The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has just released an updated Web page that details more than 300 of its industry codes and standards. The information is cleanly laid out and easily accessible  to visitors. This is a fantastic resource for anyone in the fire alarm industry. The NFPA site lists code numbers and names, as well as detailed summaries of each item. Archived versions of the code are also available for download. The catch, however, is that you must have an NFPA member account to access the full documents. Or, if you choose, you can purchase the document. Visit...

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Pending any regulatory issues, after seven some odd years, GE has bowed out of the security industry, having agreed to sell its GE Security holdings to United Technologies Corp. (UTC) for $1.82 billion. This marks the industry's most substantial deal since GE got into security in the first place when it purchased Interlogix in 2002. It also brings to a close GE's vision of making security systems as commonplace in American homes as appliances and other household electronics branded with the ubiquitous GE "meatball" logo -- and having them all communicate with each other. Having been in this industry since...

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I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, as were just about all the exhibitors, with the turnout of last week's (Oct. 27-28) ISC East at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York. The fact that the first game of the World Series at Yankee Stadium coincided with the opening of the show added to the buzz. Granted, the floor space had been wisely consolidated some to account for fewer exhibitors and smaller booths but the activity was nonetheless healthy despite crummy, rainy weather. What's more is that, as was the case with ASIS in Anaheim, Calif., this past...

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