CSAA is pleased to announce that Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has launched an on-line search engine, UL Alarm Finder (www.ulalarmfinder.com), enabling commercial business owners, residential dwellers, the insurance industry, the nation's AHJs, etc., to easily find a UL-Listed fire and security alarm service company in their communities.

UL Alarm Finder locates UL-Listed alarm service companies through a ZIP code-based search engine. Users can search for companies within a certain distance from their location and based on key parameters such as type of alarm or manner of response required. UL Alarm Finder returns a comprehensive list of local UL-Listed alarm service companies meeting the search criteria along with contact information and approximate distance to the alarm company beginning with the closest company and for any distance specified by the user.

“The insurance industry in particular has been actively searching for an easy way to let their policy holders find UL-Listed alarm companies," said CSAA Executive Vice President Steve Doyle. One of the most exciting aspects is that each CSAA member company is identified by a very prominent CSAA logo. Visitors will be able to click on the logo and be moved to the CSAA Web site for additional information on UL-Listed central stations. Shortly, UL will also allow each UL Listed alarm company to have a “hot-link” from the Alarm Finder Web site to the member company," added Doyle.

“A vast majority of alarm companies out there do not adhere to recognized safety and performance standards which can mean failing systems and false alarms,” said Isaac Papier, General Manager of UL’s Security & Signaling Business Unit. “With our new UL Alarm Finder service, users can be confident that any alarm service company in our database has been thoroughly inspected by UL to be in compliance with all local regulations and requirements and will provide systems that offer them critical protection when they need it most.”

UL Alarm Finder is especially significant for the many communities enforcing the national fire alarm code, NFPA 72, which provides specific guidelines for proper alarm system installation, monitoring and maintenance. The equipment and installation and maintenance practices of all UL-Listed alarm service companies have been independently verified by UL as complying with the requirements of NFPA 72. UL alarm service companies can also issue UL alarm certificates, which declare an alarm system’s specifications and provide local authorities confirmation of code compliance.

While the UL site has been operational only few days, it has already logged over 1,100 hits and inquiries in its first 48 hours of service.