I firmly believe that credit should be given when credit is due.
A bit over a month ago I wrote a Blog about Alarm Ordinances and when they go to far, which addressed some of the requirements in place and/or being proposed by the Louisiana Fire Marshall's Office, the AHJ regulating the Fire & Burglar Alarm Industry in Louisiana.
A bit over a month ago I wrote a Blog about Alarm Ordinances and when they go to far, which addressed some of the requirements in place and/or being proposed by the Louisiana Fire Marshall's Office, the AHJ regulating the Fire & Burglar Alarm Industry in Louisiana.
I am following up on that Blog because Louisiana has amended most of what was wrong about the requirements. If you hadn't read the first Blog you can go to http://lousepulveda.blogspot.com to read all of the details.
The changes made are as follows:
The changes made are as follows:
1. Instead of the proposed change to require salespeople to take the UAS (Understanding Alarm Systems) course and pass the test imediately before being able to work, they now give the salesperson six months to take the course. Given the course at this time is only offered 3 or 4 times each year, six months sounds like a reasonable time frame in which to have taken the course.
So once again I applaud and thank the Louisiana Fire Marshall for making this important change. Growing companies operating in Louisiana will appreciate the change.
That said, one major problem still exists and I can only hope the Fire Marshall's Office will consider following the lead of many other states.
The problem is that once a salesperson is hired, the company/salesperson must submit an application to the Fire Marshall's Office for a background check and issuance of a license. However, I'm told that the time frame between submitting an application and receiving the actual license can take as much a two months, meanwhile, based on Louisiana's rule, the salesperson cannot sell untill he or she receives the official license. Obviously, the salesperson cannot afford to wait up to two months without pay, and asking the company to support an unproductive salesperson for two months isn't reasonable either.
First of all, it doesn't take even one, much less two months to conduct a background check. I can understand a govenment agency claiming to be understaffed and overworked and therefore processing take longer. However, Louisiana could take a lesson from their neighbor Texas as well as lots of other states that allow the salesperson to start working after submitting an application. Like a license applied for with a car, the salesperson must only carry a copy of the application with him to prove it has been filed. That is a more reasonable solution.
If it's the criminal background check the state is worried about, two solutions come to mind. First, the applying company could have the background check done, which usually takes 48 hours or so, and then submit the report they receive along with the application. A second reasonable option is the state could do the background check, again within 48 hours or so, and then simply inform the applying company by email or mail that the applicant has passed or failed. Utilizing either of the above methods would satisfy the main intent of the license requirement and allow the salesperson to begin earning a living.
I can only hope that the AHJ in Louisiana amends the license requirement once again to make it possible for companies that wish to grow business a chance to do so. And of course increasing employment; creating jobs is good for the state and stimulates our lagging economy.
What do you think? Am I asking for too much?
