Charlie Townsend of Wayne Alarm on finding solutions

LYNN, Mass.—Wayne Alarm Systems, a family-owned provider of life safety and security solutions, recently honored Charlie Townsend with the inaugural Charlie Darsch Memorial Award. The award, named after another Charlie – Charlie Darsch – recognizes employees who exemplify the company’s four core values: caring, humility, the pursuit of excellence and a strong work ethic. 

Darsch was well known and respected throughout the alarm industry before his passing in 2023 at the age of 92. His long career included work at Aritech and System Sensor (Honeywell) and seats on the boards of the Security Industry Association (SIA), the ESA Historical Committee, and the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC). 

Security Systems News spoke with Townsend, a member of Wayne Alarm’s IT department, to learn more about his journey and what the award means to him. 

SSN: Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself and your time with Wayne Alarm Systems? 

Townsend: My father’s aunt happened to be friends with the wife of Wayne Alarm Systems President (Ralph Sevinor), and he happened to be at her birthday party and mentioned I was looking for a job. He gave my dad his contact information and it kind of went from there. I started working here in October of 2024, and it’s been great.  

SSN: How would you say you’ve come to embody the company's core values in your work at Wayne Alarm Systems? 

Townsend: So, I would say it’s really just doing my best every day. My role as a help desk guy is solving other people's problems around the office. (Townsend also offered that, from fielding complaints about keyboards to more complicated problems, finding solutions to people's problems is what it’s all about.) 

SSN: Having won this award, is there anything you want to say to your coworkers at Wayne Alarm Systems, or to other members of the security industry? 

Townsend: Absolutely, there’s great people on my team and I’m looking forward to my future and my place in the security industry. 

The Charlie Darsch Memorial Award was presented to Townsend during the Wayne Alarm System’s holiday party on Dec. 6, 2025.