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Vol. 15, No. 17 - September 8, 2009
8150 Leesburg Pike, Suite 700, Vienna, VA 22182
703-242-4670; Fax 703-242-4675
www.csaaintl.org

This issue of the CSAA Signals is brought to you by our sponsor:

Please visit www.boldgroup.com about its products or click on the banner above.

Please thank the sponsors of the 2009 CSAA Annual Meeting:

ADI (President’s Dinner & Dance Wine & Beverages); Alert Alarm of Hawaii (CSAA Board of Directors Dinner); Altronix (President’s Dinner & Dance Reception); Bosch Security Systems (Tuesday’s Continental Breakfast/AM Break); DICE Corp. (Wednesday continental breakfast); DMP (Keycards); GE Security (Opening Reception Buffet (partial) and Music); Honeywell Security (Theme Dinner); Micro Key Solutions (Monday’s Continental Breakfast/AM Break); Sur-Gard/DSC (President’s Dinner & Dance Dance Band); System Sensor (Opening Reception Wine & Beverages); Tri-Ed Distribution (Theme Dinner's Wine & Beverages); Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (PSLC Committee & AHJs Dinner and AHJ Travel)

Table of Contents

Four CSAA Standards and Draft Standards Enter Review Period
Three new draft Standards and Revision of CSAA_CS_V_01 – Comments DUE 10/19/2009

The CSAA Standards Committee and its chair, Lou Fiore, is announcing the opening of a public comment phase for four CSAA standards and draft standards.

Two of these standards are already ANSI standards but are being updated.

Please forward us any comments or questions, using the form at www.csaaintl.org/Form_for_Proposals_on_CSAA_Standards_Documents.doc.
Be sure to sign the form and submit it to communications@csaaintl.org.

Two draft standards are again open for public comments.

 

The public comment period will end on October 26, 2009.

2009 CSAA Annual Meeting Deadline Nears

If you haven’t already done so, now is your last chance to sign up for the 2009 CSAA Annual Meeting in Athens, Greece and for the optional tours.  The registration and tour deadline is Wednesday, September 9, 2009.  The hotel reservation deadline continues until Thursday, September 17th, so there is still time to reserve a room at the Grande Bretagne if you are contemplating the trip. 

CSAA must make all arrangements for the optional tours in advance, since the tours are specially designed for our meeting and exclusive to CSAA meeting attendees.  Therefore, we cannot offer these tours onsite. If you are interested in any of the optional tours, be sure to complete your tour reservation form and return it to CSAA.   These tours are perfect opportunities for you to explore Athens in more detail or venture to areas outside the confines of the city.  Sign up today!

Also, there is still time to sign up for any of the pre-conference trips.

  • Pre-convention trip I: September 30-October 10, 2009 - Seven Day Splendors Cruise I --Greece and Turkey.
    Click here for complete information.
  • NEW - Pre-convention trip II: October 9-October 16 - Seven Day Splendors Cruise II --Greece and Turkey.
    Click here for complete information.
  • Pre-convention trip III: October 10-October 15, 2009 - Classical Land Tour of Greece.
    Click here for complete information.
  • Booking Form
    These pre-conference trips are not sanctioned, endorsed or sponsored by CSAA and CSAA disclaims all liability in connection with these activities.  All individuals who chose to participate, do so at their own risk.

FTC Postpones Enforcement of Red Flag Rules
New date: November 1, 2009

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has once again delayed the enforcement of the so-called "Red Flag" rules until November 1, 2009. The FTC Red Flag compliance program has been in place since November, 1, 2008.

However, the enforcement delay may not relieve a business from financial liability to a customer whose identity is stolen and the business did not have a Red Flag program in place by Nov. 1, 2008. Also, certain rules governing the issuance of calling cards and the use of credit reports will apparently become effective Nov. 1, 2008 without an enforcement delay. 

Under the new rules, all businesses that maintain a creditor-debtor relationship with customers, including virtually all telecommunications carriers, must adopt written procedures designed to detect the relevant warning signs of identify theft, and implement an appropriate response.

For background on these rules, see the September 8, 2008 CSAA Signals at www.csaaintl.org/signals/csaa_signals_vol_14_no_15.htm.

To download a "How-to" guide for businesses, visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/idtheft/bus23.shtm.

Third Notice: CSAA BY-laws Change

We want to remind you that the CSAA Board of Directors has proposed a change to the CSAA By-laws that extends CSAA North American (Regular) membership to companies that are not only UL-listed, FM-approved, but also certified by other CSAA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).

This change to the CSAA By-laws expands our By-laws to be consistent with NFPA 72 and other codes that now accept listings by other NRTLs (see CSAA Signals article on recent NFPA changes).

The change to the CSAA By-laws will be voted on at the 2009 CSAA Annual Meeting during the CSAA General Membership Meeting on Monday, October 19, 2009.

In order to facilitate the widest voting participation, the primary representative of each North American company has been sent a ballot by mail where the company can vote for or against the by-laws change.

We have included a version of what the CSAA By-Laws will look like below. For an annotated version showing current and proposed version, visit www.csaaintl.org and click on the appropriate link on the “Hot News” section or click here.

For any questions, please contact CSAA Executive Vice President Steve Doyle at sdoyle@csaaintl.org or at 703-242-4670, Ext. 13.

Article II. Purpose

The purpose of the Association shall be to foster and maintain the relationship among providers, users, bureaus and other agencies of central station protection services that are UL Listed, FM Approved, and/or certified by other Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) recognized and approved by CSAA and to promote the mutual interests of the UL Listed, FM Approved and/or CSAA-approved NRTL Central Station alarm industry with public officials, the insurance industry and our customers.

Article IV. Members

Section 1. Classes of Membership. The membership of this Association shall be divided into six classes:
(a) North American Member (UL, FM or other NRTL recognized and approved by CSAA Full Service). Any firm, corporation, or division of a corporation, for which participation in the installation, service, monitoring, and response to burglar and fire and/or other related alarms constitutes a significant portion of its business, which operates a central station that has been approved by Factory Mutual, listed by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) and/or recognized by another CSAA-approved NRTL. The applicant must be listed by UL to provide UL burglar alarm certificates or by other CSAA-approved NRTL to provide CSAA-approved NRTL burglar alarm certificates for its installations when required/requested by its customers or authorities having jurisdiction. The applicant must be in compliance with NFPA 72: The National Fire Alarm Code, and agrees to conduct its business in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the Association.

(b) North American Member (Modified Service). Any firm, corporation, or division of a corporation that satisfies the requirements cited in ARTICLE IV 1 (a) above, except that the entity need not provide installation, service, or response; however, if it does, it need not be capable of issuing UL or other CSAA-approved NRTL burglar alarm certificates. Further, its UL listed or CSAA-approved NRTL certified central station need not operate as a profit-making entity and may limit its service to its own facilities.

(c) Applicant Member. Any entity that satisfies every requirement for North American Membership as cited in ARTICLE IV 1. (a) or (b) above, except that the entity’s central station has not been UL Listed, FM Approved, or recognized by another CSAA-approved NRTL.. The Applicant Member shall have all the rights and privileges of a North American or International Member except that the Applicant Member shall not be entitled to vote. An Applicant Member may remain an Applicant Member for a period of two years. At the expiration of the two-year period, if the Applicant Member’s central station has not received UL Listing, FM approval, or recognition by another CSAA-approved NRTL, then the Applicant Membership shall automatically terminate.

Tri-Association Awards Gala

Share a festive evening with friends at the 2009 Tri-Association Awards Dinner on Wednesday, October 28, at The Lighthouse on Chelsea Pier 61 in New York City.

Each fall, the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), the Security Industry Association (SIA), and the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) honor two members of the security industry at the Tri-Association Awards Dinner.

This year, Alan Forman, president of Altronix Corporation, will be honored with the 20th annual George R. Lippert Memorial Award, and John A. Murphy, president of Vector Security, will receive the 5th annual Triton Award. The Lippert Award recognizes outstanding contributions to SIA and the security industry, while the Triton Award is given for industry statesmanship and efforts to promote good working relationships among the three associations.

This year's theme is "The Gilded Age," the late-19th century period of great economic growth in the United States. The dinner theme looks at the beginnings of that era, as represented by sites and structures such as the Brooklyn Bridge, which symbolizes new technological achievements, the Statue of Liberty, which embodies the political and economic opportunity available to people in this country, and Ellis Island, the entrance point for millions of immigrants seeking a better life in America.

Register now to participate in this event. For more information, contact Wanda Brown, SIA's acting manager of events and operations, at (703) 647-8480 or wbrown@siaonline.org.

Sponsorship opportunities are available

The Tri-Association Awards Dinner is one of the security industry's biggest nights of the year. Make sure your company is a part of it by reserving space in the event's Tribute Book.

The Tribute Book is an elegantly-presented memento that will be given to each of the more than 200 security industry leaders who will be at the dinner. With a quarter, half or full-page spot, you can congratulate the night's honorees - Alan Forman, president of Altronix Corporation, and John Murphy, president of Vector Security - and give your company valuable exposure to a high-powered audience.

To take advantage of this opportunity, contact Alain Taylor at (703) 647-8481 or ataylor@siaonline.org.

ESX Call for Papers

The Electronic Security Expo (ESX) is seeking security industry professionals to speak at the ESX 2010 event which will take place on June 14 - 18 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Owned and sponsored by CSAA and NBFAA, ESX 2010 will attract 3,000 security dealers, integrators and monitoring companies for the three-day conference and two-day expo.

Professionals interested in speaking at the event should have expertise in the business of security installation and monitoring. Specific areas of interest include:

  • Business Development & Management
  • Central Station Operations
  • Installation Management
  • RMR - Developing & Managing Recurring Revenue
  • Sales & Marketing
  • Technology - Fire, IP, Video
  • Telehealth

Click here to submit your online application.

The deadline for submissions is September 14, 2009. All submissions will be judged based upon the abstracts and learning objectives provided. The ESX Program Advisory Committee will review applications and select presenters whose materials align with the goals of the program. Special consideration will be given to applications submitted by installation and monitoring companies.

In addition to the conference program, ESX will feature 200 exhibiting companies, including All-Star Hosts: Guardian Protection and Vector Security; Platinum sponsors: CentraLarm Group of Companies, ESC Central, Honeywell Security; Gold sponsors: ADI, DSC, Security America Risk Retention Group, Risco Group, Uplink; and Silver sponsors: Optex.

The event will also feature a number of networking events, special tours and featured speakers. For more information on speaking at ESX, please contact Nancy Franco at 508-618-4225, nfranco@ae-ventures.com. For exhibiting information, please contact Shannon Murphy at 508-618-4224, smurphy@ae-ventures.com. Call 877-628-9558 or email info@ae-ventures.com for general inquiries.
AES Mesh Alarm