BuildingReports

Blog

Welcome to the BuildingReports blog, where our fire and life safety compliance experts share knowledge, tips, tricks and industry news pertaining to commercial facility inspections.

New SecurityScan Award & Media Recognition

By David Spence | March 5, 2021

Recent coverage by top industry media outlets focused on the positive impact SecurityScan can have on service companies and facilities alike. Security Sales & Integration announced in December 2020 that ScanSeries, and more specifically SecurityScan and FireScan, had been selected as one of the “Top 30 Technology Innovations for 2020.”

New ScanSeries Releases Available in November

Updates Android and iOS include new features and improvements, including support for the new DocDrive Plus add-on.
Read More

The Clock Is Ticking on CARES Act Tax Incentives

The 2020 CARES Act offers revised tax rules incentivizing some facilities to take on fire and life safety initiatives, including sprinkler retrofits.
Read More

Leveraging Technology During Reopening for Disinfection Efforts Related to COVID-19

SafetyScan from BuildingReports enables facilities to track and report on PPE and disinfection efforts.
Read More

Previous Posts

Commonly Overlooked Test and Inspection Requirements

By David Spence | October 26, 2016

The following is a guest blog contribution from one of BuildingReports’ service members, A1 Sprinkler & Systems Integration. If you would like to contribute as a guest blogger, please contact marketing@buildingreports.com. Life safety systems such as sprinklers, fire extinguishers, fire pumps, and fire alarms all have required tests and inspections to ensure they are running […]

New Feature for ScanSeries Healthcare Users

By David Spence | September 19, 2016

BuildingReports has released a new feature that will be welcomed by users of our ScanSeries Healthcare formats. When logging into your account and viewing your reports in a healthcare format, you will notice a new designation in the legend section at the beginning of the Inspection and Testing section. The legend now includes an “R” […]

Louisiana State Fire Marshal Provides Guidance for Businesses Regarding Reopening After Historic Flood

By David Spence | August 26, 2016

The Louisiana State Fire Marshal released guidelines and requirements for businesses who plan to reopen following the historic flooding that impacted the region recently. An estimated 6.9 trillion gallons of water fell across the impacted area in early to mid-August. The following guidelines as published earlier today are in effect through the end of November […]

OSHA Penalties Skyrocket 80% with Changes Effective August 1, 2016

By David Spence | August 22, 2016

Effective August 1st (2016), companies with more than 250 employees can expect increased scrutiny and fines under OSHA’s new enforcement and penalty policies. Area directors from OSHA can offer companies with fewer than 250 employees a fine reduction of 20%. Under the new guidelines, fines for incidents increased by 80% to a maximum of $124,709 […]

CMS Top 10 Life Safety Code Violations & the New Final Rule

By David Spence | August 10, 2016

Audits by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services accredited agencies can cause sleepless nights for those responsible for fire and life safety systems in healthcare occupancy types. Not only can the outcome lead to having to cut employees loose and steep fines, but because these audits results are reported publicly it can also have a […]

INFOGRAPHIC: The Real Cost of False Alarms & How to Prevent Them

By David Spence | July 25, 2016

A recent study by the NFPA uncovered some eye-opening statistics. In 2012, fire departments in the United States reported responding to over 2,238,000 false alarms. The majority, 46.6%, were unintentional calls, while 31.9% were attributed to system malfunctions. This represents a serious strain on emergency responders who not only risk their own safety trying to […]

Are you prepared for your next fire inspection?

By David Spence | July 14, 2016

How prepared are you for a fire inspection? Your local fire marshal can stop by to inspect your business anytime, so it is of grave importance to make sure your building is up to code at all times. But what exactly does “up to code” mean? After all, fire codes can be very complex and […]

BuildingReports Surpasses 3M Inspection Milestone: The Power of Big Data

By David Spence | July 7, 2016

BuildingReports, thanks to its massive network of independent inspection companies and facility users, has compiled the world’s largest database of fire and life safety inspection reporting. But, with great success comes great responsibility. Often overlooked are the opportunities that arise with the advantages of big data. For those not familiar with the information technology term, […]

SprinklerScan for iOS: Update Your App for New Devices

By David Spence | May 18, 2016

BuildingReports members using ScanSeries for Apple iOS devices can now update to version 2.8.7 via the Apple App Store. The latest release includes minor improvements, as well as a correction to fix a recent “Download Mistmatch” error reported from users in the field. Members licensing SprinklerScan on iOS will also have access to new Pump […]

Paper vs. Digital: What the NFPA says about Electronic Inspection Reporting

By David Spence | February 15, 2016

In today’s advanced technological landscape, smart phones (perhaps more accurately described as mobile computers) and the “Internet of Things” (devices, vehicles, buildings and other items which are embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity) are the norm. We can manage the temperature in a building remotely, we can start our cars with our cell […]