Tag: Illinois Electronic Security Association
Fire monitoring in Illinois trending in industry's favor
February 12, 2014Tess Nacelewicz
DES PLAINES, Ill.—The Lemont Fire Protection District is ending its fire alarm monitoring program, citing a recent federal appeals court decision saying public entities can't monopolize such monitoring.Lemont's decision appears part of a growing trend of fire districts opening up to commercial competition as the result of the July 2013 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, said Kevin Lehan, executive director of the Illinois Electronic Security Association (IESA), based...
ADS vs. village in lawsuit
December 31, 2013Tess Nacelewicz
DES PLAINES, Ill.—The industry is fighting back against an Illinois municipality's attempt to do an “end around” of a recent court ruling barring public fire districts from monopolizing fire monitoring in the state.Alarm Detection Systems (ADS), a fire company based in Aurora, Ill., has filed a federal lawsuit against the village of Algonquin, Ill., charging the village with establishing an “illegal monopoly” that shuts out ADS and other private companies from providing...
Illinois fire districts open up to commercial fire monitoring
October 21, 2013Tess Nacelewicz
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—After an appeals court ruling this summer saying public fire districts can't monopolize fire alarm monitoring, two fire districts recently passed new ordinances allowing commercial fire alarm companies to compete in those markets.While Illinois Electronic Security Association executive director Kevin Lehan called the passage of the ordinances by the Pleasantview Fire Protection District and the Darien-Woodridge Fire Protection District “a great development for...
Municipal fire-monitoring fight continues in Illinois
April 3, 2013Tess Nacelewicz
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—Another front in the battle in Illinois over public entities monopolizing fire alarm monitoring opened up recently when the village of Westmont approved an ordinance requiring all businesses to connect their fire alarms to its emergency dispatch center.Kevin Lehan, executive director of the Illinois Electronic Security Association, based here, told Security Systems News, “The IESA disagrees with any ordinance that makes requirements as to where an alarm system...
Illinois alarm companies urged to reclaim business
October 15, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—Now that a federal judge has ordered the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District to get out of the fire alarm monitoring business, the state alarm association is encouraging private alarm contractors to once again seek customers there.“I'm urging alarm contractors in the state to go claim that business,” Kevin Lehan, executive director of the Illinois Electronic Security Association, based here, told Security Systems News.It's been three years since the district approved...
Ruling in Illinois fire alarm monitoring case 'positive' for industry
August 15, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—The latest decision in a lawsuit brought by ADT and other alarm companies over public entities taking over fire alarm monitoring in the state contains “a lot of positive things for the alarm industry,” according to the executive director of the Illinois Electronic Security Association (IESA).“I would sum it up by saying that this was a great step forward for licensed alarm contractors in the state as well as the fire services,” Kevin Lehan told...
PSAP problems in Illinois raise safety concerns
July 25, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—A PSAP that controls emergency communications for numerous municipalities around Chicago is reportedly having such problems with delayed response times that dispatchers recently voted “no confidence” in the agency's management.
The situation at Northwest Central Dispatch System serves as a good example of why cities and towns shouldn't shut central stations out of the fire monitoring business if they want the public to be safe, according to the...
Illinois alarm industry helps quash onerous proposals
February 1, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—The security alarm industry scored two significant victories last week in an ongoing battle in this state over public entities monopolizing fire alarm monitoring, according to the head of the Illinois Electronic Security Association.
“It's been a great week for the Illinois alarm industry,” Kevin Lehan, executive director of IESA, based here, told Security Systems News. He said that after the industry raised concerns about the government stifling free...
'Mixed' court ruling in Illinois monitoring case
December 1, 2011Tess Nacelewicz
CHICAGO, Ill.—A federal appeals court based here says public fire districts in Illinois have a legal right to be in the fire alarm monitoring business, but can't displace the private fire market in doing so.That's the latest ruling in an ongoing legal dispute in the state over public entities taking control of fire alarm monitoring from private companies. It's significant because it overturns a lower court ruling this summer that determined state law did not give public fire districts any authority...
Former state association executive director sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison
September 14, 2011Daniel Gelinas
WEST ALLIS, Wis.—Marsha Kopan, the former executive director of the Illinois Electronic Security Association who was a year ago arrested and investigated on forgery and check fraud charges, was convicted at the end of June with three class G felony counts of theft in an amount greater than $10,000.
According to public records from the state of Wisconsin, Kopan will be held responsible for repaying stolen money totaling $388,053.41. The payments will be made "in the amounts of: $22,880.32 to...