New Reports, New Staff, New Video, and the Future

This Week

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.

Reports Incorporating Floor Plan Visualisation

​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.

AFAM AlarmTech App Tutorial Part 2

​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.

As a reminder, you'll find links to all of our brochures, tutorial videos, forms, and other resources on the Resources page of our website whenever you need them.

On Test Functionality

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.

Welcoming Our New Auckland Based Business Development Representative

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.

Looking Ahead - 3D Spatial Building Models

​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.

We don't have immediate plans to release this capability, but it's easy to imagine how it could be used in the future. For example, a technician could point a phone running the AFAM AlarmTech App at a ceiling and instantly see the detector above them, along with its current status, history, and associated information through an augmented reality overlay.

There's currently little demand for this type of functionality, but we're always looking ahead. If customer needs change, we'll already have much of the underlying technology in place.

Out and About

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.

Next Time

​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.