Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Uses Check It to Track Assets and Justify New Rigs

When Las Vegas Fire and Rescue (LVF&R) received bond money for a huge expansion project in 2000, the money funded a much-needed purchase of several rescue, truck, and specialty units across their stations-now totaling 22. However, it also created a maintenance and replacement issue two decades later as the units are starting to age out.

LVF&R provides all fire suppression, prevention, and education programs in Las Vegas, which boasts over 250,000 residents and 40+ million annual visitors. They also provide paramedic emergency medical services and specialty services that include a bomb squad, hazardous materials, and technical rescue teams. The Department includes more than 650 fire suppression personnel, fielding more than 120,000 calls each year.

Justifying New Units With Better Documentation

Eric Moon, Administrative Battalion Chief of Support Services, has been with LVF&R for 19 years, rising up through the ranks in fire suppression and also serving 10 years as a Fire Captain. When Chief Moon assumed responsibility for support services for LVF&R-which includes managing all logistics from the warehouse and 22 stations to the 75-unit fleet and all the emergency medical supplies, PPE, etc.-information was being tracked manually with spreadsheets. There wasn't an easy process to track which ALS units, engines, rescues, trucks, ladder trucks, and reserves were in or out of service. With so many aging units in their fleet requiring regular maintenance, they needed a system to document what it was costing.

"It was impossible to track our out-of-service unit time before we implemented Check It. Now we have the history to show maintenance costs and how often reserve engines are going out to help justify new ones."

Chief Moon started implementing Vector Solutions' Check It mobile app in 2020, first rolling out vehicle maintenance, followed by supply requests, small motor repair/replacement, vehicle/apparatus checks, and PPE/turnout gear inspections. "Check it really helped us with our documentation," explained Chief Moon. "We get inspected by the City Auditor every three months and now we have accurate, real-time documentation on all our assets, inventory, and maintenance status. We can track what gear is on which apparatus, when items were ordered/received and who authorized them, and know what our storeroom counts are in real-time. We know what is at each station and have set up thresholds to ensure we reorder before reaching minimum levels, which can result in having to make emergency supply runs." Check It not only improves accuracy of inventory, but also saves valuable time for personnel who no longer have to dig through old records and spreadsheets to gather information.

Centralized and Reportable Information

"Everything is centralized in one place and we have historical data and better documentation on asset damage, usage, costs, and trends," said Chief Moon. "Check It helps keep our crews accountable for proper care and maintenance of our equipment, vehicles, apparatuses, gear, and supplies. We were even able to use Check It for our daily Covid checks and could easily run reports on exposures." Chief Moon reports that the crews like the ease of being able to submit a supply request from their phone app without having to wait until they get back to the station.

They also appreciate the ability to pull up all maintenance history on an apparatus, especially if it's one they are not normally on. Chief Moon's staff of five mechanics save time by asking personnel to upload photos of what is being reported (i.e. leaking coolant) so that they can provide direction without having to make a trip to check out every reported item. Chief Moon said, "The Support Services staff have adapted to Check It really well. It has simplified processes that can get complex with such a mobile workforce in a 24/7 city. Staff appreciate a seamless process of things just magically appearing and being taken care of because Check It helps us stay on top of needs."