This week we're sharing an update on our new Business Development Representative, a preview of some new reporting capabilities we're developing, the latest AFAM AlarmTech App tutorial, and a glimpse at something we think could be useful in the future.

​We've started developing a new set of reports that incorporate floor plans where they're available.

Our existing reports already allow you to review activity on a PFA or property over a selected period of time. These new reports take that a step further by showing not only the events that occurred, but also where they occurred. Detector activations and state changes are displayed directly on the floor plan, making it much easier to visualise what happened throughout the building.

We think these reports will be particularly useful during site commissioning, annual inspections, and even routine monthly testing, where being able to quickly identify detector activity can save time and make troubleshooting much easier.

As we build out the tracking of non-monitored assets on the floor plans (such as extinguishers and emergency lighting) we’ll also include these on the reports.

We'll share some examples of these reports in an upcoming newsletter.

​We've recently published the second video in our series on getting the most out of the AFAM AlarmTech App. You can watch it by clicking the link below.

It's been a little while since we've talked about the On Test feature, so here's a quick reminder.

If you would like to temporarily pause messaging for a PFA or CTU, there are two easy ways to do it:

• Use the AFAM AlarmTech App – If we monitor the site, you can place it On Test yourself directly from the app
• Give us a call – Our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we're always happy to place a site On Test for you, regardless of the time

One important point to remember is that placing a site On Test only suppresses messaging. It does not stop fire alarm state changes from being transmitted to Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ).

If you'd like to see how to place a site On Test using the AFAM AlarmTech App, have a look at the tutorial videos available on our website.

As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we've found an outstanding person to join our Auckland team alongside Anastasia.

Rebecka Andersson joins AFAM in early August as our new Business Development Representative. Rebecka brings a strong background in both Security and Information Technology, with experience spanning technical, sales, and account management roles.

While she'll be new to the fire alarm monitoring industry, we're confident she'll be up to speed in no time. We're excited to welcome her to the team and know she'll be a great addition for both AFAM and our customers.

​Over the past few months we've been quietly exploring ways to transform our existing two-dimensional floor plans into fully interactive 3D building models, with every detector accurately positioned using latitude, longitude and elevation coordinates.

Traditionally, creating models like this requires every detector to be individually surveyed using GPS or laser measurement equipment, making the process both time-consuming and expensive.

We've developed a much faster approach that derives the 3D model directly from the existing floor plans. We won't give away all of the details, but it involves a combination of spatial analysis, image processing, and a healthy dose of what we like to call "monkey maths."

The result is a fully navigable 3D model that displays detector states in real time, just as our 2D floor plans do today. Each detector in the model is represented by a coloured marker, with the colour indicating its current state, providing an instant visual overview of the building.

To demonstrate what's possible, we've created a 3D model of the detectors in a real seven-and-a-half-storey building in Wellington. Click the image below to watch a short video showing the model. Viewing the building from different angles makes it much easier to orient yourself and quickly identify exactly where each detector is located.

Over the next fortnight members of the AFAM team will be visiting Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch. 

If you'd like to arrange a meeting, grab a coffee, book a demonstration, or discuss how AFAM can provide greater visibility across your fire alarm portfolio, we'd love to catch up.

​In our next newsletter we'll share more of what we've been working on, while also taking a closer look at some exciting new features that are just around the corner.

This week we're sharing an update on our next-generation CTU, highlighting some of the work we've been doing in the training space, and covering a few other developments from around AFAM.

We recently had the pleasure of being invited by Foodstuffs North Island to deliver a three-hour workshop for their fire alarm service agents, showcasing AFAM's capabilities and services.

A big thank you to Foodstuffs for organising the session, and to all the service agents who attended and generously gave their time.

The workshop generated some excellent discussion, and we've come away with a number of actions, potential improvements, and ideas for new services that will benefit both service agents and property owners and managers.

Training and the availability of resources for installers and technicians was one of the key topics raised during the Foodstuffs North Island workshop.

Over the past few months we've been running a series of free, in-person training sessions for fire alarm technicians, covering a range of topics with a particular focus on the AFAM AlarmTech App. These sessions are often held immediately after technicians' toolbox meetings, making it easy for teams to attend while they're already together.

We're always happy to run these sessions, so if you'd like some free training for your technicians, please get in touch.

We're also about to release the second video in our AlarmTech App tutorial series. In the Resources section of our website you'll also find a growing library of tutorial videos, installation guides, and training material covering the AlarmTech App, CTU, and customer portals.

We're pleased to share that we've found an outstanding person to join our Auckland team as our new Business Development Representative.

We're not quite ready to introduce them just yet—but stay tuned, we'll be making that announcement very soon.

Development of our next-generation CTU continues to make excellent progress, and we're now very close to receiving the first pre-production test units.

As a reminder, we began this project early last year with the goal of completely redesigning our monitoring hardware from the ground up. While our current CTU has proven to be exceptionally reliable and continues to meet today's requirements, the new platform gives us significantly more processing power, additional storage, and expanded input/output capability.

These improvements will allow us to deliver new features and functionality that simply aren't possible with the current hardware.

Key enhancements include:

• A significantly more powerful processor for faster performance and greater capability.
• Bluetooth connectivity for direct access through the AlarmTech App, making commissioning and troubleshooting much easier onsite.
• Multiple general-purpose outputs, extending the CTU's capabilities beyond monitoring.
• Networking capability, allowing multiple CTUs to work together and enabling entirely new functionality.
• Analogue inputs for integrating devices such as pressure sensors (ideal for sprinkler systems), temperature sensors, and other monitoring applications.

​
We're excited to share more as development progresses.

In our last newsletter we announced the ability to add assets and features to floor plans, including:

• Fire extinguishers
• Hose reels
• Emergency signage
• Fire doors
• Hazards, such as fuel stores and gas cylinders
• And more

We also asked whether you'd like to do more than simply record the location of these assets.

The response was a resounding yes.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide feedback. Your input has given us a clear direction, and we'll now begin expanding this functionality to deliver even greater value.

Over the next fortnight members of the AFAM team will be visiting Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Whanganui, Nelson, and Christchurch.

If you'd like to arrange a meeting, grab a coffee, book a demonstration, or discuss how AFAM can provide greater visibility across your fire alarm portfolio, we'd love to catch up.

​In our next newsletter we'll share more of what we've been working on, while also taking a closer look at some exciting new features that are just around the corner.

This week we're answering a couple of questions we've been surprised to receive recently, along with sharing some general updates from around AFAM.

​We've just published a new technical training video covering the features of the AFAM AlarmTech App and how to get the most from it.

This is the first in a series of three training videos designed to help technicians get up to speed quickly and make full use of the app's capabilities.

A service agent recently asked whether we still offer an in-box option for our monitoring equipment.

The question caught us by surprise at first. We spend a lot of time talking about the benefits of installing monitoring equipment directly inside the fire alarm panel, and in doing so we probably don't mention the in-box option as often as we should.

The short answer is yes — we absolutely still offer an in-box CTU solution, and it remains the preferred option for many installations.

We generally recommend an in-box CTU when:

• More than two fire alarm systems need to be monitored by a single CTU. In these situations, the power requirements typically dictate the use of a dedicated enclosure with one of our standard power supplies and a 12V 7Ah backup battery.
• Monitoring is being transferred from another provider and the fire alarm panel is not capable of providing IoT detector-level information. In these cases, replacing the existing monitoring enclosure with an AFAM in-box solution is often the most practical approach.

Another question we receive from time to time is how many fire alarm systems or SGDs a CTU can support.

An in-box CTU can support up to eight independent fire alarm systems, provided those systems are configured for multi-drop communications.

If you're unsure whether an in-panel or in-box solution is best for your application, please get in touch with our team. We're always happy to help recommend the most suitable monitoring configuration.

When replacing a competitor's monitoring equipment, we offer a range of enclosure sizes designed to closely match existing installations.

This makes upgrades simpler and often results in a more aesthetically pleasing outcome. It's surprisingly common to discover that a wall has been repainted around an existing enclosure, leaving a noticeable colour difference behind it. Matching the original enclosure size where possible helps avoid this issue.

Our enclosures are manufactured in New Zealand from folded sheet metal before being powder coated and oven baked to provide a durable, long-lasting finish.

For what appears to be a simple metal box, they're surprisingly expensive to produce. While cheaper offshore alternatives are available, we've chosen to continue supporting New Zealand manufacturers wherever practical. It's a decision we're proud to make and one that aligns with our commitment to local industry.

As part of our upcoming CTU release, we'll also be making several improvements to our enclosure design. We'll share more details closer to launch.

​In our last newsletter, we shared a brochure we’ve put together mainly for property owners and managers, highlighting the benefits of smart fire alarm monitoring. We’ve also made sure it’s something Business Development Managers and Account Managers from fire alarm service providers can use as an easy way to talk their customers through those benefits.

You can find the brochure in the resources section of our website—just click on the image below to take a look.

Over the coming fortnight, members of our team will be visiting Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Tauranga, and Wellington.

If you'd like to arrange a meeting, coffee, book a demonstration, or discuss how AFAM can improve visibility across your fire alarm portfolio, we'd be pleased to hear from you.

We're currently looking for a Production & Technical Support Specialist to join our Christchurch team on a fixed-term contract while one of our team members is on maternity leave.

If you'd like to join a great team working on innovative fire alarm technology, you can view the position here:

​In our next newsletter we'll share more product updates, introduce a couple of new features, and provide further details on some exciting developments currently in the works.