The National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) will ask its membership to approve changing its brand name to the Electronic Security Association (ESA). The proposal is meant, in part, to broaden the association’s membership base to include integration and supplier companies.
In an E-mail sent Tuesday to its voting members, the NBFAA stated the name change is necessary to keep pace with technological advancements and the expansion of the electronic security industry’s services to include video surveillance, access control, integrated systems and other technical disciplines.
The correspondence said the NBFAA’s strategic planning committee and its board of directors “realize that the words burglar and fire alarm describe only a portion” of the products and services provided by installation professionals and suppliers.
NBFAA President Mike Miller tells SSI a shorter, more encompassing name for the association was also strongly advocated by its government relations liaisons in Washington D.C.
“When we are dealing with legislators and their aids, they don’t necessarily have a complete understanding of what the NBFAA is all about,” Miller says. “We feel the Electronic Security Association name will do a much better job of establishing our full identity.”
NBFAA members will be asked to vote via E-mail within the next 60 days. A two-thirds majority is required by NBFAA’s by-laws to authorize the name change.
The association last considered adopting a new moniker in 2006. The suggested change to the Electronic Life Safety and Systems Association (ELSSA) fell short by less than 20 votes.
