In last month’s article I tried to allay the “fear of fire” and put it into perspective. Yes, fire is real and requires respect, but with the courses available, security installation companies are certainly offered great opportunities.
So, if you’ll excuse the pun, ready-made training is the sure-fire way to go about it – to acquire new skills and increase market share by adding fire, emergency lighting, portable extinguishers and more to your portfolio.
‘Firestarters’ Q&A
Q: I have a security company and until now have only flirted with fire. I have now taken the decision to build it up to be a major part of my business. How do I start?
A: Let me first reiterate my advice of last month. Put down a business plan based on the size of your company, assess your staffing levels and the impact it will have on them and their work load, assess their skill levels and lay down a training plan for them. Will you have to recruit more staff to cope with the extra work and responsibilities?
Look too at your existing customer base for potential fire alarm service and maintenance contracts. Explore the contacts you have that already pass you intruder installations. These are both good sources to get you started in the fire industry.
Q: I have put a business plan together, and would like some help getting started. Where do I go?
A: Gardiner Security Fire Division under the guidance of a national fire sales manager has nine dedicated regional fire technical sales managers based around the UK. Each of these managers is targeted with helping companies grow their respective business within the fire industry.
The regional manager for your area will work in partnership with you helping to grow your fire business. He will help put together training programmes on both GS-BFPSA and GS-Key Supplier product training courses. He will also assist and advice with site visits and designs.
Q: What type of installation can I start with?
A: The key to this question is the confidence and skill sets acquired from the two series of courses I’ve just mentioned, which will dictate where you start from. In most cases companies that have sent staff on these courses are ready to sell,
install and offer maintenance contracts for non-addressable (conventional) systems, two-wire non-addressable systems and analogue addressable systems.
Q: What fire equipment can I standardise on for my company?
A: Your regional fire manager will offer you products that you can standardise on, and in some instances may ask the manufacturer to visit you to demonstrate their products. We have a 48-branch network and the Fire Division has a comprehensive product guide
Q: Which course should I send my engineers or sales personnel on first?
A: This depends on their skill levels. It is a must that they all attend the GS-BFPSA courses if they are new to the fire industry, and I would also recommend that even those not new to the industry sit the courses and attain a certificate. These courses incorporate BS 5839-1:2002 (amended December 16 2004), fire principles and fire risk assessment.
Your regional fire manager will help you put together a personal training programme for each of your staff.
We almost always insist that they attend the GS-Key Supplier Product Training Courses; it is imperative that the engineers or sales team have proper knowledge of the products they are selling and the regulations that apply.
This will give them the confidence to go out and sell systems and services/maintenance contracts and for the engineers to install and maintain the same.
Our key suppliers spend huge amounts of money developing products for the market that meet the requirements of various standards that make up a fire alarm detection system. They are only too willing to impart product knowledge to fire alarm companies. Along with good engineering and installation practices, this leads to trouble-free installations.
In the ever-changing climate of product enhancement, changes in legislation and the like, it is also important that staff training continues with refresher courses. Keeping abreast can only add value to your company.
I would also suggest that as a matter of course you purchase copies of the relevant British Standards: BS5839-1:2002 incorporating Amendment No. 1 – Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings (code of practice for system design, installation, commissioning and maintenance), along with a copy of BS5839-6:2004- Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings (code of practice for design, installation, and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in dwellings).
Flaming good business!
With all the support and training available to installers, there has never been a better time to take the first step into the fire market. The growth companies/delegates who have already participated in previous seminars can be measured in financial terms.
To illustrate this, last year 543 delegates attended courses with 92 companies represented … and in those companies the average growth was 184 per cent!