Often people say they want the best, but their spending demonstrates that “adequate” is good enough. We talk to system designers who recommend solutions for their customers that would provide better fire and life safety protection than what code requires. But they ultimately end up providing the bare minimum protection required at the customer’s request.
The reality is, the customer’s decision usually comes down to money, and it’s difficult to justify extra expenditures in this economy. Yet some dealers are reporting an uptick in system sales. How? By solving their customers’ problems and providing systems that may carry a higher up-front cost but will save their customers money in the long run.
It just goes to show that people are willing to pay for what clearly provides value to them. Those of us in the industry know it’s important not to skimp on critical fire and life safety systems, but do our customers always know when more advanced technology can provide higher returns on their investment and increased performance?
The Rumba Room, a Hollywood nightclub, is a prime example of how site problems revealed the inadequacies of a basic system (see cover story). The club, which previously experienced frequent, costly and disruptive nuisance alarms, has now installed the System Sensor Advanced Multi-Criteria Fire Detector. This technology exceeds what the nightclub was required to install, but the payback has been enormous in both life safety protection and cost savings.
This issue also offers tips for enhancing business by expanding service options with carbon monoxide (CO) detection. “CO Detector Saves the Day” is not the type of headline you’ll typically read in a newspaper; a story about a CO incident with tragic results is more common. But if the industry does a better job of promoting system-connected CO detection, people will eventually come to understand the benefits of CO monitoring, and we’ll read fewer stories about preventable CO-related deaths.
Together, let’s educate the market about why better protection systems and services are worthwhile for personal, as well as financial, reasons. Go to System Sensor Expands Training Opportunities to read how System Sensor is adding training options for professionals. When each of us has more knowledge about fire and life safety systems, we can then share that information with customers and improve service and protection. It’s a win-win for all of us.
Todd Alford
Marketing Manager — Commercial Business Unit
Tags: Carbon monoxide, Editorial, Multi-criteria Detection, Smoke detection
Posted in Carbon Monoxide Detection, Editorial, Intelligent Detection, Winter 2009
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