Signs Indicate Challenging Road Ahead for Electronic Security Industry
SSI‘s 2012 Industry Forecast queries more than two dozen security authorities from all corners of the industry to tell you what to expect and how to target success. While customers expect more and competition is intensifying, security integrators and dealers are uniquely qualified and positioned to come out on top.
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Ongoing Challenges
Robert Solomon, PE, Division Manager for Building and Life Safety Codes, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) — Since 9/11, NFPA has worked to address the more than 40 recommendations that NIST issued in 2005 and 2007 on the collapses of WTC 1, 2 and 7. Some issues still need more work and better solutions like the first-responder communications in high-rise buildings. Other ideas like elevators for occupant-controlled evacuation prior to Phase I Emergency Recall Operation are now recognized in the NFPA codes.
An important component of that technology, however, is the messaging strategy for the building occupants. For about 100 years, we have been instructed or have seen the signs that say, “In case of fire, use stairs, not the elevator.” Now we must develop a communication strategy that says it’s OK to use the elevator in some newly designed buildings. What I say, how I say it, how often I say it in terms of the elevator status and when it might arrive at my floor are all important concepts that need more work. The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF), an affiliate of NFPA, is working on this and we expect to have some solutions on the table in early 2012.
John Lombardi, First V.P., Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA); President, CIA Security — The market is inundated with service providers offering a changing means of alarm signal communication and the mechanisms that process signals. Our challenge is to embrace these new technologies while remaining the dominant force in the market. Additionally, our industry image is sorely lacking in the marketplace. We are not recognized as security professionals nor does the public at large equate our services with value. Due to the fact that much of the security alarm market has become commoditized, we have lost our perceived worth in the eyes of the consumer. The industry needs to permanently and positively change this perception.
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About the Author
Scott Goldfine
Scott Goldfine is the marketing director for Elite Interactive Solutions. He is the former editor-in-chief and associate publisher of Security Sales & Integration. He can be reached at [email protected].
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