News

BBJ Top Ten Largest Veteran-Owned Business in MA

NEREJ Leadership Year in Review

NSG Life Safety & NOREL Awarded Highest Sales for Third Consecutive Year for Autocall

NSG Life Safety and NOREL Service Company have been acknowledged as the top sales achievers in North America for Autocall Systems Sales. This is the third consecutive year that they have been recognized as "Top Gun" for JCI's (Johnson Controls International) Autocall fire detection suite of products. As a premier fire detection system and solutions provider, NSG Life Safety has successfully designed and installed large scale, state-of-the-art, future-ready, Autocall systems in educational, healthcare, government and commercial institutions in and around New England.

In addition to the North American Sales achievement, individual awards were bestowed to several team members including:

  • Materials Manager, Ron Benaski, was awarded the "Warrior Award" for his commitment to coordinating with JCI's logistics team during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Systems Engineer, Chris Viveiros, was awarded the "Academia Award" for his superior understanding of networked solutions and the entire portfolio of Autocall products.

The entire NSG/NOREL team is to be commended for an extraordinary effort in achieving their goals and being recognized as the "Top Gun."

Pictured: Dan Chauvin, President NSG Life Safety, George Aguiar, Vice President NOREL Service, Tom Norton, President NOREL Service 

Tom Norton, President of NOREL Service, Receives NFPA Committee Service Award

NFPA Committee Service Award
The NFPA Standards Council has awarded Tom Norton, President of NOREL Service Company, a Committee Service Award. This award recognizes distinguished service of those who contribute to the National Fire Protections Association’s standards development process and to the cause of fire safety worldwide. Tom has been a contributing member of the committees listed below.  

Correlating Committee on:

  • Signaling Systems for the Protection of Life and Property (1995 – present)

 Technical Committees on:

  • Commissioning and Integrated Testing (2011 – present)
  • Telecommunications (2003 – present)
  • Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Systems (1996 – present)
  • Cultural Resources (1988 – present)

Signaling Systems Technical Committees on:

  • Carbon Monoxide Detection (2006 – 2018; Chair 2006 – 2016)
  • Fundamentals of Fire Alarm and Signaling Systems (1990 – present)
  • Board of Directors (2005 – 2012)

 Congratulations to Tom and the other 2020 NFPA award recipients. For more information, please click HERE 

 

NEREJ Annual Review Spotlight 2019 - Tom Norton Weighs In

NOREL: A Largest Veteran-Owned Company Year 4

For the fourth year in a row and garnering the #12 spot, NOREL Service Company has been recognized by the Boston Business Journal as one of the Largest Veteran-owned Companies in Massachusetts. Our owner, Tom Norton, featured in A Closer Look, served in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineers Corps and was Lieutenant Commander in the Reserves. 

NOREL / NSG win "Top Gun" Autocall Product Distributor

Awarded: MASSACHUSETTS STATEWIDE CONTRACT HOLDER

NOREL RECEIVES TOP GUN AWARD

MONITORING: IMPORTANT UPDATES ON FIRE ALARM COMMUNICATIONS IMPACTING DEPENDABILITY

The following article appeared in the August 24-30th edition of the Boston Business Journal. It's a must read on what's been taking place in the communications field and how those changes impact alarm monitoring. For the digital article click here.

Tom Norton, NOREL
Service Company, Inc.

At this time last year, I described significant changes impacting fire alarm communications and signal transmissions. The specific changes surrounded the phase-out of copper telephone lines (POTS – plain old telephone service), the increased use of Ethernet monitoring, sunsets of 2G & 3G (cellular), and changes in Massachusetts Building Code 9th Edition which now references NFPA 72 - 2013 Edition. (See NEREJ article - Monitoring for fire alarms; Are you ready for change? What you need to know, August 25-31, 2017.)

What do these changes mean to building owners and facilities/property managers? One of the major outcomes is that the telecommunications companies are no longer supporting copper telephone land lines. Recently, we have detected an unintended but serious consequence of the replacement of these lines by providers. If your fire alarm communications are driven through these lines or through the replacement of these lines with fiber optics, they may not be reliable or meet the minimum requirements for redundancy and backup. 

 Updates & New Challenges 

As copper telephone lines are becoming obsolete, they are being replaced by fiber optic technology. However, due to the increase in amount and type of data being transmitted over the various communication paths, different types of filters are being applied. The reality is that the types of filters applied to the fiber network are preventing and blocking some alarm signals from transmitting from the building alarm communicator to the central station receiver monitoring the alarms. The filters identify old-fashioned dial tones as “noise” and blocks the tones. In other words, the analog (legacy) signals are being filtered out in support of new data. 

 Failure to Communicate 

The bottom line is that the central station industry is logging an increased number of “fail to test” occurrences, which in some cases, can be attributed to the use of these filters.

 What is the answer to this new conundrum? At NOREL, we have relied on primarily the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) wireless telemetry radio network and in some instances, the cellular option. 

Cellular 

Anticipating how changes will impact your alarm systems allows you to plan for the future. However, the cellular option comprises its own set of challenges: 2G is obsolete, 3G will be sunset soon, and the ever-changing telecommunications field is racing towards 4G, 5G and 6G. That means that cellular users will be looking to continually upgrade their equipment. As most of us know, we have little control over technical upgrades in the cellular world not only with fire alarms, but with our phones, tablets and other devices. 

 Wireless Radio 

Wireless mesh radio provides multiple paths between building alarm panels and the alarm receiving station. The networks are operated and maintained by individual alarm companies who monitor them. 

Telemetry radios operate in a band of spectrum that is set aside for data and alarm communications only by the FCC. While the subscriber features are frequently improved upon, this UHF transmission method has remained unchanged for many years. This stability offers an advantage over cellular as while the features improve, the method of transmission does not. This allows new and older units to talk on the same system for years, unlike cellular. For the end user, this means keeping the same equipment for longer, with no downtime. 

Also of note, the telemetry radio system is self-managed. The provider owns the operating frequency and, in most cases, the related equipment. When there’s a problem, there aren’t multiple providers involved. With cellular, there is the end user, their alarm company, the provider network (such as Honeywell, DSC, NAPCO, etc.) and the cellular company (such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.) so when an outage occurs, it can be a failure in any one or more of these networks/systems. 

Choose Radio 

NOREL employs and endorses the use of a mesh radio network.  Along with the radio network infrastructure’s proven history of reliability and redundancy, we feel strongly that this type of network provides more control and flexibility. We have the capability to continually monitor the status of the network without relying on a communication carrier. This technology also allows for redundant, multiple paths of communications as each unit is a transceiver (both a transmitter and receiver); this allows all field subscriber units to “help” transmit signals throughout the network. If one goes down, another can assist in passing signals.

Ultimately, upon evaluating and choosing the best method for your alarm communication systems, just remember the three “R”s: Radio, Reliability, and Redundancy. 

Tom Norton is the president of NOREL Service Co., Inc., Waltham, Mass.

THIRD TIME: NOREL NAMED ONE OF LARGEST VETERAN-OWNED COMPANIES IN MASSACHUSETTS

Boston Business Journal has once listed NOREL Service Co., Inc. as #17 OF the top 20 Largest Veteran-owned Companies in Massachusetts. 

As in years past, we are proud of our designation and honored to be amongst the other great companies named.

 

 

TOM NORTON RECOGNIZED FOR DEDICATION

Tom Norton received the Superior Civilian Service Award during the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial Dinner on May 22, 2018 for his continued devotion and dedication. We are honored to work with Tom and also thank him for his seemingly endless efforts.

NOREL Announces the Formation of NOREL Systems Group (NSG)

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOREL Service Company Announces New Division to Meet Autocall Needs

Waltham, April 24, 2018 – NOREL Service Company is pleased to announce the next stage in positioning itself toward becoming New England’s Premier Integrated Life-Safety Systems Provider.

To meet the growing demand for the new Autocall line, NOREL has created a new division, NOREL System Group [NSG].

NSG is led by Dan Chauvin, who brings more than three decades of sales and leadership in the fire alarm, life safety and integrated security industry. Dan derives his expertise from 16 Years as the Boston Branch Sales Manager for a top life safety company, and most recently as Vice President of one of the largest systems integration companies in New England. For the past 16 years, Dan managed a sales force of 15 highly-skilled professionals and grew the organization to over 38 million in total revenue. Dan has been the lead on numerous high profile, complex projects and offers enterprise expertise relative to life-safety, security and critical communications systems. Dan is a Certified Engineering Technologist (NICET IV), and holds both a RI Master Fire Alarm License and a Telecom Contractors license (TSC).

Mike Turso, who anchors the Engineering Department for NSG, has grown up in the fire alarm industry and brings more than 20 years of experience to NSG. He is a fire alarm expert and has designed thousands of life safety systems throughout New England. Mike is NICET III fire alarm certified.  

The mission of NOREL’s newly formed Systems Group is to provide our clients with innovative and practical solutions to their Life Safety, Integrated Security and Critical Communications needs. The NSG team is comprised of highly-trained professionals who are committed to the industry for which they have served collectively for more than 50 years.

With offices in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, along with the newly-organized NSG division, NOREL Service is excited and poised to match its 46 years of continuous growth.

About NOREL Service Company

NOREL Service Company, Inc. provides sales, service, installation, testing, and monitoring of top-of-the-line fire and security systems. The company has earned a reputation for providing superior service and has grown year over year since 1971.

NOREL Service has partnered with numerous building owners and property managers, and currently provides service and solutions for more than 2,500 various types of facilities in and around Boston and New England.

NOREL is a federally-certified Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), a Boston Business Journal top 25 Largest Veteran-Owned Business in Massachusetts (2016, 2017), and a Massachusetts Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE).

Original press release can be found HERE

For more information visit www.norelservice.com

For information on Autocall products, visit www.autocall.com

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NEREJ ARTICLE: Emerging Fire Alarm Technology - better testing and reporting for building owners and managers

This article first appeared in NEREJ's  January 26, 2018 edition – New England Real Estate Journal - Retail

 

George Aguiar, NOREL Service CO., Inc.

When is the best time to conduct a test of your fire alarm system? The most typical response for most building owners, facility engineers and property managers is, “There’s never a good time.”

For retail, shopping centers, or mixed-use buildings, fire alarm system testing requires scheduling and entry coordination with store owners/occupants, facilities managers, or property managers. And, depending on the building type and the number of notification devices, the optimal time to test alarm-signaling devices may be before or after store or business hours, which could result in technician overtime costs.

Fire alarm technicians need to adhere to associated building and NFPA codes while performing the appropriate tests on each horn, speaker, strobe and other emergency signaling device. For larger campuses and facilities, testing will yield a short period of time in which the alarms will be sounded off and on. Sometimes, the testing time is extended due to separate signaling devices for local smoke detectors, CO detectors, and building general alarms.

It’s always a good idea to review and assess your fire alarm system before a major or minor event occurs and to reduce the chances of false alarms. Too often, a system is evaluated after a false alarm takes place, or after a triggered event highlights a deeper issue or malfunction.

The exciting news is that emerging fire alarm technology includes components which make life easier for building owners and managers. New technology not only streamlines and automates fire alarm testing, but provides for more immediate and accurate reporting on your desktop, mobile phone or tablet. This sophisticated technology allows for signaling devices to be programmed to perform different functions in different situations, for example, smoke detector activation can be indicated by one sound while carbon monoxide can be indicated by a different sound. As well, newer systems can be set to auto-test and report at predetermined times and improve the length of any disruption(s) or sounding of alarms.

Your fire alarm systems should have these features or components:

  •  Individual or selected groups of signaling devices to be tested at a predefined date and time
  •  Shortest amount of time to test all signals in a building
  •  Testing protocol in compliance with fire code.

For the best in retail and mixed-use properties, it’s even more important to be able to test fire alarm systems without disrupting customers, store owners, and occupants. The most current features to look for include:

  • Automatic testing of fire alarm signaling devices in 5 seconds or less
  • Auto testing or scheduling to be done any time, day or night
  • Panel-generated reporting of test results listing every notification device by location
  • Reports broken down for retrieval and delineated by “trouble” or “alarm”
  • Longer battery life and power supply for reduced energy costs
  • Comprehensive plan for fire alarm testing over the life of the system
  • Command centers with the ability to view statuses for all devices immediately 
  • Integration with other Building Management Systems (BMS)
  • Self-testing notification.

“Nice to have” components allow for your future needs, whether you are thinking about upgrading your existing system, adding additional fire alarms for other buildings, or integrating your fire alarm systems with new projects or structures. These include:

  • Reporting capabilities which include automatically-generated reports from the control panel listing signaling devices tested, by time, date, location, and pass/fail test status
  •  Paging and background music over the same notification/alarm system
  •  Emergency text message alerts
  •  Transfer of panel information and programming via USB device
  •  Testing without disruption to customers and business owners
  •  Pre-programmed smoke sensitivity and wider ranges for these settings
  •  Easy to upgrade and to scale with flexibility and modular design.

Each winter, we’ve seen the impact of fires in New England. Is it time for you to review your fire alarm systems?

George Aguiar is VP integrated systems, sales & marketing for NOREL Service Co., Inc. Waltham, Mass.

New England Real Estate Journal - 17 Accord Park Drive #207, Norwell MA 02061 - (781) 878-4540

 

NOREL Service Company to Distribute Autocall™ Fire Detection Systems

We're excited to announce our new partnership with AutocallTM- the latest in fire detection products. Our original press release can be viewed here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2018/01/prweb15093292.htm#.Wl9ayjMRXP4.email

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOREL Service Company to Distribute AutocallTM Fire Detection Systems

NOREL Service Company awarded select national distributorship by Johnson Controls for newly released Autocall fire detection systems.

Waltham, January 16, 2018. Based on its reputation and years of experience in the industry, NOREL Service Co., Inc. has been awarded a selective national distributorship by Johnson Controls for the recently released suite of AutocallTM fire detection systems. NOREL Service is excited to have the ability to provide customers with the most trusted and advanced technology in fire and life safety for today's environment.

AutocallTM provides next-generation fire detection technology while building on decades of trusted legacy systems. Autocall systems are highly modular and allow for integration with other Building Management Systems (BMS) using industry standard protocols such as BACNet and Modbus. Advanced features include fire alarm self-testing without disruption, addressable notification, and powerful networking capabilities. 

Autocall's TrueSite allows a building manager or owner to view up-to-date, valuable command center information quickly and in real time, using a PC-based workstation, Apple, or Android mobile device.

As a highly-qualified distributor, NOREL Service maintains experience in designing (CAD) and installing systems for large and small buildings and extended campuses. NOREL's technicians and sales experts have been formally trained on the technical details and specifications of AutocallTM products and as always, adhere to applicable building and life safety codes.

About NOREL Service Company

NOREL Service Company, Inc. provides sales, service, and installation of top-of-the-line fire and security systems. The company has earned a reputation for providing superior service and has grown year over year since 1971.

The company's sustained success can be attributed to its leadership, highly-trained technicians, and its long-standing customers. NOREL Service has partnered with numerous building owners and property managers, and currently provides service and solutions for more than 2,500 various types of facilities in and around Boston and New England.

NOREL is a Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) and a Boston Business Journal top 25 Largest Veteran-Owned Business in Massachusetts (2016, 2017).

For more information, visit www.norelservice.com

For information on AutocallTM products, visit www.autocall.com

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NOREL FORMALLY DESIGNATED AS VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS (VOSB)

We are proud to announce our formal designation as a Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C.

Thank you to NOREL's Founder and President Thomas F. Norton for serving in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps and as Lieutenant Commander in the Reserves.

Other employees at NOREL who have served our country include: Dan Chauvin, Walter Van Wart, Gary Decker, and Mark Garland. Thank you!

NEREJ ARTICLE: Monitoring for Fire Alarms: Are You Ready for Change?

This article first appeared in NEREJ's August 25, 2017 edition – New England Real Estate Journal - Shopping Centers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Norton, NOREL Service Co., Inc.

Building occupancies such as retail, residential, commercial, healthcare, and education, need effective and reliable fire protection. Over the past year, this point has been emphasized again and again with reported fires causing severe loss of property and loss of life from fires in London, California and here in New England. 

Property managers, building owners and facilities directors need to ensure the fire alarm systems in their properties are maintained to operate in a reliable fashion. Staying abreast of the latest technology for fire protection systems, along with any impending changes to fire and building codes which could impact the way you procure fire-related services, is mandatory in order to maintain the dependability of fire alarm systems. 

What you need to know 

One of the most drastic changes in technology is the way a fire alarm system reports to the monitoring or supervising station. In recent years, this modification has gone unnoticed until a fire occurs and the fire department is not notified of the alarm condition. Additionally, land lines and outdated reporting technologies have become much less reliable, for example: 

  • As of January 1 of this year, the FCC has authorized the sunset of copper phone lines (or POTS plain old telephone service). 
  • Customer demand for POTS has drastically declined along with the advent of new technologies, i.e. fiber, Internet, cellular. 
  • As a result, current connections using POTS and Leased Line Circuits (called BANA) will remain in service until they fail, at which point there will be no service or maintenance provided by the communications carriers. 
  • Within the next two to four years, it is estimated that 3G cellular connections will also use the same sunset rules as 2G. Specifically, the industry has deemed 2021 as a guideline for ending 3G support. 

These changes will require building owners/managers to seek alternative and more reliable methods for communication between their building(s) and their alarm monitoring company. 

Changes to building and fire codes: Why plan now? 

Coinciding with the timing of these industry developments, The Massachusetts Building Code, 9th Edition, will be taking effect this summer. The building code references NFPA 72-2013 Edition, which provides for alternate methods of communication in addition to allowing the existing radio and cellular methods between a building and its alarm receiving station. 

The code allows various options described below with my comments on their reliability. 

Option 1: Wireless radio 

  • Wireless Mesh Radio Monitoring: this is a network of radio communicators which provides multiple paths of communication between buildings and an alarm receiving station. 
  • These mesh radio networks provide more reliable response time due to the redundancy of the system; there are multiple paths for signals from the building to the monitoring facility. 
  • Reliability is improved through a privately-owned and operated system using the network of paths connecting with the alarm receiving station without relying on current communications providers. 

Option 2: Cellular networks 

  • Use cellular with Internet backup. 
  • User is at the mercy of the cellular carriers quality and reliability of service and sunsetting of technologies. 

Option 3: Combination 

  • Use of one telephone line along with either a one-way private radio alarm system, or a two-way RF multiplex system for transmission. 

Why radio monitoring is the optimal choice 

Using a Radio Mesh Network provides the most reliable communication method for alarm communications to the remote receiving station. And, the dependability of radio monitoring can be obtained generally at lower monthly cost. Mesh radio has the following benefits: 

  • Free from constraints of the major communication providers; 
  • No phone lines required; 
  • Significantly quicker response speeds and faster notification;
  • Provides for a more robust communication system at a reduced cost; no phone bills and no phone maintenance; 
  • Remote diagnostics ability; and 
  • Provides a more streamlined emergency communication system. 

Furthermore, the mesh radio network has the capability to incorporate life safety and environmental signals by monitoring alarm signals over the same network used for security, temperature monitoring, and carbon monoxide detection. 

Mesh radio monitoring provides customers with an advantage against the changing communications environment while still providing reliable communications of a potential emergency situation to summon fire department assistance. 

Tom Norton is the president of NOREL Service Co., Inc., Waltham, Mass.

New England Real Estate Journal • 17 Accord Park Drive #207, Norwell MA 02061 • (781) 878-4540 • Contact

 

AGAIN, NOREL NAMED ONE OF LARGEST VETERAN-OWNED COMPANIES IN MASSACHUSETTS

Boston Business Journal has once again listed NOREL Service Co., Inc. as one of the top 20 Largest veteran-owned companies in Massachusetts. 

We are proud to be listed again in 2017 and honored to be amongst the other great companies named.

FALL RIVER'S FAULTY FIRE ALARM SYSTEM GETTING AN UPGRADE

NOREL Service to help the city of Fall River update its alarm and communication systems.

NOREL NAMED ONE OF LARGEST VETERAN-OWNED COMPANIES IN MASSACHUSETTS

Boston Business Journal identified NOREL Service Co., Inc. as one of the top 25 Largest veteran-owned companies in Massachusetts for 2016. 

We are honored to be on this list and proud to be amongst the other great companies named.

  • Massachusetts Electrical Contractors’ License #A-8545
  • Massachusetts Sprinkler Contractors’ License #SC-3836
  • Massachusetts Security License #SS-1047
  • Maine Master Electricians' License #MS60020894
  • New Hampshire Master Electricians’ License #12553 M
  • Rhode Island Electrical Contractors' License #AC004127
  • NICET Certified
  • DCAMM Certified Contractor
  • UL-Listed Installation and Service Company
  • Massachusetts Statewide Contract(s) Holder
  • Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC) Contract Holder