Canton staff propose ordinance to require Brycer compliance engine for fire‑protection inspections

CANTON, Ga. — City staff presented a proposed ordinance on Oct. 2 to require the use of the Brycer compliance engine — a third‑party software platform for tracking fire‑protection system inspections — for most fire protection service providers operating in Canton.

Presenter Marcia Kula described the platform as a tool the city has used in a pilot/beta capacity for nearly two years and said it helps the city track inspections, identify overdue systems and reduce time spent chasing paperwork. Kula said Canton has a high compliance score on the platform (reported as 99.5%) and that, from a community‑risk reduction perspective, the system reduces inefficiencies and helps reduce false alarms.

Council asked whether the platform will remain free to the city and how the vendor is compensated; staff said the platform is free for the jurisdiction and the vendor charges a small submission fee (reported in the meeting as $18 per report, up from $17 two years ago) to the reporting service providers. Staff said the proposed ordinance’s intent is to require submission via Brycer for providers who otherwise refuse to report, not to generate a wave of citations. The presentation cited estimated administrative savings and a claim of about 32.5% of inefficient/non‑inspected systems contributing to false alarms during prior operations.

The council did not take final action Oct. 2; staff said the ordinance will be considered for approval at a future meeting. Council members asked staff to confirm implementation details, potential impacts on smaller providers and whether the city would face ongoing costs; staff said no direct jurisdictional fee to use the platform was anticipated but that provider submission fees could rise modestly.

Next step: formal ordinance language (Chapter 42‑27 as drafted) will return to council for an action vote at a subsequent meeting.