary since 2017.

DMP to Introduce its FirstNet Ready™ alarm panels in Nov. 4th VPR

Register now to attend TMA’s next Virtual Product Review (VPR) where DMP will introduce its groundbreaking FirstNet Ready™ alarm panels.

FirstNet is built with AT&T in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority and is the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to and purpose-built specifically for America’s first responders and the extended public safety community. It’s the solution to decades-long interoperability and communications challenges first responders have long been experiencing.

“The FirstNet network is an important step forward in our nationwide first responder infrastructure, and DMP is pleased to support public safety nationwide,” says Mark Hillenburg, vice president of Marketing at DMP. “Also, we are very excited to work with The Monitoring Association (TMA) and AT&T to deliver alarm panel communications using the highly secure and reliable FirstNet service.”

The transmission of public safety related alarms via FirstNet Ready™ alarm panels qualifies for FirstNet extended primary service. Alarm service companies qualify to use the FirstNet network by first obtaining a TMA Certificate of Verification that verifies they are in compliance with accepted Alarm Industry Standards. The Certificate of Verification ensures the company transmits public safety related alarms (e.g. burglary, fire, emergency medical) to a central monitoring station that confirms and verifies the authenticity of the alarm before notifying a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for relay to a public safety agency for the purpose of initiating an emergency response. In addition to the TMA certification, alarm service providers must enter into a FirstNet Agreement with AT&T before they can offer FirstNet Ready alarm panels with FirstNet service.

With DMP’s FirstNet Ready communicator, the XR Series control panels are among the first available for use on the FirstNet network. This gives alarm companies the advantage of using Band 14 – nationwide, high-quality spectrum set aside by the federal government specifically for FirstNet.

How to use the FirstNet Network for Alarm Panel Communication
Wed., Nov. 4, 2020 | 2:30PM/EST

Speakers:
Mark Hillenburg, Vice President of Marketing, DMP
Aaron McGhee – Product Manager, Control Panels, DMP

REGISTER

Spector, Schmit Honored For TMA and Industry Contributions

On October 21, 2020, in the course of TMA’s General Membership Meeting, TMA President Don Young had the honor of presenting TMA’s two highest awards – Stanley C. Lott Award for Exemplary Service and the Mel Mahler Award for Outstanding Service to the Monitoring Industry.

Stanley C. Lott Award for Exemplary Service Presented to Ivan Spector, President, Sentinelle Alarms
In presenting the award, President Young stated, “This year the award is given to a man who has not only served TMA through many leadership positions on committees and the TMA Board, but who was a founding member and longtime board member of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC).

In addition, he has been a leader in advancing alarm management in both Canada and the United States. For CANASA, he served on the Board of Directors, was national president, and chair of the Response Committee. In that role he proved instrumental in driving many false dispatch reduction initiatives. He is also a Superior Court of Canada-acknowledged and accepted expert witness.
This year’s winner is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal and is the owner of Sentinel Alarm. I am pleased to award the 2020 Stanley C. Lott Memorial Award to Ivan Spector.”

Mel Mahler Award for Outstanding Service to the Monitoring Industry Presented to Steve A. Schmit, Senior Staff Engineer, UL
In presenting the award, President Young commented, “When deciding on a recipient for this year’s Award, one name came immediately to mind. He is an individual who has served our industry for more than 39 years, but with the onset of Covid 19 earlier this year, he worked tirelessly on behalf of the TMA membership to develop work at home standards that would allow our industry to continue to operate under safe conditions. This year’s winner is an experienced Engineering Manager with a history of working in the public safety industry.

He holds a BS in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and serves as Senior Staff Engineer for Underwriters Laboratories. I am very grateful for all of the help and guidance this year’s recipient provided on the establishment of the new standard and I am honored to present this year’s Mel Mahler Award to Steve Schmit.”

Please join TMA in congratulating Ivan and Steve on these esteemed honors.

DMP to introduce new FirstNet Ready™ alarm panels in TMA VPR, Nov. 4th

FirstNet™ is built with AT&T in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority and is the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to and purpose-built specifically for America’s first responders and the extended public safety community. It’s the solution to decades-long interoperability and communications challenges first responders have long been experiencing.

“The FirstNet network is an important step forward in our nationwide first responder infrastructure, and DMP is pleased to support public safety nationwide,” says Mark Hillenburg, vice president of Marketing at DMP. “Also, we are very excited to work with The Monitoring Association (TMA) and AT&T to deliver alarm panel communications using the highly secure and reliable FirstNet service.”

The transmission of public safety related alarms via FirstNet Ready™ alarm panels qualifies for FirstNet extended primary service. Alarm service companies qualify to use the FirstNet network by first obtaining a TMA Certificate of Verification that verifies they are in compliance with accepted Alarm Industry Standards. The Certificate of Verification ensures the company transmits public safety related alarms (e.g. burglary, fire, emergency medical) to a central monitoring station that confirms and verifies the authenticity of the alarm before notifying a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for relay to a public safety agency for the purpose of initiating an emergency response. In addition to the TMA certification, alarm service providers must enter into a FirstNet Agreement with AT&T before they can offer FirstNet Ready alarm panels with FirstNet service.

Benefits for the Alarm Industry

With DMP’s FirstNet Ready communicator, the XR Series control panels are among the first available for use on the FirstNet network. This gives alarm companies the advantage of using Band 14 – nationwide, high-quality spectrum set aside by the federal government specifically for FirstNet.

Register now to attend:

How to use the FirstNet™ Network for Alarm Panel Communication
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020 | 2:00PM/EST

Speakers:

  • Mark Hillenburg, Vice President of Marketing, DMP
  • Aaron McGhee, Product Manager, Control Panels, DMP

REGISTER

TMA Virtual Product Review: Unlocking Hidden Value from Digital with Advanced Data Analytics

Discover innovative opportunities for your company to create new value through better connected devices and advanced data analytics and how new TMA member Thalamus Labs’ approach get you on a fast-track to digital value creation. Thalamus Labs’ Managing Director Sugath Warnakulasuriya will challenge you to take a fresh look at how you’re doing business today.

Thursday, October 22, 2020 | 12:30-1:00PM [EST]

Register now to attend this presentation.

 

TMA Past President Named ESA’s 2019 Person of the Year

The Electronic Security Association (ESA) presented its 2019 Morris F. Weinstock Person of the Year Award to TMA Past President Bud Wulforst in honor of his lifetime of achievements in the security industry. Wulforst has been involved in ESA throughout the years as part of many initiatives and as a mentor to other businesspeople in the industry. 

Upon receiving his award, Wulforst stated, “I’m truly humbled as we stand here with 50 years of award recipients. I am so very proud to receive this wonderful ESA award. I’ve learned so much from so many over the years,” said Wulforst as he received the award. The associations are the catalyst for bringing it all together. The power of networking and participating in our associations should never be underestimated. When I say thank you, I say thank you to you all.”

TMA extends its sincere congratulations to Wulforst.

Read more.

TMA 2020 Achievement Highlights

With your support and participation, TMA has advanced the following initiatives so far this year: With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, TMA initiated many efforts to assist and protect our members: When members contacted TMA about the potential impact of stay-at-home orders and social distancing on their UL-listings if their operators […]

Attend TMA’s General Membership Meeting, Oct. 21

TMA will host its General Membership Meeting on October 21st at 2:00PM [EST]. Set aside some time to hear the latest information on some of the great projects and initiatives that TMA volunteers and staff have been focused on in the past few months.
Like so many of your companies, our priorities shifted with the onset of the pandemic earlier this year, and we have initiated some projects that we hadn’t planned for prior to these challenging and unprecedented times. Our focus has transitioned to the development of resources, standards, and education that supports your company’s needs amid COVID-19.
Please mark your calendar to join TMA President Don Young, members of the Board of Directors, volunteer leaders, and TMA staff for this important meeting. 
We look forward to getting your feedback on our projects and to answering any questions you may have! 
REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
TMA General Membership Meeting
Wednesday, October 21, 2020 | 2:00PM [EST]
Please register at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4616370347323265808
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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October Virtual Town Hall Addresses Public Safety Issues

Gain insights into the most critical issues facing public safety leaders today

Hear directly from top law enforcement and fire leaders

Monday, September 14, 2020 | 11:00 AM

Please join the president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Chief Steven R. Casstevens; the president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Chief Richard Carrizzo; and the president of the National Sheriffs Association (NSA) Sheriff David Mahoney, as they share their top issues and how we can better support their critical work.

Don’t miss this important conversation.

*Member-exclusive event.