LLSSA Launches New Monthly Webinar Series Beginning December 15

The Louisiana Life Safety & Security Association (LLSSA) is pleased to announce the launch of a brand-new Monthly Webinar Series, with the first session kicking off on December 15. This recurring educational program is designed to keep Louisiana’s life safety and property protection professionals informed, engaged, and equipped with the knowledge they need in a rapidly evolving industry.

Each month, LLSSA will host a live one-hour webinar featuring important updates on issues directly affecting our membership — from regulatory changes and licensing requirements to state and national developments impacting alarm installers, fire technicians, and integrators across Louisiana. These sessions ensure that our members stay connected with what’s happening both inside LLSSA and throughout the industry.

Every webinar will also be sponsored by one of our valued Associate Members, who help make this program possible. In appreciation of the time and professionalism our members invest in continuing education, LLSSA will offer one (1) hour of CEU credit to participants who attend the full session. CEUs are available exclusively to LLSSA members.  Unless otherwise noted, attendance is free, but registration is required to access each month’s live presentation.

This new monthly offering is part of LLSSA’s ongoing commitment to support our members with high-quality training opportunities and to help them maintain the CEUs necessary for license renewal. Whether you’re an alarm installer, fire technician, security integrator, monitoring professional, or company owner, these webinars provide a convenient and valuable way to stay informed and advance your professional development.

Registration links and monthly topics will be posted on the LLSSA website and distributed through email announcements. We look forward to having you join us as we begin this exciting new member benefit — another example of LLSSA’s dedication to strengthening Louisiana’s life safety and property protection industry.

A Critical Spectrum Threat: What Louisiana’s Life Safety & Property Protection Industry Needs to Know About the NextNav Proposal

Last week, LLSSA leadership was alerted to a rapidly developing national issue that could directly affect alarm companies, integrators, monitoring centers, manufacturers, and the customers we protect across Louisiana. Leigh McGuire from The Monitoring Association (TMA) contacted us regarding a major FCC proposal involving the Lower 900 MHz band, a spectrum widely used by alarm systems, life-safety devices, and Z-Wave technology. 

The FCC is considering a rule change that would remove long-standing non-interference protections for this spectrum. In their place, the Commission is exploring whether to grant NextNav permission to use nearly 60% of the Lower 900 MHz band to support 5G-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services. NextNav argues that this expanded access is necessary for improved indoor location accuracy — particularly in dense, multi-level structures where public safety responders need better vertical positioning tools.

However, the engineering reality tells a different story.

According to the industry alert and the technical analysis summarized in the attachment General_NextNav Call to Action — along with a full research study conducted by the Security Industry Association (SIA) — the proposed rule change could overlap, interfere with, and ultimately overwhelm the low-power channels used by tens of millions of devices nationwide. This includes wireless burglary and fire alarm sensors, smoke and CO detectors, wireless keypads, panic buttons, PERS devices, access control components, and the entire ecosystem of Z-Wave automation peripherals. These systems rely on clean, interference-free communication to function correctly.

If high-power 5G activity is permitted inside this band, these life-safety and security devices may fail, lock up, or be forced off the spectrum entirely. The consequences for our industry — and more importantly, for the public — would be staggering. Replacing millions of impacted devices would cost billions, overwhelm technicians, strain already fragile supply chains, and create a nationwide service disruption larger than any previous technology “sunset.” As noted in the alert, this is not another 3G sunset… yet — but all the warning signs are here.

For Louisiana companies, the stakes are especially high. With our state’s combination of dense urban centers, petrochemical facilities, rural markets, and aging buildings, wireless alarm communication remains essential to fire and life-safety protection. Equipment instability or mass device failures would put customers, first responders, and businesses at unacceptable risk.

Now is the time for Louisiana’s alarm and life-safety professionals to act.
The FCC is actively seeking public comment from those who will be directly affected. Local companies, monitoring centers, integrators, and service technicians have real-world insight into how interference would impact essential systems — and the FCC needs to hear those voices. Even a short statement describing how many systems you service, how critical these wireless channels are, or what a forced nationwide replacement would mean for your customers can make a measurable difference.

You can submit comments directly to the FCC at: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/standard?proceeding[name]=24-240

In addition, LLSSA encourages members to stay engaged with TMA, SIA, NESA, and AICC as this develops. These groups are coordinating engineering studies, legal advocacy, and industry-wide responses to ensure our concerns are heard clearly and forcefully in Washington. If you want deeper technical detail or wish to support the ongoing national response effort, the attached industry alert includes contact information for joining AICC discussions and contributing to the advocacy fund.

The threat is real, but so is our opportunity to stop it — before it becomes a nationwide crisis. Louisiana’s life safety and property protection industry has a strong, unified voice. Now is the time to use it.

The Louisiana Life Safety & Security Association proudly celebrates the success of the 2025 LLSSA Convention, an outstanding gathering of life safety and security professionals featuring education, networking, industry innovation, and meaningful community engagement.

The event began with the annual LLSSA Golf Tournament, where the team of Avery Roberts, Greg Page, Jacob Thomas, and Adam Emmet took top honors. Chris Bartholomew claimed the Putting Contest title, Mike McIver won Longest Drive, and Jenny Williams earned Closest to the Hole. All proceeds from the tournament support LLSSA’s Youth Scholarship Program, helping provide educational opportunities for the children of Louisiana’s fire, police, and first responder families.

Inside the convention hall, attendees explored the latest products and services from 70 vendors and participated in over 23 hours of CEUs, ensuring licensed professionals remain at the forefront of industry standards and updates. The ever-popular Parade of Prizes, hosted by Cat Fleuret, awarded more than $5,000 in prizes to excited attendees. Dustin Loupe was recognized as the Event App Gamification Winner after leading the convention in app-based engagement.

A highlight of the convention was the ceremonial Tradeshow Opening Parade, featuring the Louisiana State Fire Marshal Color Guard presenting the colors, accompanied by the powerful music of the Baton Rouge Pipes and Drums. LLSSA’s mascot Gabe the Gator made his annual appearance—this time charming the crowd with two baby gators joining him.

During the State Meeting and Tradeshow, Kristin Hebert served as Master of Ceremonies, ensuring each moment flowed seamlessly. It was during the State Meeting that LLSSA proudly presented Lifetime Memberships to two long-serving leaders: Bill Hattier, honored for his many years as Treasurer and Legislative Committee Chairperson, and Ed Hilderbrand, recognized for his long-standing service as Golf Tournament and Scholarship Chairperson. Their dedication and commitment have played a vital role in shaping the association’s success and supporting its mission.

Another notable program was WISE — Women in Security Empowerment, offering an empowering space dedicated to the women of the life safety and security industry. The session featured guest speaker Melanie Talia of the New Orleans Police Department and the New Orleans Justice Foundation. Attendees also contributed to a meaningful cause, collecting teddy bears for children who must interact with law enforcement during difficult circumstances.

The LLSSA extends its sincere appreciation to every attendee, vendor, sponsor, volunteer, and partner who made the 2025 Convention exceptional. Planning is already underway for next year’s event, and we look forward to welcoming the industry back together for another impactful gathering.

When It’s Time to Let a Customer Go: Managing Difficult Clients in the Life Safety and Property Protection Industry

Difficult customers are nothing new to the life-safety and property-protection industry, but the stakes can be far higher than in other fields. When a customer refuses to maintain their system, fails to respond to service requests, ignores false-alarm issues, or refuses to pay fines or invoices, it isn’t just an administrative headache. These situations can create operational risk, liability exposure, strained relationships with authorities having jurisdiction, and a drain on valuable company resources. As attorney Ken Kirschenbaum notes in his article on “Dumping Difficult Customers Over Fines,” there are times when canceling a customer is the most responsible step a company can take—for its own protection and for the integrity of its service model.

The first priority, however, is always to avoid reaching that point. Prevention begins with a clear, well-written contract that sets expectations from the start. Every customer should know what they are responsible for, what the service provider is obligated to deliver, how fines, false alarms, and ordinance violations are handled, and what happens if either party fails to meet their obligations. Many conflicts arise because the customer does not understand their responsibilities related to system maintenance, access for inspections, or payment of fines associated with repeated false alarms. Reinforcing these expectations early, providing a fully executed copy of the contract upon request, and documenting performance issues as they arise can help prevent misunderstandings from escalating. When concerns do surface—whether unpaid invoices, repeated service calls, or constant false alarms—addressing them promptly and professionally can often redirect the relationship. Some problematic accounts can be stabilized simply by outlining the expectations once more, documenting defaults, and explaining what will occur if the behavior continues.

Even with strong communication and clear agreements, there are situations where a customer becomes too disruptive or too costly to manage. When that point arrives, the company must follow a deliberate and responsible process. The contract should be reviewed to ensure that all termination provisions are followed exactly as stated. Written notice should be provided, explaining the reason for termination, the effective date, and any outstanding responsibilities such as final payments or equipment return. If the company monitors the system, it must ensure that monitoring is disconnected properly and that the central station is notified to avoid future signals or liability. Equipment owned by the company should be retrieved, access credentials should be revoked, and the termination should be documented thoroughly for legal and operational clarity. Some jurisdictions or contractual arrangements may require notice to the local authority having jurisdiction, and companies should consider whether such communication is appropriate to prevent confusion or misinterpretation.

While letting a customer go may feel uncomfortable, the benefits can be significant. A difficult customer often consumes disproportionate time and resources, creates recurring service problems, disrupts schedules, and increases the risk of regulatory scrutiny. Removing an uncooperative or consistently delinquent customer frees technicians, office staff, and management to focus on clients who value the service and comply with standards. It reduces liability by distancing the company from someone who ignores safety requirements or interferes with system maintenance. It also strengthens internal and external credibility: when you enforce your contract, uphold your business standards, and refuse to compromise safety, your team develops a consistent discipline and your customers learn that you stand behind your policies. In many cases, companies find that dropping a problem account leads to improved profitability, smoother operations, and better working relationships with AHJs and clients alike.

In life-safety and property-protection work, every customer relationship should enhance safety, not undermine it. While most disagreements can be resolved through communication and structured expectations, cancellation is sometimes the most responsible business decision. By establishing strong preventive practices, managing issues as they arise, and executing termination professionally when required, companies protect their employees, their reputations, and ultimately the people who rely on their systems every day.

This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Companies should consult an attorney for guidance on contract enforcement or termination decisions.

In a world where trespassers, theft, and vandalism continue to challenge commercial and industrial property owners, the role of monitoring centers is evolving from passive alarm receivers to active deterrence platforms. The article from Security Info Watch explains how advances in video analytics and two-way audio are enabling monitoring centers to not simply wait for alarms to trigger, but to intervene in real time and stop intruders before significant loss occurs.

Video analytics — the ability of surveillance systems to detect loitering, unauthorized direction of travel, and movement across virtual boundaries — means that installations no longer rely wholly on human observation after an event. Instead, real-time algorithms can flag potential threats, triggering sirens, lights, or human verbal warnings via on-site speakers before an actual break-in occurs. Two-way audio takes that a step further: operators in a monitoring center can speak directly to individuals on-site, issue verbal warnings, interview suspected intruders or coordinate with first-responders while events are unfolding. 

For the Louisiana life safety and property protection industry, these developments represent both an opportunity and a new set of responsibilities for installation firms, alarm-service providers, and monitoring-channel integrators. As Louisiana contractors design alarm systems, decide on video surveillance and integrate monitoring services, they must now consider how the system supports not just detection and notification, but proactive deterrence and human verification in a monitoring-center environment.

Specifically, when a Louisiana business installs a monitored fire-alarm, intrusion-detection and video-surveillance solution, specifying analytics, two-way audio wiring, appropriate speaker placement, and link to a monitoring center capable of immediate talk-down becomes a design consideration. The standard installer contract may need to reference the capability for “live monitoring talk-down” or “remote voice challenge” rather than just “alarm signal to monitoring center.” Training of technicians must expand to include verifying that the camera/analytics/speaker chain is correctly implemented, that false-alarm reduction measures are in place (so monitoring-centers are not overloaded), and that the monitoring-center is classed under a protocol like the AVS‑01 that helps determine police-response priority. 

The impact for service and maintenance companies in Louisiana should also not be underestimated. During service visits, technicians ought to check that audio-speakers are functional and correctly integrated to the monitoring-center network, that voice-challenge responses are being logged, that analytics are properly tuned (for example to avoid pet or vehicle motion generating nuisance alarms) and that the monitoring-center is receiving the correct event classifications that will elevate law-enforcement dispatch priority. Installers who provide documentation to building owners explaining these capabilities gain credibility, and those who offer verification tests (e.g., simulate intrusion, have monitoring center respond with voice warning) can differentiate their service in the marketplace.

The shift toward active deterrence also aligns with broader risk-management and insurance trends in Louisiana. Property owners increasingly demand not just alarms that “notify when something happens” but systems that “prevent something from happening.” As installers you can educate your clients that systems with analytics and two-way audio provide a higher level of operational security, potentially reducing losses, lowering insurance premiums, and appealing to budgets for life safety and property protection combined.

To sum up, installation firms operating under LLSSA’s banner should view the monitoring-center evolution not as a technology silo, but as an integral part of the life-safety and property-protection ecosystem in Louisiana. Your scope of work must broaden to include system design for active deterrence, coordination with monitoring centers for real-time talk-down, and service protocols that ensure these capabilities keep functioning. With this approach, Louisiana contractors can lead the way in delivering advanced security solutions that go beyond compliance and into proactive protection.

The newly released 2025 edition of NFPA 72 brings several important changes that will directly shape how fire alarm and life-safety professionals in Louisiana design, install, test, and maintain systems. The final installment of the “Fireside Chat” series highlights updates to Chapters 14 and 29—areas that significantly influence day-to-day work for technicians, inspectors, and service companies. For LLSSA members, understanding these updates early will help reduce liability, improve accuracy in the field, and better prepare companies for future enforcement by the Louisiana State Fire Marshal and local authorities.

One of the most notable clarifications is that inspection, testing, and maintenance personnel are no longer expected to confirm whether the original fire alarm system design is adequate. Their role is to evaluate and maintain the system as installed, while design-adequacy reviews remain the responsibility of a qualified engineer when required. For Louisiana contractors, this clarification protects service technicians from inadvertently assuming design liability and reinforces the importance of well-written scopes of work, clearly defined responsibilities, and proper documentation in service contracts. Companies that perform both design and maintenance will want to ensure internal separation of duties and updated training so technicians understand where their responsibilities begin and end.

The 2025 edition also strengthens the role of manufacturer documentation. Technologies such as thermal-image detectors must now be inspected, tested, and maintained strictly according to the manufacturer’s published procedures. This change underscores the need for Louisiana companies to stay current with manufacturer updates, train technicians on device-specific requirements, and ensure field documentation captures all required test criteria. As more advanced detection methods enter the Louisiana market, this standard reinforces that the responsibility for correct maintenance extends beyond NFPA 72 and into the precise requirements of each device’s listing.

Emergency responder communications enhancement systems also receive new testing expectations. Supervisory functions and all ancillary features must be tested to ensure they do not interfere with or impair the fire alarm system. With more ERCES installations appearing in high-rise, healthcare, commercial, and special-use buildings across Louisiana, these additional testing steps will affect service time, technician training, and documentation procedures. Companies will need to adjust scheduling, task lists, and pricing structures to reflect the increased workload required for compliance.

Changes to Chapter 29 affect residential and household systems, particularly those involving fuel-gas detection and combination smoke or CO alarm monitoring devices. NFPA 72 now points to NFPA 715 for fuel-gas detector installation and performance criteria, making it essential for Louisiana installers to understand its requirements when working in homes, apartments, and mixed-use residential settings. Devices that “listen” for the sound of smoke or CO alarms must be specifically listed for that purpose, and they are prohibited from transmitting signals directly to a supervising station. This prevents household add-on devices from being misused as substitutes for true monitored fire alarm systems. Additionally, CO alarms installed in unconditioned spaces must be listed for those temperature and humidity conditions, which may affect device selection in garages, workshops, camps, and other Louisiana environments prone to heat and humidity swings.

For Louisiana’s life safety and property protection industry, these changes represent more than updates to a national standard. They influence local practices, AHJ expectations, training requirements, and the way companies write proposals and service contracts. As the Louisiana State Fire Marshal and local jurisdictions begin referencing or incorporating the new edition into inspections and plan reviews, LLSSA members who prepare early will be better positioned to avoid compliance issues, reduce liability exposure, and demonstrate professionalism to customers and authorities. These revisions also offer an opportunity for companies to strengthen customer communication, educate building owners on upcoming expectations, and emphasize the value of using properly trained, licensed, and code-informed technicians.

By embracing the 2025 edition of NFPA 72 now, Louisiana contractors reinforce their commitment to safety, accuracy, and industry leadership. LLSSA members who adapt quickly will not only remain compliant but will also enhance their competitive edge across the state’s growing life-safety and property protection market.

In his September 19, 2025 article, Ken Kirschenbaum highlights the licensing of locksmiths across the United States and observes that while the alarm/security industry is robustly regulated, locksmiths often face far less oversight. He points out that of the 50 states, only a select number — including Louisiana — require a dedicated locksmith license. The article raises an important question for our industry: if locksmiths and alarm/intrusion/access-control professionals operate in overlapping segments of security, why do more firms not cross-collaborate or align their regulatory and business practices? 

For Louisiana professionals working in fire alarm, access control, intrusion detection and monitoring systems, the licensing structure for locksmiths presents both an informative parallel and a potential opportunity for enhanced collaboration. Understanding the licensing requirements for locksmith firms and individuals — as defined by the Louisiana Office of the State Fire Marshal (SFM) and the applicable laws and rules — can help life-safety firms better align their service offerings, partnerships, and compliance-mindset.

According to the SFM’s “Steps and Requirements for Property Protection Endorsements — Locksmith (Mechanical & Electronic Locking)” document, a firm offering locksmith services must be physically located in the state of Louisiana, maintain a fully operational office, and have a “qualifier” who resides within 150 miles of the firm.  The qualifier must meet specific certification standards (for example, credentials such as CLL, CRL, CPL, or CML from the Associated Locksmiths of America) and must also complete certain Louisiana-specific courses (such as the Fire Marshal Administrative Rules Course, Fire Marshal Plan Review Course, and a Life Safety course). Firms must submit the firm application, affidavit, insurance certificates (with coverage minimums and designated language such as “Life Safety & Property Protection”), driver’s license copies, fingerprint cards for owners/principals, and training certifications. Employees must be W-2 paid, complete technician- or specialist-level requirements, and accrue eight continuing education units annually.

On the broader licensing side for life-safety and property protection systems, the SFM’s “Laws & Rules” page indicates the regulatory base for licensing is found in Louisiana Revised Statutes (R.S.) 40:1646 (Inspection of Life Safety Systems) and 40:1664 (Life Safety and Property Protection Licensing). The administrative rules — including Title 55, Chapters 30, 31 and 32 — govern how licensing, exemptions, applications, background checks, fees and infractions are handled. 

First, the overlap of services: both locksmiths and alarm/intrusion/access-control providers manage access hardware, electronic locking systems, and often integrate these with alarm or monitoring systems. The licensing and regulation of locksmiths therefore act as a useful comparison point for life-safety firms which may also provide hardware, door-locking, or gate-access components alongside monitoring or fire alarm services.

Second, regulatory alignment: While life-safety and monitoring firms already operate under stricter licensing frameworks, understanding how neighboring trades like locksmiths are regulated can help future discussions of cooperation, joint service-models, vendor management, or integrated contracts. For example, when a life-safety company contracts a locksmith for mechanical/electronic locking work, the firm’s licensing status and training credentials matter—that firm must meet the SFM’s requirements for “Life Safety & Property Protection” endorsement. Recognising that fosters better vendor selection and compliance alignment.

Third, risk management and business development: In Louisiana, any firm offering life-safety or property protection services must ensure their business structure, personnel, training and contracts reflect regulatory obligations. The locksmith requirements show how training, certification, supervised staff, location requirements, insurance and continuing education play into safe operations. Life-safety firms can learn from this structure: stable business office within the state, designated qualifier/supervisor, documented training and maintenance of technical credentials, and strictly structured service relationships.

Life-safety companies should take note of how the locksmith licensing model emphasises specific training, accreditation, continuing education, and clearly defined roles (qualifier, technician, employee). As you develop your firm’s service contracts, sales training, technician onboarding, vendor partnerships or subcontractor arrangements, consider applying these patterns:

• When engaging independent locksmith firms as part of your project or service offering, verify that they hold the SFM endorsement for “Locksmith (Mechanical & Electronic Locking)”, and request proof of the qualifier’s credentials and active continuing education units.

• Within your own life-safety business, ensure that your access-control/hardware technicians hold documented training, certifications, and that you have a qualified supervisor (or qualifier) responsible for oversight in compliance with SFM rules.

• Review your vendor, subcontractor and partner agreements to ensure they include licensing-status verification, insurance language referencing “Life Safety & Property Protection”, continuing education obligations, and specified geography or proximity requirements (e.g., technician within 150 miles).

• Incorporate into your internal training and onboarding programs the regulatory framework of R.S. 40:1664 and Title 55 administrative rules so that your sales, service, and technical staff are aware of the obligations and potential liabilities under Louisiana law.

• Use this alignment as a competitive differentiator: as a LLSSA member company, communicate to clients and local authorities that your firm follows best-practice standards that even adjacent trades (like locksmiths) are required to meet—thus enhancing your professionalism, credibility and trust.

The licensing framework for locksmiths in Louisiana offers a valuable mirror to the life-safety and property-protection industry. While our sector already maintains a more regulated pathway, the parallels highlight important service-delivery and risk-management practices: credentialed staff, oversight personnel (qualifiers), maintained training and documentation, regulated firm location, and rigorous vendor/subcontractor qualification. For LLSSA members, leveraging this insight strengthens your compliance posture, improves your vendor relationships, elevates your professional standing, and supports safe, reliable service for your clients.

By actively aligning with these practices—and by keeping pace with regulatory changes from the SFM—you position your company not just for compliance, but for leadership in Louisiana’s life-safety and security marketplace.

A recently identified dataset containing roughly 183 million exposed email and password combinations has raised new concerns across the security landscape. While this was not the result of a single breach, the collection appears to be an aggregation of previously leaked credentials, stolen passwords captured through malware, and large-scale lists used in automated login attacks. The scale of exposure is significant, and for those working in the life safety and security industry in Louisiana, the implications are real and immediate.

Professionals in fire alarm installation, monitoring services, access control integration, burglary alarm systems, and related life-safety fields operate in an environment where public trust, regulatory compliance, and system reliability cannot be compromised. Many technicians, administrators, and office personnel reuse passwords across multiple systems, including vendor portals, monitoring dashboards, email accounts, or remote access tools. When a reused credential appears in a leak of this size, cybercriminals can attempt to use it elsewhere in what is known as “credential stuffing.” The result could be unauthorized access to a monitoring center’s platform, a cloud-connected alarm panel, customer databases, or internal business systems.

In Louisiana, the consequences of such a breach extend beyond inconvenience. Many of the systems managed by life-safety professionals fall under regulatory oversight and are directly tied to protecting lives and property. An attacker gaining entry through a compromised credential could disable alarm notifications, modify system configurations, or disrupt reporting. Such activity could endanger lives, trigger contractual or regulatory violations, and damage the reputation your business has worked hard to build.

The most important step professionals should take in response to this exposure is to review the credentials used throughout their organization. Passwords should be unique to each system, not repeated or shared informally among employees. A strong password manager is valuable for generating and storing complex passwords securely. Additionally, multi-factor authentication should be enabled on every critical system, especially monitoring dashboards, technician access tools, vendor portals, and email accounts. Multi-factor authentication adds a second layer of verification that makes it significantly harder for attackers to gain access, even if they have a password.

Companies should also periodically require password updates and conduct internal credential audits to determine whether any email accounts or logins appear in known breach databases. When a compromise is suspected, swift action is crucial: reset affected credentials, review access logs, verify system configurations, and ensure devices used by staff have not been infected by malicious software. It is also essential to ensure that each technician or service employee has only the level of access necessary to perform their role, reducing the impact if one set of credentials is compromised.

This is also an appropriate moment for life-safety companies to speak directly with their vendors, suppliers, and monitoring partners. Vendors should be able to confirm whether they require unique logins per technician, allow secure password policies, and support multi-factor authentication. If a vendor’s platform does not support current security standards, that gap should be documented and addressed as part of your company’s risk management planning.

Finally, this issue should be discussed openly with employees during training and staff meetings. Credential exposure is not just an IT problem; it is a frontline operational concern. Every employee who logs into a system that affects life safety plays a role in protecting that system. Clear training, clear expectations, and clear accountability help ensure the safety of the environments you protect.

The recent exposure of 183 million credentials is a reminder that even when systems themselves are secure, human habits and convenience can create vulnerabilities. By strengthening credential practices now—before an incident occurs—Louisiana’s life safety and security professionals can continue to uphold the trust that families, businesses, and first responders place in our industry every day.

In the complex arena of public policy and regulation, trade associations play a critical role for industries like life safety and property protection. These industries are deeply affected by local ordinances, state licensing requirements, and national code-standards. Having a dedicated lobbyist means the association can actively monitor bills, regulatory initiatives, and administrative proposals, advocate directly to decision-makers, and build coalitions that protect member interests and support industry advancement. In short, effective advocacy ensures businesses aren’t merely reacting to change — they help shape it. 

For the Louisiana Life Safety & Security Association (LLSSA), government and industry representation is one of the core member benefits. The association has retained Kevin Cunningham of Southern Strategy Group as its lobbyist, bringing decades of experience and proven advocacy in Louisiana’s legislative environment. llssa.org He is actively monitoring relevant bills, coordinating with LLSSA leadership, and providing members with updates on how proposed legislation—such as licensing changes, code-oversight shifts, and inspection rules—might affect their operations. 

At the local level, a lobbyist helps members engage with parish or municipal rule-making where alarm ordinances, permitting, and inspections are set. At the state level, the lobbyist tracks changes to statutes governing licensing (such as for licensed monitoring or alarm installation), code adoption by the state fire marshal’s office, and regulatory fee structures—issues like those LLSSA is already watching. At the national level, although LLSSA is state-based, a lobbyist provides insight into trends such as federal tax law, equipment standardization, communications regulations (for monitoring and alarm reporting), and even wholesale import rules that impact alarm manufacturers and integrators.

By investing in this representation, LLSSA allows its members to focus on their business and technology, while still having a voice at the table when laws and regulations increasingly shape how life-safety and property-protection companies operate. For any member of the life safety/protection industry—whether you’re installing fire alarms, access control, security systems or monitoring services—this kind of advocacy isn’t an optional extra: it’s a strategic asset.

The False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing unnecessary alarm activations that waste resources and undermine public confidence in life safety and property protection systems. Serving as a bridge between public safety officials, alarm companies, and end users, FARA promotes cooperation and education to ensure alarm systems are properly designed, installed, and used. The organization produces a wide range of publications, model ordinances, and training programs to help jurisdictions and industry professionals manage alarm systems more effectively. Through its network of public safety personnel and private industry members, FARA fosters the exchange of ideas, solutions, and real-world experiences that lead to stronger community partnerships and safer environments.

FARA’s work plays a vital role in reducing the burden false alarms place on emergency responders while protecting the integrity of alarm systems that save lives and property. By encouraging the use of proven standards, verified response procedures, and end-user education, FARA helps alarm companies and monitoring centers improve service, reduce liability, and strengthen relationships with local authorities. For the life safety and property protection industry, FARA’s efforts represent a shared commitment to professionalism, accountability, and public trust—ensuring that every alarm, when it sounds, truly matters.