The most important of these participations is the progress in significant areas to be developed. The first is to arrive with the ALAS course to Argentina, in a strategic alliance with the Argentine Chamber of Electronic Security (CASEL). Hand in hand with this great and professional Argentine association we will be in that country. This will be a project that results in the professionalization and growth of the industry.
The participation in the Banking Security Congress of CELAES/FELABAN also marks our journey to accompany the growth of this specific vertical market. Banking security is one of the areas of greatest dynamism and sophistication. The objective now is to develop a specific course on electronic security for banks, in order to support this effort.
With the participation in Security Fair Colombia, we had a whole week of interaction with our partners, and we were present at an event that is already an institution in the industry and serves the Colombian security market, one of the most dynamic in the region.
Internally, and to strengthen the communications area, vital to our development, we chose to hire a communications and operations coordinator. Luz Adriana Álvarez will be in charge of this management, and among her many tasks will be to improve the communication of ALAS with its partners and corporate partners, industry publications, fairs, among others; in addition to channeling all the information that is produced inside ALAS.
Adriana will also be responsible for implementing and maintaining wings' presence plan on social networks such as Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, You tube, Flickr, mainly. This will allow us to interact more directly with all of you through these dynamic and instant communication channels, which are currently setting the tone.
So we keep moving forward. We are going step by step to continue consolidating WINGS as an association with a regional presence that works for the benefit of our beautiful industry. Fulfilling the mission for which it was created.
A hug for all,
Victor Alarcon R,
Chief executive officer
Prevention, the best way to avoid risks
"Prevention is the best way to reduce fire risks. Fire is an element with which we live every day of our lives, when we cook, when we bathe, when we heat something". Manuel Villanueva.
With three years at Honeywell Fire Systems, Manuel Villanueva has managed to position the company in the region that was assigned to him: Central America and the Andean Region. And at present it aims, with its experience and the strategic alliances it generates, to sensitize entrepreneurs in the region about the importance of buildings having the necessary elements for fire protection.
An example of this is Colombia that approved the NSR 10 standard, which covers the regulation for seismic-resistant construction and emphasizes fire protection in buildings. Standard to be applied from December 2010 for new constructions.
The Leadership of a Union
Manuel is Mexican, passionate about sales, and started in the industry more than 5 years ago in Asintelix, his brother's company, in Mexico City. He started learning everything related to fire protection. In May 2007 he joined Notifier, a subsidiary of Honeywell Fire Systems. His work began in Central America and the Andean Region, and then expanded to the Caribbean.
For more than 50 years, Notifier has held leading positions in the fire detection and alarm systems industry worldwide. Currently, it is a recognized leader in providing solutions for any type of segment: industrial, residential, hospital, educational centers, public buildings, among others.
In 1999, Notifier became part of the Honeywell Group, a leading company in all its segments. Also in 2006, Notifier is part of Honeywell Life Safety Iberia, a company with the vocation of offering specialized, flexible technological solutions for the most professional segments in the field of protection of people and goods.
The commitment to service and quality has allowed Honeywell Fire Systems to face the challenge of designing and producing new technologies applied to fire detection to accompany the entry into force of new regulations in the sector.
Colombian Regulation of Fire Protection in Buildings
According to this regulation, all buildings must comply with the minimum fire protection requirements established in Title J of the NSR10 Standard - Colombian Sismoresistant Construction Regulation, based on the following premises:
Reduce as much as possible the risk of fires in buildings.
Avoid the spread of fire both inside buildings and to surrounding structures.
Facilitate the evacuation tasks of the occupants of the buildings in case of fire.
Facilitate the process of extinguishing fires in buildings.
Minimize the risk of collapse of the structure during evacuation and extinction work.
"What Colombia is currently doing is adopting NFPA Standard 72 and 101 in a mandatory manner for both residential and commercial buildings, and adding it as such in the Colombian Seismic Resistant Construction Regulations." Manuel said.
The standard is clear in considering the following general minimum requirements for fire protection in buildings:
*Architectural configuration
*Structure
*Technical installations
*Electric
*Hydraulic
*Mechanics
*Specification of materials for:
*Indoor propagation control
*Hydraulic
*Mechanics
According to Villanueva, the fact that Colombia has this standard for fire protection is an advantage over other Latin American countries. Colombia has long been characterized by being a leader in safety, unfortunately in the field of fire protection it had not been given as much importance as it will already be given by the approval of the standard.
"With the adoption of global standards NFPA 72 and 101, Colombia is making progress in minimizing risks and strengthening the protection of life. Many people see Colombia as a place to live and to do business and the fact that apartment buildings as well as commercial buildings and industries have adequate fire protection, gives us greater peace of mind," said Manuel.
The NSR 10 Standard will bring new sources and business opportunities for companies that are trained and thus maintain a service with first level quality.
In Latin America the standard is the same for all countries, the difference is that there are some that apply it but not in the right way and do not follow the guidelines completely. This leads to the safety and protection of life being compromised.
Manuel believes that the standard is totally broad and complete and if applied as it should be, people would be safe in any building that has a fire detection system.
Manuel says that it is important that Latin American countries adopt the type of rules that Colombia will adopt. The more security people are provided in buildings, the more security is offered to visitors from other places such as the United States and Europe who will feel as protected in this regard as in their home countries. If this is implemented in Latin America, it will generate more business opportunities.
Raising awareness of the Fire Standard
NOTIFIER (Honeywell Fire Systems) has been working for many years to raise awareness in the industry of the importance of having standards, equipment and certifications to provide fire safety.
"With the standard in Colombia, Honeywell Fire Systems will continue to work with fire departments, media, companies and, of course, with the Latin American Safety Association ALAS as a great ally to develop the market in Colombia." Manuel said.
Manuel believes that ALAS should promote more training courses for companies and technical personnel in order to train experts in the field of fire protection.
The importance of Training
An adequate training in the Regulations will allow companies to protect any installation correctly and have the personnel prepared in what can be done and what can not be done when implementing the different types of equipment.
What we are proposing today is an alliance with WINGS to have a greater penetration in the different markets and have more people learning about the subject.
Honeywell Fire Systems is a leader in developing new technologies for the different situations that may arise before a fire, and will continue to bet on developing new products to make the world where we live safer.
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