Choosing Fire Alarm Inspection Software: A Contractor's Checklist

I have run a fire alarm inspection shop for years, and I have spent more evenings than I care to count typing up reports at the kitchen table. When you are shopping for fire alarm inspection software, the demos all look good. The questions that matter only show up on a Tuesday in February, in a basement with no signal, with three more buildings on the schedule.

This is the checklist I would hand any contractor looking at fire inspection software. It is written from the truck, not the sales deck.

The Field Checklist

Does it work offline?

Half the fire alarm panels I service are in basements, electrical rooms or parking garages. If the app needs a signal to save a result, your technicians will write on their hand and type it in later, and that is where mistakes come from. The software should let a technician inspect, record deficiencies and finish the report with no signal, then sync when they are back in range. Test this yourself: put the phone in airplane mode and close out an inspection.

Does it only ask what the building has?

A small office with a conventional panel should not get the same twenty pages of questions as a high-rise with voice evacuation and elevator recall. If your technicians scroll past pages of N/A on every visit, they will start skimming, and the reports will show it. The questions should follow the system that was set up for that building.

Can you import devices from a panel point report?

Building a device list by hand for a 600-point building is a full day of data entry. Look for software that can import devices from a panel point report, a spreadsheet, a Word or PDF file, or even a photo, and that lets you review the list before anything saves.

Does it produce an NFPA 72 Record of Completion?

If you install or modify systems, you need a Record of Completion. The best case is a record that pulls from the system you already built in the app and asks only for what is missing. I wrote a separate post on the NFPA 72 Record of Completion if you want the details.

How does it handle deficiencies?

Deficiencies are where inspection work turns into service work, and where a lot of money falls through the cracks. Look for before and after photos on every deficiency, an office view of every open item across every account, and a way to hand off an item to a subcontractor when someone else resolves it.

Can several services go out as one report?

If your technician inspects the fire alarm, the emergency lights and the extinguishers on one visit, the customer should get one combined report, not three separate emails.

Does it track batteries properly?

Batteries are the most common recurring failure on fire alarm systems. Software that tracks each battery set, with a library of common control panels and batteries already loaded, saves time on every visit.

Can a big job be split by area?

On a large building with a crew, each technician should be able to sign their own areas while the lead submits one report.

The Office Checklist

Dispatch and technician qualifications

You need a dispatch board you can read by day, week and month, and you need to know which technicians are qualified for which services. Sending an unqualified technician to a job creates a problem for you and for the AHJ.

Your name on the report

Your logo and license number belong on every report, in the format your fire marshal expects. Your customer should never wonder whose report they are reading.

Devices your crew already carries

Make sure it runs on iPhone, iPad and Android, with an office app that works in a browser. You should not have to buy every technician a new device.

The Buying Checklist

Is pricing published on the page?

If you have to book a call to find out what software will run you, ask yourself why. Published pricing respects your time.

Is there a seat minimum?

A three-technician shop should not pay for ten seats. Look for pricing that scales with the size of your crew.

Can you evaluate it without a sales call?

You should be able to sign up, load a real building, and run a real inspection before you talk to anyone.

Can you read real sample reports first?

The report is the product your customer sees. Read finished sample reports before you sign up for anything. If the reports are not clear, nothing else matters.

Why I Built CodeGreen ITM

Now the honest part. I co-founded CodeGreen ITM, and it started inside Titan Fire Protection.

We looked at the options out there. The large enterprise platforms are built for large enterprises, and they do that well. They did not fit how a working inspection shop runs: a few technicians, a lot of small and mid-size buildings, panels in basements, and an owner who still goes out on calls. I wanted the software to ask only what the building has, work with no signal, pull devices from a point report, and put out a report I would be proud to hand a fire marshal.

So I built it with a senior software developer, Sam Zimmerman, and I ran Titan’s inspections on it every day while we built it. I still do. In my own shop, CodeGreen ITM saves more than 70 hours a month.

Everything on the checklist above is in CodeGreen ITM today, across 21 inspection programs, including fire alarm under NFPA 72, sprinkler and fire pump under NFPA 25, emergency lighting, extinguishers, kitchen hood suppression, fire doors, and newer low voltage programs. You can read real sample reports on codegreenitm.com before you sign up for anything.

Pricing

I said pricing should be published, so here it is:

• Up to 6 technicians: $125 a month, which includes your first technician, plus $25 a month for each additional technician.
• 7 or more technicians: a flat $95 per technician, per month.

Every inspection program is included. There is no implementation fee, no card to start, and you can cancel any time. Every new account starts with a 60-day free evaluation, no credit card required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need fire alarm inspection software if I only have two technicians?

Small shops often benefit the most, because the owner is usually the one typing reports at night. Software that only asks what the building has and works offline gives that time back.

Will the software make my reports acceptable to my AHJ?

The software organizes and presents the work, but the inspection itself still has to be performed to the edition of NFPA 72 adopted by your AHJ. Check what format and content your fire marshal requires and confirm the reports meet it.

How long does it take to get set up?

That depends on how many buildings you have and what records you are starting from. Importing devices from panel point reports is the biggest time saver. Use the free evaluation to load a few real buildings and see for yourself.

Next Steps

Fire alarm contractors anywhere in the country: read more about CodeGreen ITM at Titan, visit codegreenitm.com, or start your 60-day free evaluation at app.codegreenitm.com/signup. No credit card needed.

Connecticut building owners: Titan Fire Protection provides fire alarm inspection, testing, service and monitoring across Connecticut. Request a quote or call 860-322-9028.