Success Story Archives - Page 2 of 3

21
Jan 19
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New Mexico State Fire Marshal Success Story

Category:Success Story

The New Mexico State Fire Marshal’s office is building an accurate data record tracking database with historical value.

The New Mexico State Fire Marshal’s office knew their antiquated system for tracking and reporting on inspections needed an overhaul. There was no consistency in their reporting and it offered too much free reign to be adequate for the court cases.

They began their search for a software that would fit their needs and like many organizations, needed three competing bids. “Codepal came in to round out the three as a suggestion to fill the required number. We had another software in mind. However, once we saw Codepal’s abilities, we were sold. It is the software for us. It was important that whatever software company we went with, our data would not be held hostage.

Codepal president, Bob Lee explained that our data is ours and is always available to us, regardless of the situation. It was that assurance that sold us on the product. We worked with the staff to design a setup that fit our needs. They gave recommendations for hardware and worked with us to assure we had everything we needed.

Confidence in ability to document for court proceedings

We now feel confident in our ability to hold up in a court
of law with a seamless system that offers consistency and accurate data reporting. It has taken some time, about 3 months to get adapted and build out all of our special requests. We have many older code books we reference and have access to the years we needed within the software as well as the newest editions that we are working on adopting.’

Their main goal was to get all staff on the same page and in the right format, obtaining a solid structure that’s secure. Codepal is flexible and adaptable to their needs, keeping the form consistent and uniform for all users. ‘Tracking is so much easier and provides a history that we can reflect back to for years to come. Record tracking is complete with pictures and gives a real view of property at the time. We’ve never had this ability.
We have the access on tablets in the field to build our reports while on site or we can still use paper and return to the office to complete the reports. We’re not forced into one format or the other.’

Codepal isn’t just a software company, we work side by side with our clients to assure they have a positive customer experience.
‘The ongoing support has exceeded our expectations, the staff is available and responsive. We didn’t just purchase a packaged software, we feel like we’ve partnered with a company that is helpful and has our best interests in mind.’

New Mexico State Fire Marshal website

Be sure to check out other stories like this on our main page

21
Apr 18
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Big tasks take bold leaders.

When Pete was appointed as the Fire Marshal in the Town of Old Saybrook, he was tasked with trying to ascertain how many buildings required inspections and setting up schedules to maintain current compliance with State Statutes and National codes. He was facing huge challenges, with nothing truly computerized, tracking and security were difficult. Being involved in several public integrity cases, it was critical for him to have a software package with accountability and tracking that could keep compliance tracking easy.

Codepal was referred to Pete by another Connecticut Fire Marshal, Vernon Skau, from New London. ‘After a little time with a portable tablet, it was obvious this was the expeditious way of completing transactions. However, the number one valued asset we were looking for was support for the product once in place and that turned out well above our expectations. The owner of Codepal came to my office to meet with me face to face to assure my needs were met, I was sold. Not every software company owner will come to a small town to meet with a potential client, regardless that I was one man, not a huge organization. I was treated equally as important as a large client. They provided people on site that took me through the setup, how to use the program and went into the field to assess and adjust the program as I needed. Between value, cost, and service, the end cost of the product is by far the most economical for any Fire Marshal office trying to get themselves into the 21st century.’

Flexibility in the software gives Pete the forms and reports he needs in one place.

‘Having the ability to design my own forms or input state forms such as administrative cause and origin warrants, all permitting and search and seizure to name a few, is an outstanding feature of Codepal. Data simply moves into Codepal with minimal time to import. I’m now able to break out, organize, prioritize and manage our inspectable properties. I now can design, plan and implement on my own without having to go to Codepal to design every piece of the system. However, when I have a question or issue, each and every call has been answered by people that individually know, recognize and are able to deal with the issue via the web in literally seconds. My data and checklists are never lost, this system offers unbeatable record management services.’

Saving time and money, while reaching your goals is priceless.

‘Cost savings in the field, in terms of time management, cut the job down to a quarter of the time that used to be necessary to inspect, document and issue a report. The reports look professional and are easily emailed, printed in the car or can be mailed which gives Fire Marshals’ the flexibility needed based on assets available to do the job. I’m able to reference NFPA Codes, Connecticut Fire Safety Codes, and general Connecticut Statutes quickly with a click of the mouse, easily pulling them into my report. I can add photos and use speech to text to complete something as detailed as a major arson investigation or as simple as a permit.’

Legal issues and inspection liability is an unfortunate topic of the times. The issue is prevalent in Connecticut as well.

‘Considering recent court decisions that have been handed down regarding Fire Marshal responsibilities, duties, statutory mandates and obligations, in the state of Connecticut; Codepal affords me the comfort in knowing I’m able to track, maintain and report data to anyone at any time. This protects my office and my integrity allowing me to focus on the community I serve.’ Pete was tasked with developing a plan; he accepted the challenge and turned it around. ‘With Codepal, I was able to set up my 1, 2, 3 and 4-year inspections, state permits, tank pulls and more. I can easily handle issuing everything in a smooth transition from issue to delivery. The ease of using the program for someone who may not be computer literate is truly an asset. We met all our intended goals; keeping the board of selectmen informed of ongoing inspections through daily, weekly, monthly and annual reports. And communications with our citizens and businesses are sent in a timely manner.‘

Pete Terenzi - Town of Old Saybrook Fire Marshal — Pete has been the Town of Old Saybrook Fire Marshal since June of 2017. Previously, he was a Lieutenant Colonel and commanding officer of Field Operations for the Connecticut State Police, he retired with 30 years on the job.

Town of Old Saybrook, CT Fire Marshal Facebook Page

13
Mar 18
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Taking it to the next level: re-evaluating our processes.

Category:Success Story Tags : Chain of Custody

The service from Codepal has been dependable and superb. It has made life easier for us. The Codepal staff makes themselves available to us.

Homero Garza was appointed to the Hidalgo Fire Marshal position March 7, 2016 and re-appointed January 23, 2018 for another two-year term. Previously he worked for a local hospital as a director of security and transportation and Environmental Risk Manager for eight years.

Upon accepting the position, one of Homero’s goals was to transition his office from paper inspections to the next level, using technology. “It was a challenge when looking for historical data or past inspections. It took extra resources.” Not just in the time to find what they were looking for, but the cost of the extra storage space. Storage space is limited and costly to store documents/inspections for numerous years.

He began researching software and asking around about what other local companies were using. He just needed to get an idea of what was out there. One of the local fire departments uses Codepal and spoke to him about Codepal’s processes. “We were required to get 3 quotes, we requested a quote from Codepal. The biggest difference for us was the face to face interaction we received from Codepal.” Bob and Pam met with Homero about his needs and demonstrated the software.

The staff is always available to us

Later, “Codepal staff came in-person to work with my staff to assure the set up was exactly what we needed and came back to train us. The Codepal staff is available to us.”

“During analysis with the Codepal staff, the conversation turned to our evidence storage. Realizing the process needed an overhaul, we spoke with the Codepal rep about our concerns with our current process. They set up an evidence piece to meet our needs. It is important to keep evidence safe and accounted for and this is reliable. We re-organized the room and streamlined our evidence management. Accountability is key, and preservation of evidence is the biggest hurdle we overcame.” The entire process allowed the Fire Marshal staff to re-evaluate a lot of areas. They discovered documents being stored that auditors already store. “We have eliminated redundant processes.” This not only saves storage space but time. A fresh look at processes can be all it takes to quickly see where you can save resources.

“The whole experience has been great for us. Now we have history and reporting available at the click of a button. We no longer search through stored documents to find what we need.

If you would like to speak with Homero about his experience with Codepal, please email him at: homero.garza@co.hidalgo.tx.us

Category Archives: Success Story

Jan 19

-

New Mexico State Fire Marshal Success Story

The New Mexico State Fire Marshal’s office is building an accurate data record tracking database with historical value.

Confidence in ability to document for court proceedings

Apr 18

-

Big tasks take bold leaders.

Flexibility in the software gives Pete the forms and reports he needs in one place.

Saving time and money, while reaching your goals is priceless.

Legal issues and inspection liability is an unfortunate topic of the times. The issue is prevalent in Connecticut as well.

Mar 18

-

Taking it to the next level: re-evaluating our processes.

The service from Codepal has been dependable and superb. It has made life easier for us. The Codepal staff makes themselves available to us.

The staff is always available to us

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