VIENNA, VA (March 16, 2017) – The Monitoring Association (TMA) is the new name of the 67-year-old Central Station Alarm Association. The name change reflects an adjustment in mission and focus necessitated by growth and changes in the alarm monitoring industry.
In a letter to the CSAA membership, President Pamela J. Petrow noted that “our new name reflects our renewed commitment to our mission: to advance the professional monitoring industry through education, advocacy and public safety relationships. It also emphasizes our long range goals to grow the association beyond our traditional services to embrace the opportunities of our changing industry.” She added that the new name’s meaning “will be reflected in all future initiatives of [the] association.”
“Monitoring life safety events in the traditional central station model remains our core business,” said CSAA Executive Director Jay Hauhn. “That will not change. However, our demographics surveys show that members increasingly monitor more than traditional fire and burglar alarms – they monitor medical devices, access control, and other non-emergency but meaningful events. Our new name allows room for the association to encompass all the areas our members are beginning to monitor and any into which they may move in the future.”
The association’s new name was chosen by members at the June 2016 General Membership Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas. That vote was the result of more than a year’s work by leaders and members of the association, who found that members were quickly expanding into monitoring beyond security systems, and that the use of the term “Monitoring Center” was growing as a result.
“The term ‘Central Station’ no longer has wide recognition outside of our industry,” said CSAA Vice President of Marketing and Communications Elizabeth Lasko. “Our new name will facilitate our efforts to educate the public about the critical role TMA members play in public safety.”
This is the second time the organization’s name has been changed since incorporation in 1950 as the Central Station Electrical Protection Association; it was changed to CSAA in 1989.
“Our new name change reflects our evolving association,” said Shannon Woodman, COO of Washington Alarm and a member of the TMA Executive Committee. “Under Pam’s and Jay’s leadership, our association has made many positive changes that will help ensure we continue to grow into the future. Many of our members are monitoring much more than security alarms and fire alarms. Along with the name change, we will be looking to expand our membership to companies who are monitoring things such as GPS monitoring, process event monitoring and network monitoring.”
TMA’s website can be reached at www.tma.us. (The association also owns the domains http://www.tmaweb.org and http://www.themonitoringassociation.org.) Member ID numbers and login information for the website will not change. TMA staff will use the email suffix “@tma.us.” All emails to the previous “@csaaintl.org” address will be forwarded.
TMA members should expect to receive newly-branded membership materials in the coming months as the rebranding unfolds. Association programs including Five Diamond, Excellence Awards, Online Training, and the Annual Meeting and Fall Operations Management Seminar are also undergoing rebranding and will be re-launched under the new name.
“Times change, and successful organizations need to change with them,” said Bud Wulforst, a past president (2007-2009) of the association. “The transition to the name The Monitoring Association reflects our willingness to understand and address the evolving realities of our industry.”
Questions about the name change should be directed to Elizabeth Lasko, TMA Vice President of Communications, at ewlasko@tma.us.
###
About The Monitoring Association
The Monitoring Association (TMA), formerly the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), is an internationally-recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies, including those listed by a TMA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, such as FM Global, Intertek/ETL or UL. Incorporated in 1950, TMA is legally entitled to represent its members before Congress and regulatory agencies on the local, state and federal levels, and other authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) over the industry. TMA’s mission is to advance the professional monitoring industry through education, advocacy, and public safety relationships. www.tma.us. For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at TMA, 703-242-4670 x 16.
g these reviews Chair Rick Sheets has collaborated with ESA Government Relations and CSAA members to gain insight on the effect these bills have on our industry.
CSAA announced that Nigel Spinks is the new chair of the Associate Members’ Liaison Committee. In his new role he will represent Associate Members on the CSAA Board of Directors. This committee advises the Board of the needs and concerns of Associate Members, and it provides input to the Membership and Education committees on their outreach and other projects. The committee has begun working on a universal billing template and TMA event promotion, among other initiatives.
The Monitoring Association Blog 