BuildingReports Blog

Did you know BuildingReports provides for the ability to include monitoring information on web-based inspection reports?

According to the changes in the 2010 updates, NFPA 72 now explicitly approves the use of alternative digital voice technologies, like Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), and communication service providers, like cable companies, for fire monitoring purposes. All providers, including legacy analog phone companies, must meet the same monitoring performance requirements. BuildingReports has included the more detailed information in it's online reporting solution to satisfy these stricter requirements since the announcement went into effect.

With hundreds of different devices and systems on the market, it is imperative for fire and life safety professionals to be knowledgeable about the codes and standards that apply locally in order to ensure code-compliant inspections and testing.

Such knowledge, in turn, needs to be as ongoing and evolving as the dynamic code development process itself. Revisions to codes and standards typically take place every three to five years. With these periodic revisions, significant changes that affect inspection, testing and maintenance are often applied as a result of the vitally important, interactive relationship among manufacturers, researchers, engineers and other experts in the fire and life safety industry.

Inspector's Boot Camp, a leading training resource for the Fire and Life Safety industry, has announced 2015 dates for it's week-long Basic Fire Alarm Inspection Training in Aiken, SC:

• May 18-22, 2015
• September 14-18, 2015
• November 9-13, 2015

Dedicated to enhancing the value of inspectors through education, certification, and quality hands-on building inspection training using the latest inspection tools and technologies, graduates of IBC represent some of the leading service providers of building inspections.

BuildingReports today announced the release of ScanSeries™ version 1.7 for iOS.

The latest version of the popular fire and life safety inspection application includes several enhancements:

• iOS 8 Compatibility: For Apple iPhone and iPod Touch devices, the update provides compatibility for iOS 8. Once the update is downloaded, users can install the latest version of the Apple operating system at their discretion.
• Service Summary View: The same useful "Service Summary" section found on inspection reports is now available to inspectors using SafetyScan ; the new view provides a quick overview of the device types and services performed of devices that have been inspected so far.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), in 2001 there were more than 85,000 nonresidential fires resulting in direct property loss estimated at over $2.4 billion. To mitigate the sizable risk, organizations such as the Automatic Fire Alarm Association (AFAA) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have long advocated a balanced approach. That is to say, rather than relying simply on fire detection (i.e. smoke alarms) or suppression (i.e. sprinklers and fire extinguishers), that builders and facility managers leverage both in coordination with each other.

As a sponsor of the 51st American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) Annual Conference and Technical Exhibition August 3-6 in Chicago, Illinois, BuildingReports provider event goers with an early glimpse at healthcare facility compliance performance. The data and analysis are based on data from the inaugural Fire & Life Safety Inspection Benchmark Report.