Archive: January 2002
Tyco acquires fire co. FireMaster
January 1, 2002Andrea Gura
PEMBROKE, Bermuda-Tyco officials confirmed in December that the company had acquired national installation and service giant FireMaster, a Fort Meyers, Fla.-based firm with more than 300,000 customers.
The purchase comes less than a year after the conglomerate bought Simplex Time Recorder and then bundled together Simplex and fire protection services company Grinnell into one entity. That company's headquarters are in Westminster, Mass.
According to Tyco spokeswoman Maryanne Kane, FireMaster will...
The new future of monitoring
January 1, 2002Cliff Dice
As technology continues to develop, and as communication and security needs continue to merge, the role of the central station will become ever more important to today's society.
People live their lives at a fast pace, and they require technologies that allow them to do so with convenience and security. In this era of cell phones, pagers and long-distance commutes, the security industry must continue to develop solutions for today's public.
In trying to achieve these solutions, the alarm industry...
Digital filter technology garners patent
January 1, 2002Andrea Gura
FAIRFIELD, N.J.-A digital filtering technology company announced in late October it had been granted a patent for its image enhancement technology that reduces picture noise through an increased algorithm process.
Nuwave Technology plans to license its technology to OEMs for bundling or embedding in products such as digital cameras to help reduce about 70 percent of the picture noise while ensuring the text and other elements of the image don't blur, according to Bob Webb, Nuwave's chief technology...
It's back to business
January 1, 2002SSN Staff
Finally it's 2002. It's funny how we think that the turn of the year will result in a turn in life circumstances...but we do. And for our industry and our country, I hope that this is true. Last year we faced some pretty difficult times. Sales and manufacturing slowed down, the economy slumped, hundreds of thousands of people were laid off, the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon were attacked, and then the country and our industry stopped dead in its tracks and held its breath waiting to see what...
SIA to recognize systems integrator members
January 1, 2002Andrea Gura
WASHINGTON-The Security Industry Association has developed a new membership category that will serve the needs of systems integrators, association officials said.
The new membership category will allow systems integrators to join SIA as a systems integrator as opposed to joining the trade association in the service provider or associate member category.
"It was a case of where people didn't really have a home, a voice, or a forum where they could air issues," said Neil Ivy, SIA's director of industry...
False alarm ordinance watch
January 1, 2002SSN Staff
Pittsburgh County, Okla.
Sheriff Jerome "Snookie" Amaranto has asked the Pittsburgh County commissioners to consider allowing him to charge security companies for false alarms.
The Daily Oklahoman reported in November that Amaranto made the request out of fear that the frequency of false alarms would lead his officers to "drag their heels" in an instance that turned out to be an actual emergency. Several towns in the area, including Sapulpa, Norman and Yukon, currently have false alarm ordinances...
NEACC show to relocate, expand
January 1, 2002Andrea Gura
MARLBORO, Mass.-One of the largest state-run security shows is capitalizing on the recent decision by another major industry event to hold the show outside the Northeast.
In September, Reed Exhibition Companies, producers of the International Security Conference and The Home Automation Show, said the location for its ISC East show would rotate from its long-time venue of New York to be held every other year in Orlando, Fla., beginning in 2002.
Board members of the New England Alarm Convention Corp.,...
Frisco Bay to install, monitor ATMs
January 1, 2002SSN Staff
MONTREAL-Frisco Bay Industries has announced an initiative to install and monitor automatic teller equipment in 100 McDonald's restaurants across five Canadian provinces.
The deal comes after a test trial in which Frisco Bay subsidiary Frisco/ATMS installed ATMs in 50 restaurants for McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Ltd. The remainder of the installations will take place by the end of this year.
Barry Katsof, chairman and chief executive officer of Frisco Bay said the deal will bring the company's...
Upstate telecom buys American Alarm
January 1, 2002Andrea Gura
FREDONIA, N.Y.-A local telephone provider that serves customers in southwest New York and northwest Pennsylvania has acquired American Alarm, a security installation company based in Buffalo.
DFT Communications plans to roll the installation company and its 8,000 accounts into its own security subsidiary, DFT Security. It will also use the new customer base for upselling opportunities for the telecom's Internet, local telephone and long distance services, said Mark Maytum, president and chief operating...
King picks up RTC Alarm Monitoring Services
January 1, 2002Andrea Gura
HACKENSACK, N.J.-A 13-year-old contract central station sold its operations to King-Monital-IDC in December so its telecom parent company could focus on other markets, company officials said.
SureWest Communications sold its security subsidiary RTC Alarm Monitoring Services to King in order to expand the company's core telecommunications operations, including broadband, DSL and Internet offerings, said Brian Strom, president and chief executive officer of SureWest.
"Alarm businesses have a national...