Aetna Fire Alarm Service Co. and President Kathleen Guinee Elevate Life Safety with Diligence and Passion
It’s the old dilemma of the “family” business: Will the next generation carry the mantle or take their own path?
Kathleen Guinee never planned to take over Aetna Fire Alarm Service Co. Inc. In 1974, her father, James Murrin, a 103-Journeyman and Master electrician working at the MBTA, decided to launch a one-man side business, installing and servicing fire alarm systems in the Boston area. “My father recognized that fire alarm and life safety systems were about to become a distinct and critical specialty within the electrical industry,” she said.
His foresight was on point. As building codes, regulations, and building practices evolved, so did the need for specialists who understood the whys and hows of integrating life safety systems with every other trade on a job site.
For her part, Guinee never planned on growing up in the business. “One day, my father asked if I wanted to join the business. He had been doing the billing at night and needed someone to take that off his plate. I had a business background, so he put me on the payroll.”
Hardworking and detail-oriented, Guinee started in the office quickly learning all aspects of the business, developing a passion for life safety and comprehensive expertise, and becoming a licensed technician and contractor. In 1997, she bought the company, taking over as president, playing a direct, impactful role in the evolution the life safety industry.
Under her leadership, Aetna became U.L.-certified early on and developed rigorous inspection, testing, and documentation processes well before digitization became standard. While still a modest-sized firm by design, Aetna’s footprint is substantial. The company provides life-safety services to higher education institutions, commercial high-rises, industrial buildings, healthcare facilities, public buildings, housing authorities, and major infrastructure across Massachusetts. Guinee believes that the Aetna team is comprised of the best in the industry with a shared commitment to delivering top-tier service.
Over 50 years, Aetna has evolved with – and often ahead of – industry thinking about fire safety and its integration with the other construction fields. Guinee explains, “When it comes to life safety, we're involved from when the first shovel is in the ground until the final inspection and occupancy permit is approved by the city.” Coordination and collaboration with owners, site managers, and other contractors ensures problems get flagged and resolved as they arise, maximizing safety and building efficiency. “Life safety touches every other trade.”
A full-service electrical contractor specializing in U.L.-listed, code-compliant fire alarm life-safety inspections, testing, and commissioning, Aetna has built its reputation on expertise, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to safety.
“In our industry, everything needs to be documented,” says Guinee. “If it’s not documented, it didn’t happen.” It’s a simple philosophy – exacting and uncompromising – that has made Aetna an institution in Boston and set the modern standard for the life safety industry.
Aetna’s commitment to safety extends beyond its own projects. Guinee served 15 years on the Massachusetts Board of Examiners of Electricians, which she eventually chaired. Now she’s approaching the end of her two-year term as president of NECA Boston, where she helped create NECA Boston’s Safety Committee, which serves as a practical resource for the broader membership. Under her leadership, the chapter also localized national NECA training programs, bringing new-contractor education to Boston, and tailoring it to ever-evolving codes, regulations, and jobsite challenges.
Summing up, Guinee feels deeply that hers is a passionate industry. “It’s about making sure my people, and people working and living in the buildings we service, go home safely every night. People really don’t get into fire safety without having some passion for saving lives.”
