Skip to Content

Tag: Illinois Electronic Security Association


Fire Systems Installation

Fire monitoring in Illinois trending in industry's favor

February 12, 2014Tess Nacelewicz

DES PLAINES, Ill.—The Lemont Fire Protection District is ending its fire alarm monitoring program, citing a recent federal appeals court decision saying public entities can't monopolize such monitoring.Lemont's decision appears part of a growing trend of fire districts opening up to commercial competition as the result of the July 2013 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, said Kevin Lehan, executive director of the Illinois Electronic Security Association (IESA), based...

ADT, Alarm Detection Systems (ADS), Illinois Electronic Security Association, Kevin Lehan


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Fire Systems Installation

ADS vs. village in lawsuit

December 31, 2013Tess Nacelewicz

DES PLAINES, Ill.—The industry is fighting back against an Illinois municipality's attempt to do an “end around” of a recent court ruling barring public fire districts from monopolizing fire monitoring in the state.Alarm Detection Systems (ADS), a fire company based in Aurora, Ill., has filed a federal lawsuit against the village of Algonquin, Ill., charging the village with establishing an “illegal monopoly” that shuts out ADS and other private companies from providing...

Alarm Detection Systems (ADS), Algonquin Village, Illinois Electronic Security Association, Kevin Lehan, lawsuit


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Fire Systems Installation

Illinois fire districts open up to commercial fire monitoring

October 21, 2013Tess Nacelewicz

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—After an appeals court ruling this summer saying public fire districts can't monopolize fire alarm monitoring, two fire districts recently passed new ordinances allowing commercial fire alarm companies to compete in those markets.While Illinois Electronic Security Association executive director Kevin Lehan called the passage of the ordinances by the Pleasantview Fire Protection District and the Darien-Woodridge Fire Protection District “a great development for...

ADT, Bob Morris, Chicago Metropolitan Fire Prevention Co., commercial fire monitoring, Darien-Woodridge Fire Protection District, Illinois Electronic Security Association, Kevin Lehan, Pleasantview Fire Protection District, Ronald Broida


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Fire Systems Installation

Municipal fire-monitoring fight continues in Illinois

April 3, 2013Tess Nacelewicz

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—Another front in the battle in Illinois over public entities monopolizing fire alarm monitoring opened up recently when the village of Westmont approved an ordinance requiring all businesses to connect their fire alarms to its emergency dispatch center.Kevin Lehan, executive director of the Illinois Electronic Security Association, based here, told Security Systems News, “The IESA disagrees with any ordinance that makes requirements as to where an alarm system...

Ill., Illinois Electronic Security Association, Kevin Lehan, Westmont


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Fire Systems Installation

Illinois alarm companies urged to reclaim business

October 15, 2012Tess Nacelewicz

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—Now that a federal judge has ordered the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District to get out of the fire alarm monitoring business, the state alarm association is encouraging private alarm contractors to once again seek customers there.“I'm urging alarm contractors in the state to go claim that business,” Kevin Lehan, executive director of the Illinois Electronic Security Association, based here, told Security Systems News.It's been three years since the district approved...

Illinois Electronic Security Association, Kevin Lehan, Security Systems News (SSN)


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Fire Systems Installation

Ruling in Illinois fire alarm monitoring case 'positive' for industry

August 15, 2012Tess Nacelewicz

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—The latest decision in a lawsuit brought by ADT and other alarm companies over public entities taking over fire alarm monitoring in the state contains “a lot of positive things for the alarm industry,” according to the executive director of the Illinois Electronic Security Association (IESA).“I would sum it up by saying that this was a great step forward for licensed alarm contractors in the state as well as the fire services,” Kevin Lehan told...

ADT, Illinois Electronic Security Association, Jim French, Kevin Lehan, Lisle-Woodridge Fire District, Milton Shadur, Sara Cohn, Security Systems News (SSN)


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Fire Systems Installation

PSAP problems in Illinois raise safety concerns

July 25, 2012Tess Nacelewicz

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—A PSAP that controls emergency communications for numerous municipalities around Chicago is reportedly having such problems with delayed response times that dispatchers recently voted “no confidence” in the agency's management. The situation at Northwest Central Dispatch System serves as a good example of why cities and towns shouldn't shut central stations out of the fire monitoring business if they want the public to be safe, according to the...

Elk Grove Village, Illinois Electronic Security Association, Kevin Lehan, Northwest Central Dispatch System, Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), Ray Rummel, Security Systems News (SSN)


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Fire Systems Installation

Illinois alarm industry helps quash onerous proposals

February 1, 2012Tess Nacelewicz

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—The security alarm industry scored two significant victories last week in an ongoing battle in this state over public entities monopolizing fire alarm monitoring, according to the head of the Illinois Electronic Security Association. “It's been a great week for the Illinois alarm industry,” Kevin Lehan, executive director of IESA, based here, told Security Systems News. He said that after the industry raised concerns about the government stifling free...

ADT, Elgin, Elk Grove, Illinois Electronic Security Association, Kevin Lehan, Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District, Northwest Central Dispatch


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

Fire Systems Installation

'Mixed' court ruling in Illinois monitoring case

December 1, 2011Tess Nacelewicz

CHICAGO, Ill.—A federal appeals court based here says public fire districts in Illinois have a legal right to be in the fire alarm monitoring business, but can't displace the private fire market in doing so.That's the latest ruling in an ongoing legal dispute in the state over public entities taking control of fire alarm monitoring from private companies. It's significant because it overturns a lower court ruling this summer that determined state law did not give public fire districts any authority...

7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ADT, Chicago Metropolitan Fire Prevention Co., fire alarm monitoring, Holland & Knight, Illinois Electronic Security Association, Kevin Lehan, Peter Friedman


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon

General News

Former state association executive director sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison

September 14, 2011Daniel Gelinas

WEST ALLIS, Wis.—Marsha Kopan, the former executive director of the Illinois Electronic Security Association who was a year ago arrested and investigated on forgery and check fraud charges, was convicted at the end of June with three class G felony counts of theft in an amount greater than $10,000. According to public records from the state of Wisconsin, Kopan will be held responsible for repaying stolen money totaling $388,053.41. The payments will be made "in the amounts of: $22,880.32 to...

Chet Donati, CNA, Illinois Electronic Security Association, International Society of Ecological Economists, Kurt Benkley, Marsha Kopan, Taycheedah Correctional Institution, US Society of Ecological Economics


Read Full Articlered right arrow icon