Firm studies with BuildingReports.com

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.--ArCom, a systems integrator and fire system installer here, became a provider of BuildingReports.com's online fire alarm reporting service last year and thanks to that has experienced an increased interest in the service in 2005. The service, which keeps an online report of fire systems and the inspections that have occurred, allows the fire installer to post inspections results online. Then end users have the option to view whether their fire systems inspections are up to code. "It is a web-based reporting platform that enables our customers to have fire test inspection reports at their fingerprints," said Chris Stuart, vice president and general manager of the company. "Within 30 seconds, inspection reports are available from their PC after we submit that information." The inspections are logged via a handheld Palm Pilot, which scans each device equipped with a bar code with date and time codes. The information is uploaded to a secure web site and allows the user to see all scanned products and buildings to determine if any devices have failed, according to Dale Corssen, service manager at ArCom. "The power of it is that they can access the portal and see a listing of every building," Stuart said, "and once they drill down and click on that building they can determine which device has failed and what the exact failure is." Stuart said customers can also see how fast ArCom's technicians are scanning the devices, which equals out to how efficient the company's technicians are. "There is a mutual benefit to the integrator and the customer in being able to track the whole process," Stuart said. "It gives a means to verify that we actually went to each device and the customer can gain a piece of mind that we have tested each device." Since the company has been carrying the product it has installed 200 systems. So far this year, ArCom, which employs 40 people and has two offices, is experiencing growth with the fire inspection service as well as its other offerings. Stuart said he would like to see the company stay close to reporting 15- to 20-percent annualized growth. He also noted that the company's success comes from being able to offer a variety of security components, such as life safety systems, access control, CCTV and nurse call systems, and that security has become a priority for many organizations. "I think that in the public's mind there is a greater need for protecting the occupants from a different types of danger," Stuart said.