Security Sales & Integration February 2023 - 58

EXECUTIVE DECISIONS
Monitoring Matters by Morgan Hertel
Why Alarm Groups
Are Essential - and
Why You Should Join
I could go
on for hours
describing
the successful
battles these
associations
have won on
behalf of the
entire industry,
even though
statistically
most alarm
companies are
not members
of any.
▶ AS WE ARE STILL early in our 2023 journey,
I really feel compelled to talk about the importance
of alarm industry trade associations and the
work that they do. If you are not already a member
of such relevant groups, you're doing a huge
disservice to your own organization, as well as to
the rest of the industry.
I have been involved with trade associations for
40 years, one way or another. I've been the president
of a local/regional association two times.
I have held positions - and still do - in state
alarm associations and, most recently, have been a
vice president and now the president of Th e Monitoring
Association. I am also on several other national
associations' technical or advisory committees.
In short, I speak from experience.
For our industry there are many types of associations.
Th ey typically fall into these categories:
▶ Local or Regional Alarm Associations -
Th ese are generally smaller and cover sections of
a state; sometimes they are part of a larger state
Morgan Hertel is Vice
President of Technology
and Innovation for Rapid
Response Monitoring.
58
association, but not always. Th ese associations are
'the feet on the ground' helping alarm companies
with local issues like permitting or fi nes or fees
and other things that are not necessarily part of
the purview of a state or national association. Th ey
also provide the opportunity to network with other
alarm companies and businesses in their area.
▶ State Alarm Associations - Th ey are there
to help you with statewide issues like labor or privacy
laws, licensing requirements or state-mandated
training. Th ey also monitor recently enacted
and pending state laws that could negatively aff ect
how you do business.
▶ National Alarm Associations - National
associations work on many of the federal issues
that may impact the industry's ability to do business,
as well as on matters of licensing, privacy and
other governmental requirements and actions that
are at a congressional level or higher.
▶ Specialized Alarm Associations or Committees
- Th e focus of these organizations is on a
Security Sales & Integration FEBRUARY 2023
mhertel@rrms.com
very narrow part of our industry; for example, anything
to do with communications or monitoring
what's happening at the FCC and at other noteworthy
'three letter' agencies.
▶ Manufacturing Alarm Associations - Several
associations support manufacturers of alarm
products. Th ey work on standards, as well as on
strong governmental reach (or overreach), especially
with respect to international trade and resources.
Many collaborate and share insider information.
Others work together on standards that
aff ect each other's constituents, and, in some cases,
on activities like training or educational events
that are co-sponsored by trade associations.
I can, without hesitation, say if it were not for
all these trade associations doing what they do,
this industry would be very diff erent - not in a
good way. Ordinances would be so onerous that
you could not aff ord to be in business; many, if
not most states, would only have unionized installation
staff ; none of your staff would have been
deemed 'essential personnel' during the COVID
pandemic; many dispatch requests would be going
to 900 numbers where you would be paying signifi
cant sums for each call-for-service; there would
be no private radio networks for alarm traffi c to
run on; your insurance would be so expensive
most could not aff ord it. I could go on describing
the successful battles these associations have won
on behalf of the industry, even though statistically
most alarm companies are not members of any.
With that in mind, it is very important to note
that while many will complain about the bigger
national or regional companies in our industry,
without their commitments to fi nancial and active
participation, most of the trade associations would
perish overnight. Next time you lose a customer
or a deal to one of the bigger companies, pause,
and remember that your ability to compete at all
would be very diff erent without their eff orts to
strengthen our industry.
At a very personal level, I have met hundreds
of incredible people over my 40-plus years in this
industry. Most of my closest friends came from
alarm association work. We are all in this together,
and if you are a member of some of the trade
associations then I applaud you and thank you for
your contributions. If you are not, then I challenge
you to join at least one this year. It is well
worth the eff ort in the long run. And, after all, it's
the long run we're after.
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