By Ashley Willis
AUSTIN, Texas — In an effort to educate alarm companies on how to stem false dispatches, the False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA) and Elite CEU will offer a one-hour online training course.
Developed by FARA's Training and Certification (T&C) Committee, "False Alarm Reduction 101 — Causes and Impacts" explains the fundamental causes of false alarms and how to reduce them. The course employs video interviews, real-world scenarios, interactive features and quizzes.
"We designed this course to show the burden of false alarms on public safety, the alarm industry and the alarm user," FARA T&C Committee Chair Sue Clark tells SSI. "It's to help everyone realize how their actions can have an effect on others."
It took a year for the committee, which includes public safety and alarm industry volunteers, to develop the interactive course. Students can take the self-paced session at a time most convenient for them. Individual alarm associations will determine the number of continuing education units (CEU) a student earns, Clark says.
FARA teamed up with the training school after Elite CEU President Kaleb Brashear approached the association during a Texas Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (TBFAA) conference.
"A FARA training instructor was at the conference giving a class for the industry," says Clark. "We were asked to create a continuing education class for the alarm industry pertaining to the prevention of false alarms."
The group also plans to expand the training into a series of courses. The 200 Series will offer an in-depth look at the alarm industry's role in false alarm reduction. The 300 Series will focus on the roles of the police and fire departments as well as public service answering point (PSAP) personnel in reducing false alarms.
To register for the training, click here.
Ashley Willis is associate editor for SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION. She can be reached at (310) 533-2419.
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