OUR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Our systems.
Built around you.
Most fire safety contractors ask their clients to fit around their software. We do it the other way round. Our engineer mobile application, our Infor management system and the dashboards our clients use are all owned, hosted and customised by Fire Systems. When a client needs something different, we change the system to suit them.
Three parts. All owned by us.
That is what makes Fire Systems different, and it is why housing associations have trusted us with their fire safety compliance for more than 25 years.
01
Infor SyteLine ERP
Our central management system for scheduling, engineer dispatch, site records, asset histories, certification and invoicing.
02
Engineer mobile application
Our own software, connected directly to Infor, so we decide exactly what is captured on site for each client.
03
Live client dashboards
Designed in-house from the Infor database and published on our secure web portal, around each client’s own KPIs.
Built for housing associations.
We have deliberately shaped our business around what our clients need, whether commercial or, especially, housing. We currently look after the fire defence equipment of seven housing associations, including two members of the G15 group whose contracts we have held for over 20 years through successive re-tenders.
Housing associations take fire safety seriously. They do not rely on one person to oversee it across their homes. They have dedicated compliance departments, with their own reporting standards, KPIs and audit requirements, and no two are the same. Each of our clients has:
Its own KPIs and service level agreements
Its own certificate and reporting formats
Its own internal systems that our data must feed into
Its own priorities for remedial works and budgets
Housing associations also merge and grow, bringing together different systems and contract structures. We needed management systems that could adapt to every one of them, and keep adapting as their needs change. So we built them.
Infor SyteLine: a management system we control.
At the centre of our operation is Infor SyteLine, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system used by organisations worldwide. It manages everything from job scheduling and engineer dispatch to site records, asset histories, certification and invoicing, giving us a fully paperless operation. Over several years we have tailored it specifically for fire defence servicing: fire alarms, emergency lighting, extinguishers, dry risers, AOVs and sprinklers.
Because it runs on our own servers, we can:
• Add new fields, screens and workflows when a client needs them
• Reshape our forms and data to match a client’s own system, even after a housing association merger
• Produce certificates and reports in each client’s preferred format
• Export data directly into a client’s systems, by file transfer or by API
Why we moved
For more than 20 years we ran on an off-the-shelf service management system. It served us well, but we could not change it.
When a client asked for something new, we had to ask the supplier, and changes were only made if enough of their customers wanted the same thing. Our clients’ needs were too varied to work that way, so we moved to Infor.
Asset management: a register that stays up to date.
The biggest problem with most asset registers is that they go out of date. Unless someone checks them regularly, devices are replaced, moved or removed and the register no longer reflects what is on site.
We solved this by building asset tracking into our servicing. Our engineers already visit every device during the service year, so every visit now checks the register too.
How it works
01
Each device, from detectors and call points to extinguishers and emergency lights, is fitted with a unique QR code label.
02
During each service visit, the engineer scans the code before recording the test results.
03
The results are sent back to Infor and the asset record is updated.
04
The client’s Asset Management Dashboard updates as soon as the data is processed.
What is recorded for every asset
• Site, zone, floor and exact location, including mounting height
• Device type, make, model and product code
• Installation date, age and due replacement date
• When it was tested, and how many times a year
• Whether it is still on site
• A full device history log
Why it matters to our clients
A register you can rely on.
It is verified on site at least once a year as part of normal servicing, with no extra visit.
Proof of attendance.
A scan shows the engineer was physically at the device before any test result was entered.
Lifecycle planning.
Device ages and replacement dates let compliance teams plan and budget replacements years ahead.
Instant answers.
The full register can be filtered by any field and downloaded to Excel from our web portal.
Our own engineer mobile application.
Our engineers carry our own mobile application, connected directly to Infor. Because we control it, we decide exactly what data is captured on site, and we can change it for any client.
Right first time
Jobs arrive with full site details, service history and the materials needed.
Tailored checklists
Compliance checklists are set for each equipment type and, where required, for each client.
Proof on site
QR code scanning captures asset data and proves attendance.
Real-time results
Test results, defects and recommendations are recorded on site and returned to the office in real time.
Safety to hand
Up-to-date risk assessments and method statements are available on the device.
Continually improving
It is software we produced ourselves, so we add new checks, screens or data fields for a client without waiting for a supplier, using feedback from our engineers and clients.
The result is a fully electronic process, from the engineer arriving on site to the certificate reaching the client.
Van stock: the right parts, first time.
Every engineer’s van is managed as its own stock location in Infor, so we know exactly what each engineer is carrying at any time.
Checked before every job
Before a job is assigned, our Engineer Van Stock dashboard confirms the engineer has the parts needed. If not, the parts are arranged before the visit.
Booked from the mobile app
Engineers book out the parts they use directly from the app, so van stock is always accurate and every part is recorded against the job.
Restocked automatically
When a van’s stock falls below set levels, Infor raises the replenishment automatically, so engineers are not left short.
The result is fewer return visits for residents, faster repairs and a higher first-time fix rate.
Live dashboards designed for each client.
We design and build all our dashboards in-house, directly from the Infor database. They are published on our secure web portal and can be viewed on a PC, tablet or mobile phone. Each client’s dashboards are built to its own KPIs and reporting requirements, and new filters or views can be added on request. Examples of dashboards we provide today:
KPI service attendance
Systems serviced within the agreed attendance window, by site and month, with compliance percentages.
Outstanding issues
Every open defect with priority, cost, quote and certificate links, filterable by site or UPRN.
Asset register
Every device on every site, with age and replacement priority, downloadable to Excel.
Certificates
Service certificates with red, amber and green issue priorities, readable by non-technical staff.
Budget
Spend on call-outs and remedial works against budget, throughout the contract term.
No access and remedial works
Properties not accessed and works in progress.
Dashboards that protect our clients’ KPIs.
We also use dashboards to monitor our own performance. Each client’s KPIs are programmed into our system with a warning parameter, and every department has its own dashboards. If a parameter is breached, meaning a KPI failure is on its way, a warning email is sent automatically to the manager responsible for that contract, giving us time to act before the KPI is failed.
Our KPI record is one of the main reasons we keep winning and retaining contracts. And dashboards are not only set from the top: any member of staff can request one they believe will help them perform better, and we build it.
70% to 88%
Our dashboards also drive improvement. Using our First Fix dashboard, we found that 70% of faults were resolved on the first visit. We put a five-point improvement plan in place and raised this to 88%.
Why a customisable system matters.
Many fire safety contractors use off-the-shelf, cloud-based service software. It is convenient, but the contractor has no access to the system behind it. If a client needs a change, the contractor can only pass the request to the software supplier, who will usually make it only if enough of its other customers ask for the same thing. We know this from experience: it is exactly why we moved away from our previous system.
Typical off-the-shelf cloud system
Who controls changes
The software supplier
A client needs a new field, report or certificate
Waits for the supplier, often never delivered
Access to data
Limited to standard exports
Dashboards
Standard templates
Feeding a client’s own systems
Fixed formats only
Engineer application
Same for every customer
Fire Systems
Who controls changes
Fire Systems
A client needs a new field, report or certificate
Built to the client’s specification
Access to data
Full access to our own database
Dashboards
Designed for each client’s KPIs
Feeding a client’s own systems
Data shaped to match the client’s system
Engineer application
Adapted to each client’s checklists and requirements
With Fire Systems, the answer to “can your system do this?” is almost always yes.
Quality and compliance in Mango QMS.
Alongside Infor, our quality, environmental and health and safety management systems run through Mango QMS. Where Infor holds the operational record of every job, Mango holds the evidence behind it.
Competence control
Every engineer’s qualifications and training are held in a competence matrix. Automated alerts warn us before anything expires, and an engineer cannot be allocated to work they are not currently qualified for.
Audits and corrective actions
Site spot checks, quality inspections and health and safety audits are recorded in Mango, and every finding is tracked through root cause and corrective action to verified closure.
Complaints handled openly
Complaints are logged with a unique record and acknowledged within two hours, then investigated, resolved and analysed for trends so lessons feed back into training and procedures.
Controlled documents
Procedures, risk assessments and method statements are version controlled, with a record of which staff have read and acknowledged each revision.
Changing standards
Legal and standards registers help us keep procedures, training and test templates in line with changes to British Standards and building safety legislation.
Certified systems
Our ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certified management systems are administered through Mango and audited externally every year.
Designed by people who know fire safety.
Our systems are not designed by software developers guessing how fire safety works. They are shaped by Len Mason and Will Mason, the directors of Fire Systems, who both began their careers as fire alarm engineers and have more than 50 years’ combined experience in the industry. That hands-on knowledge goes directly into how our systems are built.
For engineers
Clear, practical screens and checklists that work on site.
For service managers
Scheduling, resourcing and performance tools that show where every job stands.
For compliance and project managers
Reporting that answers the questions housing association teams are actually asked.
Len leads our IT, reporting and compliance systems personally, working with our compliance team so that every new client requirement is understood and delivered.
The benefits.
For our clients
• Reporting built around your own KPIs and compliance standards
• Real-time visibility of servicing, defects and costs, 24 hours a day
• An asset register verified on site every year
• Proof that every device was visited and tested
• Certificates that non-technical staff can read at a glance
• Data delivered directly into your own systems
• Quick, reliable answers for boards, regulators and residents
For Fire Systems
• One system across scheduling, servicing, assets and invoicing
• A real-time view of every job, engineer and deadline
• Accurate resource planning and forecasting
• Higher first-time fix rates through better job information
• Freedom to meet any client request without waiting on a supplier
• A paperless operation from site to certificate
• Systems that grow with our clients, including through mergers
Can your system do this? Ask us.
Tell us how your compliance team reports today, and we will show you how our dashboards, certificates and data feeds can be shaped around it.