Robert Williams is no stranger to lending a helping hand to the community. His grandfather Bert Briscoe believed in giving back to people and passed down his community-oriented philosophy to Williams. Briscoe believed in being your best and giving 150% to everything you do. With this philosophy in mind, Briscoe Protective Systems Inc. was founded in 1978 by Williams who helped evolve the company into a leading fire alarm, security, video and access control systems provider in New York City's five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester.
For 36 years, Briscoe has worked with a wide variety of facilities throughout the New York region including office buildings/complexes, schools, and non-profits to ensure a safe environment for all occupants. Briscoe has become the partner of choice for fire safety and security systems and has helped numerous facilities and buildings owned and/or operated by nonprofits avoid fire department fines by offering free fire safety training classes to keep their staff certified. From factory-trained technicians with NICET certification, to in-house training, software support, and preventative maintenance inspections; to engineering, drafting and code compliance; Briscoe has its customers fire safety and security system needs covered. In fact, the company has been consistently listed on the National SDM 100 List of top security and fire alarm companies.
In order to get to this point, Williams was not afraid to speak up on important matters and make positive changes happen in the community. Williams has lived his life and built his career believing in the following quote "You must be the change you want to see in the world" by Mahatma Gandhi. A testament to this includes his work to help educate the public on Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning and advocating for the creation of stricter CO laws. Most people don't realize that CO is the most common cause of poisoning death in the United States. In addition, breathing low concentrations of this silent killer many not result in obvious symptoms of CO poisoning, yet exposure to low levels of CO can cause long-term health damage, even after the CO source is removed.
Since low level CO poisoning is a dangerous on-going threat that very few people are aware of, it needs additional attention from CO device manufacturers and legislators. Based on this, Williams wrote an advisory on this topic to reach out to as many people as possible to create awareness about the issue of UL-listed carbon monoxide devices not sounding an alert for conditions under 30 PPM.
Two recent high profile incidents of CO exposure in commercial occupancies on Long Island have shown that low levels of "chronic" CO were present in both circumstances. This opened Williams eyes to a problem that needed to be addressed "sooner" rather than "later" and he began his quest in helping the community prevent further CO poisonings. Over the past few months, Williams has been attending and speaking at many of the public hearings on CO legislation throughout Long Island to help make a difference by advising local legislative officials to implement stricter CO laws for commercial facilities. Williams was proud to speak at the May press conference in Suffolk County, Long Island where the Steve Nelson Safety Act was signed into a law by Suffolk County executive Steve Bellone, which requires the installation of CO detectors in county facilities.
In addition to helping the commercial community, Williams had been a long-term advocate of preventing CO poisoning in the residential community as well. Briscoe honored Ken and Kim Hansen in June for their advocacy efforts leading to the passage of Amanda's Law, which requires the installation of CO detectors in all homes in New York state. Williams had the honor of presenting the Bert Briscoe Award to the Hansens at a special awards presentation at Baruch College in New York. Amanda's Law is named in honor of the Hansen's daughter who died in 2009 from CO poisoning while sleeping at a friend's house. Amanda's Law set a record for the fastest legislation passed by New York state. In addition, the Amanda Hansen Foundation www.amandahansenfoundation.org continues to educate the public by promoting awareness of CO poisoning and providing detectors for low income families.
Williams also founded the Just One Life program where CO devices are distributed to Long Island residents in partnership with local fire districts and then installed by Briscoe staff members.
Williams' certifications are endless and include a nationally recognized NICET Certification in Fire Protection Engineering Technology for Fire Alarm Systems with a FDNY Certification for fire alarm systems inspection, test and services, sprinkler systems maintenance, portable fire extinguisher service and expediting.
Williams is a former volunteer firefighter with Engine Company 5 of the Smithtown Fire Department and is a NYS approved course instructor for fire and security alarms with both a NYS Security & Fire Alarm Installers License and Suffolk County restricted electricians license. His educational background includes being a graduate of the City University of New York and holds a degree in business. In addition, he is a graduate of the Empire State Military Academy and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Williams' concern for the community will continue, especially the push for stricter CO laws and his advocacy for notifying the public about the limitations of low-level carbon monoxide detection. He feels so strongly about this that he will provide a copy of his advisory and is offering free site reviews along with answering any questions that building owners and property managers have about their building's CO protection and conforming with their local code. Briscoe's commitment to exceeding their customer's expectations through quality products and services and their cornerstone philosophy of "People Helping People Make a Difference" will continue to fuel the growth of this company for years to come. Tags: