An online version of its Level 1 alarm technician training has been launched by the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA), Silver Spring, Md.

“There is clearly still a place for live classroom training, but we realized that there needed to be an alternative,” explained Dale Eller, NBFAA’s director of education. “Our online training creates the ultimate balance – it addresses newer learning methods and it supplements the existing live training for those security professionals for whom traveling to take a course is not possible.”

The course is self-paced, so a person familiar with the alarm industry who concentrated and worked on it evenings might be able to finish it in a week, Eller estimated, while others could take up to six months to complete it. He maintained the online content is the same as the classroom course.

“A couple of employers are looking at blended learning, where they’ll have the student take whatever chapter tonight and then the next day put them on a job where they can reinforce what they just learned with a practical, hands-on application,” Eller revealed. “We hadn’t considered it, but it’s the best of both possible worlds.”

Some states and municipalities require Level 1 certification, while in others it is mandated internally by companies as a marketing advantage, Eller explained. The next level of training is for advanced burglar alarm technicians or teaches fire alarm installation methods. Online versions of these are planned for early next year.

For certification, technicians can complete the course online and contact the NBFAA to schedule a proctored exam to be certified, Eller recommended.

The online Level 1 alarm technician training costs $495 for non-NBFAA members. NBFAA members receive a 40-percent discount so the course costs them $297.

For more information about the online course, contact NTS at 866-636-1687 or nts@alarm.org.