News and Updates

SWEAT AND TEARS NEEDED TO SECURE BLOOD FACILITY

Managers at the main facility of American Red Cross Blood Services in the New York-Pennsylvania region in 2004 evaluated the facility's existing proprietary security system and found it to be outdated and unfriendly.

Upgrades and enhancements were expensive, and improvements and obtaining new products always took longer than scheduled. Frustrating regulatory issues existed when getting the system to communicate with other facilities and to reside properly on a centralized server.

Every drop of blood collected by the Red Cross in upstate New York and the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton area of northeastern Pennsylvania is transported to the main facility in West Henrietta, N.Y., a suburb of Rochester. The facility also serves as the headquarters for the New York-Penn Region.

"There were several challenges that we faced in this project," reveals Chuck Schramm, sales engineer for West Fire Systems Inc., Rochester, N.Y. "The first was that the American Red Cross had systems already in place. "We had to 'live swap' systems one at a time, one door at a time," he relates. "We needed to make sure that we did not leave any potential for security issues while converting over to the new system."

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STICKING WITH WHAT WORKS

It was over 15 years ago, when Michael West took a chance that is paying big dividends today. As he relates, West was offered the opportunity to start is own business by purchasing the fire alarm portion of the company he was working for, Rochester Time Company.

He had worked for the company for over ten years, steadily growing the division when the dream opportunity came about. He took it and West says, "I never looked back."

West, president and CEO of West Fire Systems, explains further, "I knew that with exemplary customer support and the right people and products our new company would be successful."

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