March President's Message

Dear IAF Members and industry friends,

It’s that time of year again. We’ve set our clocks forward. Easter is just around the corner and our Spring Regional Meetings are underway! 

Over the last month, your association has been working hard to drive growth, build relationships with our partners, and ensure the value you receive as a member. I’m happy to report that membership has now exceeded 420 and continues to climb. Our social media following grows each week. Our new training programs are underway with Spanish BASA/FASA nearing approval, Fire 101 launching this month, and Security 101 in progress. I’m excited to see these training programs continue to evolve and look forward to them filling the immediate need within our industry.

Last week we officially kicked off the Spring Regional Meetings with our first one in Doral, representing our South Region. It was great to catch up with members, share a meal and conversation. Our Regional Director for the South Region, Diego del Pino started the meeting with a warm welcome and introduction as the first Regional Meeting officially as the IAF. We discussed a variety of topics including false alarm reduction and the new President@IAF-SAFE.org email address used to share ideas and best practices. Our Legislative Committee Chair and Past President Grady Medcalf gave a report out on our legislative success this year, with thanks to our Lobbyist Eric Prutsman and the team.

Additionally, IAF members along with the Florida Fire Sprinkler Association met last week with the Miami-Dade Fire Marshals Office to continue working on solutions to successfully implement SB 1140, the simplified permitting bill, and discuss ways to improve the permitting and inspections process for both the Fire Marshals Office and our members working in Miami Dade. I am encouraged by the results of this meeting and thankful to our team for their passion and combined efforts surrounding this topic.

On my return trip to Orlando, I was able to visit and share lunch with two member companies, Security Pro Systems and Sentry Security. I always enjoy meeting members, learning from them and listening to them share ideas, experiences, and suggestions for improvement to our association and our industry.

While touring the Security Pro Systems office, I was overwhelmed by the amount of pride shown by the team regarding their service, products and professionalism. I was given a tour of the warehouse and shown the new purchase order system implemented to streamline the ordering and stocking of supplies.

After the tour, the two companies met me at a local Cuban café. Sitting across from each other at lunch, it was all about learning and sharing. We talked topics like GPS tracking of company vehicles, billing software, texting software, cellular phone plans, on-call procedures, training, false alarm reduction, and so much more. As I sat there engaged in conversation, I couldn’t stop smiling as I was watching two different companies (that might even be in direct competition with each other) trust and learn from each other. This is exactly the type of experience and relationship building I share with so much pride when asked about the benefits of being a member of IAF.

I’m reminded that Helen Keller said it best when she said “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” Thank you to all our members for all you do. Together we are the IAF and together we can do so much!

With gratitude,
Marvin

Marvin Smith

IAF President