Re: False alarms

["Al Colombo" <securitymission@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I think if they fine alarm firms it's a big mistake.  First of all, of
the 32 years I've been in the security industry, during which I spent
16 or 17 active years in the field, I found that many of my clients did
not wish to contract with us to do routine, yearly maintenance.
Secondly, I've found that almost all of the false alarms that the firms
I was associated with were user initiated, and most of my clients were
commercial.

The question is, how will fining the alarm firm solve anything
substantial?  The only thing it's going to do for reputable alarm firms
is cost them lots of money.  If fining the end users who case most of
these false trips has failed to solve the problem, how is fining alarm
firms going to do that?  If fining the very people responsible for the
operation and maintenance of these problematic systems hasn't solve the
problem, how is fining alarm firms who are not there with the user?

In my opinion, the solution is to require the end user to pull a fire
alarm permit that requires a maintenance contract between the end user
and alarm company.  Now, when the municipality records a given number
of false alarms from a specific account, they need to investigate the
issue to find out if the problem is the end user's desire not to pay
the alarm firm to do necessary service or the alarm firm itself because
their techs cannot solve the problem.  They need to legislate the right
to bill the alarm firm direct under the above conditions, not the alarm
firm out of the gate.

Most of the time most firms will place that one zone or device on test
until they solve the problem while allowing the remainder of the system
to remain active.  At least this is what I use to do back in the 70s,
80s, and more recently bewteen 2001 and 2004 when I was managing an
alarm firm in Ohio.

The only control the alarm firm will have if the local authority fines
the alarm company is to end their recurring revenue quicker than if the
end user is fined.  I think it's a bad deal for dealers, end users, and
the local authorities.

Comments?

Al

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