The Georgia Burglar and Fire Alarm Association is breaking
off its association with the National Burglar and Fire
Alarm Association (NBFAA) after its members voted on Dec.
29 to end the association’s status as a chartered state
member of the NBFAA.
“The time came to either fish or cut bait,” GLVCA Executive
Director Pat Cook told SSI. She adds the GLVCA was
losing members who she says were dissatisfied with
NBFAA. “Our basic concern here in Georgia was the attrition
rate we were having. There were either small businesses who
couldn’t pay the dues or the perceived notion that national
issues aren’t impacting them as much as state and local
issues.”
GLVCA will operate as a statewide association that will
concentrate on all electronic security, fire and other low-
voltage issues within Georgia.
Cook says training was also an issue contributing to the
break-off from NBFAA, saying her association wasn’t seeing
enough revenue from the National Training School (NTS). “If
we were getting a tremendous amount of revenue from NTS, we
wouldn’t have broken off.”
GLVCA’s existing members should expect more direct
interaction from their association. In addition to the four
existing quarterly meetings throughout the year, there will
be several regional meetings at sites throughout the
state. “We will bring information to many people as opposed
to the handful of people at the quarterly meetings,” Cook
says. “You’ll see a new level of commitment. We’ll be
bringing more to them.”
That said, Cook says Georgia’s breakoff from NBFAA may not
be permanent by any means.
“We’re definitely not closing the door, but our focus will
be on serving our members,” Cook says. “There have been
promises of new charter state agreements. If they come up
with one that works and we like, we would like to return.”
The contact information for the Georgia association remains
the same. GLVCA can be reached at (800) 783-0588.
