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CERTIFICATE OF ALARM SYSTEM
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Ken,
    Our customer is asking for a Certificate of Insurance from our contracted Central Station monitoring their system.  Should I bother the Central station for that information (certificate).  I would think that we would be providing our own as the primary vendor.
Gary P
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RESPONSE
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    I wouldn't call it a bother and there is no reason a central station shouldn't confirm that monitoring services are being provided.  However, typically the certificate of alarm coverage is provided by the dealer who is in direct contract with the subscriber.
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PREVAILING WAGE
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Ken,
    We do a lot of work for municipalities that require us to pay prevailing wage.  When we do service calls or new work is there a prevailing charge?  Do we just estimate using prevailing wage?
Dave
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RESPONSE 

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    If you have a prevailing wage agreement with the subscriber then it's likely that the prevailing wage will cover all of your services from installation to service repair.  You do have to read your agreement or the bid package if that's what you used as your agreement.  
    Most likely the contract requiring prevailing wage also doesn't have any of the protective provisions that are found in the Standard Form All in One Agreements, so the good news is that maybe a claim for system failure will put you out of business before the prevailing wages do.  Only kidding, sort of.

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COMMENT ON CANCELING AN ACCOUNT FROM JULY 8, 2015
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Ken;
    Just a comment on collecting from slow payers and accounts in arrears.  By changing one simple sentence, we realized a huge difference.  Our original statement was, “if we have not received payment on this overdue account by _____(date), monitoring of the security system will be discontinued”.
The new statement is, “ if we have not received payment on this overdue account by ______(date), monitoring of the security system will be discontinued and your insurance company will be notified”.
    Keep up the good work Ken,
Brien Welwood
Alliance Security Systems
Cambridge Ontario
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COMMENT ON LOCKSMITH LICENSE FROM JULY 8, 2015
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Ken
    The locksmith needs an alarm license since the system connects to an alarm system, which I believe is the correct advice you gave him.
    See statute:


TITLE 19 NYCRR

SECURITY AND FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS

PART 195

LICENSING REGULATIONS FOR THE BUSINESS OF INSTALLING, SERVICING OR MAINTAINING SECURITY OR FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS

§195.2 Need for license

(a) An individual, firm, company partnership or corporation must be licensed:

(2) electrical entry systems which detect and/or provide notification of intrusion, break-in, theft, movement, sound or fire regardless of the number of entry points.


Alan Glasser, Executive Director
METROPOLITAN BURGLAR & FIRE ALARM ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK, INC.
PO Box 54, Brooklyn, New York 11204-0054
(718) 894-6712 
mbfaa.ny@gmail.com    www.mbfaa.com

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Ken
    You are correct that there are jurisdictional differences as well as State licensing requirements.
    In Connecticut locksmiths install locks and MECHANICAL ACCESS CONTROL with built in battery.  Once they extend the ACCESS LOCK WIRES to a power supply, card reader or other low voltage electrical device Connecticut requires at least an L-5 Contractor to sell and collect for the job and an L-6 Journeyman to DO THE WORK. (The L-5 CAN do the work also).  The key to remember is: if you use tools to cut, strip and connect wires, a license is required.
    In other states they may have a SECURITY LICENSE required to install secured access control in ADDITION to the low voltage license.. (Making sure that the person that secures your premises may not go back and pillage...).
    My personal philosophy is I do not WANT to install the locks. Cutting door frames etc is a specialized process for which I call in my favorite locksmith.  I would not expect them to do any wiring without a license either.
    From my humidity soaked mind,
Joel Kent
FBN
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                                          Webinar Notice

We will be presenting a series of 4 webinars.  These interactive webinars will be presented live and there will be time alloted to questions and answers.  Noted alarm/security/fire expert Jeffrey Zwirn will present these webinars.  There is no chargefor the webinars and I suggest you register as soon as we post the dates.  Might be good time to pick up Jeff's comprehensive Alarm Science Manual: click here to get the book All webinars will be from 12 noon to 1 PM EST

REGISTER TODAY FOR ALL THE WEBINARS [register for each one separately]: 

July 21: Forensic Alarm Expert’s Perspective on Alarm Company Liability: Case Study and Ways To Help Minimize Your Liability
To register click here:

 https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4964316257839226369

 

July 28: Connect to Existing System Installed by Others: What Are Your Duties? & Ambush, Panic and Holdup Systems-The Customers Lifeline to Safety and Security or Not?
To register click here: 

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2308780172481207809


 
July 30: Residential Fire Alarm Systems-Life Safety or Fatal Flaws
To register click here:

 https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8193706153431356161

 

August 4: Central and Remote Station Monitoring Instructions- Are your instructions safe or foreseeably dangerous?
To register click here:

 https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2477406773275103489