The Client

Lipscomb Fire & Rescue is a non-profit, volunteer fire and rescue unit outside Birmingham, Alabama, that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the town of Lipscomb in Jefferson County.

The Challenge

After each call, Lipscomb Fire & Rescue services their fire trucks with the necessary equipment to guarantee they are prepared for the next emergency. The expensive equipment they maintain for the provision of emergency response services includes handsaws, hand tools, hose adaptors and emergency medical equipment, among other valuable items.

Lipscomb Fire & Rescue used pen and paper to capture and record the equipment items necessary for each vehicle. The asset data would be transferred to their computer system in an attempt to account for all equipment. Due to this time-consuming, multi-step process, there was continually the concern that human error might intervene. Errors that could lead to firefighter or civilian injuries or to other problems that could threaten the execution of a mission.

“Tracking the equipment by hand was very time consuming,” says Jamie Pugh, Liaison Officer for Lipscomb Fire & Rescue. “Since we’re 100% volunteer, it is important for us to be efficient. And for safety purposes, it’s vital our equipment tracking be very accurate. If our tracking isn’t accurate, we aren’t able to provide the public safety services we are committed to provide.”

Pugh was regularly spending hours accounting for each piece of equipment by hand and then manually entering the data into the computer. He knew an upgrade was necessary to the Lipscomb Fire and Rescue tracking system in order to save time and ensure the safety of the firefighters and civilians they were assisting.

The Solution

After researching asset tracking systems, Pugh selected Wasp Barcode’s asset tracking software as it had all the features he was looking for at a very affordable price. “There was very little debate. Wasp provided the services we needed on our limited budget. And when I called to get a quote, I received outstanding customer service,” said Pugh.

“I opted to train myself and utilized Wasp’s web tutorials which led me through various procedures. It was simple, easy to understand, and I was confidently using the software in no time,” said Pugh. “There are now 5 employees who use the program daily and teaching them how to use it was painless.”

The Result

Since implementing a Wasp asset management solution, Lipscomb Fire & Rescue has experienced dramatic improvements in their equipment tracking process. The amount of time spent tracking and placing the appropriate equipment on the trucks has been reduced from approximately one hour per run to less than 20 minutes per run, an 80% time savings. “Since implementing Wasp asset tracking software, we have become safer, faster and more efficient,” said Pugh. “And when there is an emergency, the firefighters now know the equipment is there and they know exactly where it is on the truck.”

The tracking system has been greatly simplified. Pugh printed barcodes for each piece of equipment. When he is taking inventory of all their equipment, he simply uses the Wasp barcode scanner “We are very pleased with Wasp asset tracking software and the efficiency we have gained,” said Pugh. “But we are most impressed with the friendly service we have received. Wasp stands behind their product and is always willing to help if we have any questions or need their assistance.”

Lipscomb has been using Wasp asset tracking software for a fairly short time but they have already experienced dramatic improvements to their tracking process, allowing them to continue to serve their community. “We will certainly be using Wasp Barcode Technologies for a long time,” said Pugh.