DALLAS – The Electronic Security Association (ESA) today announces creation and winner of the Stan Martin Excellence in Advocacy Award. This prestigious accolade recognizes individuals who exemplify an extraordinary commitment to advocacy in the electronic security and life safety industry.
Shane Clary, the longtime Fireside Chat columnist and vice president of codes and standards compliance at Bay Alarm Company for more than 40 years, is the first winner of the annual award that celebrates an underrated aspect of spreading the word about the amazing work being done across the industry.
“ESA wanted to recognize these champions of the industry, so they knew their efforts were appreciated,” according to the association announcement. “That is why ESA created the Excellence in Advocacy Award. However, anyone can simply create an award. We wanted there to be a strong significance to it.
“We wanted it to be named after a true champion of advocacy so that whenever someone won the award, they knew exactly what sort of service they provided. Naming it after Stan Martin was about as easy of a decision as there could be,” the ESA announcement says.
More About the Stan Martin Excellence in Advocacy Award
Martin began his service with ESA as a volunteer in 1987 when he was asked to reorganize the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) state chapter program.
In 1989, he received the Sara E. Jackson Memorial Award, presented annually by ESA to a committee chairperson who displays outstanding leadership and in 1990 he was recognized as the Morris F. Weinstock Person of the Year, the association’s most prestigious honor.
His success as a volunteer led to his appointment as executive director of the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA). Immediately, his advocacy skills were put to the test when the Regional Bell Operating Companies suddenly became deregulated by a federal court ruling and stated their intent to enter the alarm business.
Martin engaged in the largest, most extensive grassroots lobbying campaign ever undertaken by NBFAA. The successful process yielded a seven-year ban on the Bells entering the alarm business and more important the elimination of the Bells’ use of customer proprietary network information.
Since 1994, Martin has led a national effort to reduce unnecessary alarm dispatches, first by leading programs like Model Cities and Model States to develop best practices for law enforcement, and then for the last twenty plus years as the executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC).
He remains “the driving force behind the utilization of industry best practices like Enhanced Call Verification and the development of codes and standards like ANSI SIAC CP-01 for alarm control panels,” according to the ESA announcement.
Clary has been involved with code promulgation for over 30 years, serving on several NFPA technical committees, including NFPA 1, 25, 70, 72, 101 and 5000. He also serves on several UL, IEC and ISO committees as well as being involved with the development of the building and fire codes through the ICC.
He was recently elected the president of the Automatic Fire Alarm Association, Inc., and is a past President of the California Automatic Fire Alarm Association and past chairman of the Western Burglar & Fire Alarm Association Unilateral Apprenticeship Training Committee.
Most recently, Clary has become an industry “watchdog” with regards to right to repair legislation having submitted numerous letters of opposition in multiple states, taking the lead in amending legislation in California so it exempted the life safety industry, and virtually testifying against the Oregon bill and testing the knowledge of a state representative who serves as a professional firefighter.
He participated virtually in the first Security Hill Day in 2023 so he could meet with a California congressman, and he joined ESA in advocating on behalf of the industry within the halls of Congress.