Today’s blog post will cover one of the most common questions regarding the Firebug EXT solution – how can you use Firebug EXT to record fire extinguisher inspections. The old paper & pencil system required a lot of unnecessary work and time to record the location, device and status of each fire extinguisher - not to mention the potential for missed devices, documentation errors and confusion. Firebug EXT allows your team to work more efficiently at tracking and recording the inspection results of your fire extinguishers and other safety devices.
We highly recommend this short but insightful video, which provides a great overview of how to use Firebug EXT to record your fire extinguisher inspections. Afterwards, we encourage you to schedule a live demo of Firebug EXT from one of our tracking solution experts.
1. Identify -- A Barcode For Every Fire Extinguisher and Location
Before building routes and performing fire extinguisher inspections, you need to make sure every fire extinguisher and their locations are identified with a unique barcode label. It's important to choose the right label that will withstand the environment to which the fire extinguishers are exposed. General Data offers a large array of labels that stand up to all sorts of harsh conditions, including abrasion, moisture, chemicals, solvents and temperature extremes. You can purchase the labels with barcodes preprinted on them, or use a printer in-house to print on your labels as needed. Once you have the barcoded labels, a label will need to be placed on each device and at the location of each device.
2. Inspect -- Get More Done With Efficient Route Organization
Firebug EXT organizes inspections in routes, which are a list of locations and extinguishers and other safety equipment to be inspected. Each location is tied to the building and the building is associated with a site. The use of inspection routes organizes the work to make it easier for any inspector to complete. The route is built using the “Route Wizard” that walks the manager through a series of screens to easily add locations to the route. Often a route is organized by building. By adding all locations in a building to a route you are making it certain that every extinguisher and safety device is included. Once built, this route is downloaded to the Android hand held mobile computer or tablet via a sync.
3. Record -- Record Readings and Inspection Results
At the beginning of the route, the inspector will be presented with a list of locations on the screen of the mobile computer. Each extinguisher will have two barcode labels that will need to be scanned for verification: one is tied to the location of the device, the other to the device itself. The inspector scans the location ID barcode label, and Firebug EXT will display a list of the extinguishers expected to be at that location. A second scan of the extinguisher ID barcode label and the system now knows where the inspection is taking place. After the fire extinguisher inspection is performed, a simple on screen tap of the “pass” or “fail” button records the result of the inspection. The inspector can provide as much or as little detail as desired/required.
Once the inspection for that device is completed it will be marked as such and you can move on to the next extinguisher listed on the route. Once the inspector has finished the inspection of all the devices due, the route will then be closed and removed from the list of due inspections. This can happen over the course of one day, or if necessary, can be revisited over multiple days until completion. Based upon the inspection regulations for each device, the software will then provide an alert as to when the next inspection needs to be scheduled.
4. Report -- Accurate Reporting for Compliance
The results of these fire extinguisher inspections are included in a set of reports that can be printed through Firebug EXT at any time. If a regulatory agency were to inquire about the inspection history of a single extinguisher or a group of extinguishers, an Inspection Transaction Report can be generated for any length of time. The report will note the dates and times of these inspections along with the results. Firebug EXT also notes the technician who completed the inspection as well. By being able to accurately report you demonstrate to the regulator that you have a system in place to comply with safety standards.
Schedule A Free Demo of Firebug EXT
Want to see for yourself how Firebug EXT works? Contact us to schedule a no-charge demo. We'll walk you through Firebug EXT and its components, as well as answer all your questions.
