The National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) honored its 2006 Leadership Award winners during the recent NBFAA Fall Conference and CSA Symposium annual awards luncheon in Weehawken, N.J.

The winners:

Chapter of the Year: Louisiana Life Safety and Security Association

President of the Year: Ron Foreman, Louisiana Life Safety and Security Association

Executive Director of the Year: Shelly Pettit, Mississippi Alarm Association

Newsletter of the Year: The Protection Connection, Illinois Electronic Security Association

NTS Instructor of the Year: Larry Mann, Central Station Inc.

NTS Training Coordinator of the Year: Danny Northcutt, Lafayette Alarm Service

The Louisiana chapter was honored for its “consistency in the face of extreme adversity” during the August 2005 to August 2006 award period. Despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina to the state and the industry, the chapter managed to hold 28 National Training School (NTS) classes for 386 students in 2005, and as of September, more than 42 classes for 381 students, NBFAA announced. The state chapter also continued to participate in the Youth Scholarship Program, maintained a retention rate of 85 percent (in spite of the loss of businesses in New Orleans), and continued on a sound financial footing.

In garnering President of the Year honors, Ron Foreman, director of Bayou Fire & Security of Lake Charles, La., “maintained the cohesiveness and unity of the chapter and continued to serve on a national level.”

Executive Director of the Year Shelly Pettit of Mississippi was recognized for her “dedication and extraordinary efforts,” NBFAA announced. In addition to organizing this year’s Mississippi trade show as a part-time executive director, Pettit also administered the rapid membership growth in the state following the passage of a licensing bill.

The Protection Connection, the Illinois chapter newsletter, was recognized for its “clean, crisp layout and useful content.”

Larry Mann, project manager at Central Station Inc. of Birmingham, Ala., was honored as this year’s NTS Instructor of the Year for his assistance in conducting NTS classes in Georgia and St. Louis.

Danny Northcutt, NTS Training Coordinator of the Year, was honored “for his efforts in coordinating classes in Louisiana, both prior to and subsequent to the horrific events of Hurricane Katrina, and for his involvement in updating the NBFAA NTS Life Safety Code course.”

In a surprise announcement at the Altronix-sponsored awards event, NBFAA presented the first NTS Special Recognition Team Award. Earlier this year, NTS was “recruited” by the U.S. Army to conduct Level One Certified Alarm Technician classes at Fort Meade, Md., and U.S. bases in Germany and South Korea. In accepting the assignment, NTS selected its version of the “A-Team” to include instructors Paul Baran, Bosch Security Systems; John Luzzo, DMP; Joseph Hayes, All County Security Inc.; Steve Spodnik, Northstar Security Corp; and L.J. Lynes, Stanley Security Solutions.

“The A-Team showed the U.S. government just how professional this industry is,” said Dale Eller, NTS director. “Their efforts will go a long way in building a lasting relationship with our armed forces.”

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