Deerfield Beach Fire Inspectors Rely on Rugged Zebra Mobile Printers to Put out Paperwork


Challenge:
Fire inspectors in Deerfield Beach, Fla., know that paper can have an incendiary effect on their time. The department conducts between 3,000 and 5,000 fire safety inspections of businesses annually. Recording inspection information, entering it into computerized records systems, and retrieving it for follow-up visits costs the department more than 1,000 hours each year.

“Our secretarial staff estimated that it takes about 20 minutes for them to enter the information for an inspection report,” said Gary Fernaays, chief of the Inspections/Investigations Division of the Deerfield Beach Fire/Rescue Department. “Retrieving the data could also be time-consuming, and it added complexity to scheduling.”

Solution:
Well-versed in the benefits of prevention, the Deerfield Beach Fire Department (DBFD) sought ways to prevent paperwork from slowing its inspection operations. As a result, fire inspectors in this oceanfront community of 60,000 residents became among the first in the country to use mobile computers to record inspection data. The DBFD uses PocketFire software from Advanced Public Safety (APS) running on PDA-style handheld computers to record and access inspection data. Carbon copy forms are no longer required because inspectors now use Zebra mobile printers to produce violation forms for business owners.

APS created electronic versions of inspection forms to run on HP® iPAQ and Symbol® handheld computers that inspectors now carry. The application was easy for inspectors to learn and use, because they work with familiar forms and collect the same information as before. Drop-down menus, tabs, and prompts make data entry easier. Many fields, such as facility address, contact information, and the location of nearby fire hydrants, can be pre-loaded so they don’t have to be manually entered during each inspection.

The electronic form also can improve the quality of information because the software has built-in error-checking features that ensure complete and consistent data collection.

Improving data access was just as important to the project as improving data collection. Inspectors take advantage of the database in the PocketFire software to view inspection histories and get other information they need about the facility. There is no need to retrieve records before going out on an inspection, or to carry paperwork into the field. Fernaays no longer has to pull original inspection reports from the files to schedule follow-up visits by inspectors.

“The whole idea behind the program is to improve our access to information,” said Fernaays. “Now, the same inspector doesn’t have to do the follow-up inspection on the facility because all the information is there on the handheld and there is no loss of documentation. That helps the inspectors do their jobs and helps me with the scheduling.”

When an inspection is complete, the officer prints a report or a violation form for the business owner using a rugged Zebra RW 420 mobile printer. Inspectors use Zebra mobile printers because they are lightweight enough to bring along on the inspection, but durable enough to withstand the inevitable bumps, drops, scratches, and exposure to the elements that go along with working indoors and out. The printers and handheld computers communicate with a Bluetooth® wireless connection, so there are no cables to snag, break, or potentially tangle inspectors.

“We always do a cable-free interface between the computer and the printer. There’s no reason to be tethered with a cable,” said Rubenstein. “Wireless printing provides more mobility, there’s an improved safety factor because there is no cable to tangle or trip on, and officers get flexibility so if they don’t want to take the printer with them, they can leave it in the vehicle and print from 50 feet away.”

Zebra printers have additional features that fire inspectors, police officers, and other public safety officials find useful, including an optional integrated magnetic stripe reader for taking data from driver’s licenses, and the ability to download fonts to create customized, professional forms.

“Inspectors really like the idea of using mobile printers,” said Fernaays. “The reports are easier to read and they don’t have to deal with carbon-copy forms.”
Inspectors do not need to print a copy for the department’s records. When they return to the station, the handheld computer is placed into a docking cradle and the inspection information is automatically downloaded to the department’s database systems through APS’s QuickData software.

“We’ve tested all the printers on the market and we only use Zebra,” said Jeff Rubenstein, founder, president and CEO of Advanced Public Safety. “We’ve been providing this type of solution for five years, and can say the Zebra printers last forever in the tough public safety environment.”

Results:
Inspectors and secretaries no longer spend 20 minutes entering each inspection report into the computer system. Downloading the data saves the department at least 1,000 hours annually, and also eliminates the possibility of transcription errors.

“What we’re really excited about is how information is so readily available to us,” said Fernaays. “It used to be time-consuming to retrieve paperwork. Now, we can get all the information we need right on the handheld. The biggest benefit we get is from the easy retrieval of data, and how that improves our time management.”

The inspection system has sparked other ideas on how to take advantage of mobile technology. Fernaays plans to expand the system to more inspectors, and to add clip-on digital cameras to the handheld computers to record violations. The department may also start using the computers for fire investigations.

Deerfield Beach was the first fire-rescue department to fully implement the PocketFire system, which is currently being tested by departments around the world. Zebra mobile printers will continue to be an integral part of the system.