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...
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...
Pa. okays dorm sprinkler bill, NY hardwired fire system
January 1, 2002SSN Staff
HARRISBURG, Pa.-A bill that will provide state funding to underwrite the interest costs for the installation of sprinklers in state-owned residence halls passed both the state House and Senate in December.
The Dormitory Sprinkler Act, or Pennsylvania House Bill 209, gives the state authority to finance or reimburse interest paid on automatic sprinkler installations of new dormitories or retrofitting existing residential housing. The bill was expected to be signed by Acting Governor Mark Schweiker.
Officials...
Security Networks buys Proton Security
January 1, 2002RoJean Tulk
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.-Security Networks, a security company that began operations here in April, acquired Lantana, Fla.-based Proton Security in June. The purchase marks the first of several acquisition Security Networks intends to make as part of a strategic plan to expand throughout the Southeast.
"We intend to become a significant player in the region," says Richard Perry, Security Networks' president and founder. "We're looking at a number of opportunities to acquire quality (security) companies."
Proton...
Monitoring takes Internet route
January 1, 2002Joanne Friedrick
Internet alarm monitoring expected to ride wave of broadband growth
With an anticipated 5.6 mil-lion residential DSL subscribers in 2002 and a forecast for nearly four million broadband business lines in North America by 2004, it's little wonder the alarm monitoring industry has turned its attention to Internet usage.
Both Radionics of Salinas, Calif., and Digital Monitoring Products of Springfield, Mo., in fall 2001 received Underwriters Laboratories' listings for their high-line security communications...
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.,...
Home Director partners with N.C. developer
January 1, 2002SSN Staff
MORRISVILLE, N.C.-Home Director Inc. has teamed up with a Houston-based master-planned community developer to integrate structured wiring in 4,000 homes over the next two-and-a-half years.
The partnership with Land Tejas is not the first between the two companies. Home Director and Land Tejas first worked together in 1998 when Land Tejas become one of the first companies to deliver Home Director's product to homeowners.
"Our original 1998 partnership with Land Tejas was a key starting point for...
Norris expands to northern Maine
January 1, 2002Andrea Gura
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine-A regional player servicing Northern New England has purchased a sound and intercom vendor to expand its fire and security services into the northern reaches of the state.
Norris Inc., based here, in December bought Maine Sound and Intercom, a small local dealer that served northern Maine in communications, sound and intercom equipment. Norris will use the new location to bring its fire, security and communications offering to that part of the state. The new location was expected...
MAS, BroadWare partner for video
January 1, 2002SSN Staff
IRVINE, Calif.-A remote video provider and an automation software manufacturer have partnered to jointly develop an interface to integrate remote video into the central station software.
The interface will allow central station operators to use MAS' MASterMind to view live and archived video from BroadWare's remote video server through any authorized workstation. After an alarm is triggered, an operator can verify video, conduct remote guard tours and schedule visitations.
Both MAS and Cupertino,...
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...