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It can be hard for fire installers to convince homeowners they need a monitored fire alarm instead of the inexpensive DIY smoke and fire detectors sold at hardware stores. But those detectors won’t be heard by a person away from home at work or on vacation—or if they’re in situations they never imagined. A Missouri woman got in such a situation recently—and a monitored fire alarm at her home saved her life, according to a story from the West Newsmagazine Network.

According to that publication’s Nov. 29 story, an 82-year-old Cottleville, Mo. woman who uses a wheelchair fell out of the chair while she was cooking and lay helpless on the floor, unable to get back up or reach her phone.

“The stove was on high and eventually burned what was in the pan. Smoke filled the home and activated the monitored alarm system. The alarm company alerted 911, who in turn called the fire department,” the story said.

“Without having the alarm system, we would have likely been dealing with a fatal fire,” said Capt. Scott Bumeter [of the Cottleville Fire Protection District], the story said.

The story added: “Fire departments do not actively promote monitored alarm systems in residential dwellings. However this incident serves as an example of the importance of a secondary means of communication and/or alerting for disabled residents, officials said.”

Maybe it’s time for fire departments to rethink their policy.

Picture the perfect world for a monitoring manager: Every dispatcher takes every call efficiently and professionally, with no need for motivation beyond a paycheck and the satisfaction of a job well done. There are no prizes, awards, back-patting or cajoling, saving you time, money and maybe even a bit of your hairline.

If your central station has a work force that rises to that level, congratulations. Chances are, though, that no matter how many self-motivators you have, you also have employees who are content to just do their time—punch in, punch out, repeat. Maybe the work they’re doing can be considered satisfactory, but that’s not going to cut it in an industry that is getting more competitive by the day.

So how do you get those staffers to take it up a notch to help themselves and your company? To answer that question, the CSAA has recruited Amy Becht and Michelle Lindus, central station managers for Vivint, to share their expertise in a Dec. 12 webinar titled “Measuring Performance for Excellence.”

The session will focus on what the CSAA calls “the nuanced art and science” of measuring and improving staff performance. That includes assessing objective and subjective customer call metrics, promoting professionalism among dispatchers, and implementing incentives. Becht and Lindus will highlight some of the best practices employed by Vivint, which was named 2012 Central Station of the Year by the CSAA.

Becht, honored as the CSAA’s Manager of the Year, oversees monitoring at Vivint’s central station in St. Paul, Minn. She talked about home security in SSN’s “How I Use My System” feature in the September 2012 issue. Lindus is manager of Vivint’s central station in Provo, Utah.

The webinar will run from 1 to 2 p.m. EST and is free for CSAA members. Click here to register or go to www.csaaintl.org.

Vivint signaled it was one of the nation’s home automation market leaders nearly two years ago when it changed its name from APX Alarm to Vivint, rebranding to reflect its expansion beyond home security into home automation services. The company has done so well that it has entered into a deal to be sold to the Blackstone group for more than $2 billion.

Now the Provo, Utah-based summer model company seems to be turning its focus to Canada. A recent press release from the company says that country “ranks among Vivint’s fastest growing markets.”

Here’s more from the news release:

"More than two out of three (68 percent) of Vivint’s Canadian customers in 2012 adopted one or more home automation features after purchasing a Vivint home security system. That was up from 57.6 percent compared to the previous year. Vivint’s home automation features include live video feeds of a home from a smartphone or computer, app-controlled door locks, thermostats, lighting features, alarms, motion detectors, and a variety of sensors."

It appears that Canadians are really eager for home automation services.

SecureWatch 24’s new Fusion Centre in Moonachie, N.J., has a new tenant: Monitor America.

That’s the name of the company that will be operating the 25,000-square-foot central station at the facility, which served as an emergency command post for police and municipal officials after Hurricane Sandy.

Jay Stuck, chief marketing officer for Monitor America, said the company “brings together virtually all existing alarm and hosted video services available today, including video analytics, in one central point.”

Stuck said Monitor America is developing a third-party sales initiative and a traditional dealer program. It will all be anchored by the advanced technology at the Fusion Centre, with a 40-by-11-foot video display wall overlooking stadium-style seating for 36 operators.

“It looks like something NASA might put together—our dealer customers and integrators will be knocked out by it,” he said.

Monitor America is hosting a sneak preview of its new facility during ISC East and is expected to begin formal operations by the end of January.

After the storm: How did you cell carrier measure up?

It’s only been a month since Sandy, but officials are already deep into assessing its impact on everything from tunnel vulnerability to emergency communications. Part of the evaluation concerns cellular service, with FCC hearings set early next year on network performance during and after the storm.

Lou Fiore, chairman of the Alarm Industry Communications Committee, said the group plans to weigh in and is seeking comment on the following:

1) How alarm service was adversely affected by cellular carriers’ handling of the storm.
2) How cell carriers handled prioritizing restoration of service.
3) How cell carriers communicated with alarm companies about storm issues.
4) How any problems can be resolved.

Fiore said the issue will be discussed at the AICC’s Dec. 6 meeting and all comments are appreciated. Responses can be sent to Ltfiore@aol.com.