ESA Creates the Stan Martin Excellence in Advocacy Award
Advocating on behalf of an industry is not easy work. Many of the people in the industry are focused on the job that their company is paying them for. After the work is done people want to spend time with friends, family, and doing things they really enjoy. There is zero fault in that. However, some people do a little more in their career by getting involved to serve the entire industry. They take that little extra time to send an email on an issue campaign, visit legislators, or serve on code making committees. Doing so benefits everyone in the industry. While some companies are focused on getting a bigger piece of the pie, industry advocates are working to grow the entire pie.
ESA wanted to recognize these champions of the industry, so they knew their efforts were appreciated. That is why ESA created the Excellence in Advocacy Award. However, anyone can simply create an award. We wanted there to be a strong significance to it. We wanted it to be named after a true champion of advocacy so that whenever someone won the award, they knew exactly what sort of service they provided. Naming it after Stan Martin was about as easy of a decision as there could be.
Martin began his service with the association as a volunteer in 1987 when he was asked to reorganize the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) state chapter program. In 1989, he received the Sara E. Jackson Memorial Award. Presented annually by ESA to a committee chairperson who displays outstanding leadership. In 1990 he was recognized as the Morris F. Weinstock Person of the Year, the association’s most prestigious honor.
His success as a volunteer led to his appointment as Executive Director of the NBFAA. Immediately, his advocacy skills were put to the test when the Regional Bell Operating Companies suddenly became deregulated by a federal court ruling and stated their intent to enter the alarm business.
The threat was tremendous to the industry. The Bells had previously targeted answering service businesses and decimated the industry. In just over a year using predatory practices and marketing advantages. As a result, the industry, led by Martin, engaged in the largest, most extensive grass roots lobbying campaign ever undertaken by NBFAA. The successful process yielded a seven-year ban on the Bells entering the alarm business. And more important the elimination of the Bells’ use of customer proprietary network information. This was inside information they collected on specific vendors a consumer would call.
Martin’s support of the industry did not stop there. Since 1994 to the present, he has led a national effort to reduce unnecessary alarm dispatches, first by leading programs like Model Cities and Model States to develop best practices for law enforcement, and then for the last twenty plus years as the Executive Director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC). He remains the driving force behind the utilization of industry best practices like Enhanced Call Verification and the development of codes and standards like ANSI SIAC CP-01 for alarm control panels.
With such an amazing amount of service it was easy to name the award after Stan. Who though, could receive the very first Stan Martin award? How about another industry legend who is as well known for his legislative advocacy efforts as he is with his service on code making associations like NFPA, UL, and ICC. How about Dr. Shane Clary?
Dr. Clary entered the industry 50 years ago, has been with Bay Alarm for the last 40 years, and is more than deserving of the first Stan Martin.
Dr. Clary has been involved with code promulgation for over thirty years, serving on several NFPA® Technical Committees, including NFPA 1, 25, 70, 72, 101 and 5000. Shane also serves on several UL®, IEC and ISO committees as well as being involved with the development of the building and fire codes through the ICC®.
Shane was recently elected the President of the Automatic Fire Alarm Association, Inc., and is a past President of the California Automatic Fire Alarm Association and Past Chairman of the Western Burglar & Fire Alarm Association Unilateral Apprenticeship Training Committee. He writes a monthly column, “Fire Side Chat”, for Security Sales and Integration.
Most recently, Shane has become an industry “watchdog” with regards to right to repair legislation having submitted numerous letters of opposition in multiple states, taking the lead in amending legislation in California so it exempted the life safety industry, and virtually testifying against the Oregon bill and testing the knowledge of a state representative who serves as a professional firefighter. Ask Shane sometime about that story.
If you think that would be enough, he also makes time to join us in federal advocacy efforts. He participated virtually in the first ever Security Hill Day in 2023 so that he could meet with a California Congressman, and he joined us personally, in advocating on behalf of the industry within the halls of Congress, just like Stan Martin did years ago.
On June 3, 2024, ESA was honored to announce the creation of the Stan Martin Excellence in Advocacy Award and to present it to its first recipient, Dr. Shane Clary. We look forward to continuing our work with these industry legends and the many other advocates who serve to benefit the entire industry!
