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For facilities teams and fire safety consultants who have identified a fire safety breach, the real challenge can be communicating exactly what needs to be fixed, and precisely where the problem is located.

If a contractor arrives on site without enough information to locate a defect, the result can be wasted time, delays and, in some cases, an additional site visit. That's an avoidable cost for everyone involved.

From finding the problem to fixing it

Traditional inspection reports often rely on written descriptions and photographs to explain where a fire safety issue has been identified.

But a photograph doesn't always tell a contractor exactly where to start looking. Is the defect on the first or second floor? Which wall? Which side of the room? How far along the corridor? Digital floor plans can remove much of this uncertainty.

With Aurora, assessors can place an exact pin on a digital floor plan to identify the location of a structural fire safety issue. The finding can then be connected to supporting information and photographic evidence, giving contractors a much clearer picture of what needs attention and where to find it.

Giving contractors actionable information

For contractors, clarity is really important. The difference between "fire-stopping breach in service riser" and a clearly marked location on a floor plan can be significant.

When the location, description and supporting evidence are presented together, contractors can arrive on site with a much better understanding of the work required.

That can mean less time spent searching for defects, fewer questions back to the consultant and a greater chance of completing the work correctly on the first visit.

Reducing unnecessary callback costs

Multiple site visits can be costly. There's the contractor's time, travel, access arrangements and potentially the disruption caused to the building's occupants. For consultancies and facilities teams managing large property portfolios, these costs can quickly add up.

Better information won't eliminate every reason for a return visit, some remedial work will naturally require more than one visit, but it can help reduce callbacks caused by unclear instructions or difficulty locating the original defect.

This is where digital fire safety management becomes more than a way of producing reports. It becomes a way of improving the entire process from identification to remediation.

Creating a clearer audit trail

Accurate location data also has value after the contractor has completed the work. A structured digital record can help facilities teams understand what was identified, where it was located and what action was subsequently taken.

Instead of relying on emails, photographs and separate spreadsheets to piece together the history of an issue, teams can maintain a clearer record within their fire safety management system.

Fix it right the first time

The goal of a fire safety inspection is to provide information that helps people take the right action. By combining digital floor plans, precise location pins, detailed findings and photographic evidence, Aurora helps bridge the gap between identifying a breach and getting it fixed.

When a contractor knows exactly what the problem is and exactly where to find it, there's a much better chance of getting the job right the first time  without unnecessary callbacks.

Speak to a member of our team today to find out more.