“This is a challenge for the security dealer and integrator because our business is not a code-driven one, it is a customer-mandated business,” says Tom Giannini, CPP, director of security and emergency communications marketing, Simplex Grinnell, Boca Raton, Fla. “Their reference points are based on whatever the customer wants. When you cross over and mix security and fire alarm and start creating an overall life safety solution, there are other considerations to ensure codes are not violated.”
The marriage of fire and security is not always a logical one, adds Shawn Mullen, chief energy officer, Protex Central Inc., Hastings, Neb.