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Lakeville staff outline inspection-reporting system; contractors would pay submission fees
Summary
Fire department staff recommended requiring contractors to submit inspection reports into a live ITM system to improve compliance and preplans; vendors considered include Brycer, LIV and First Due, and staff said an ordinance change would be required to implement submission fees.
Lakeville’s fire department presented a concept on Sept. 10 to require contractors who perform fire-protection inspections to submit reports into a centralized information-tracking module (ITM). The system would allow the department to receive inspection reports and deficiency lists digitally, update building contacts and preplans in near real time, and close longstanding follow-up loops when contractors or out-of-city building owners do not provide paperwork.
Staff reviewed three vendor approaches: Brycer (longstanding market vendor), LIV (a newer competitor), and First Due (the city’s record-management provider, which proposed integrating ITM in-house). The vendors differ in billing models: Brycer and LIV typically charge per report or device; First Due proposed a per-submission cost for the visit with lower per-device exposure.
Funding and fees: Staff said the model would shift the submission cost to contractors; example figures discussed in the meeting included $5 for extinguisher reports and $10 for alarm reports, though staff noted vendor pricing varied and that First Due’s per-submission approach could consolidate charges (e.g., one submission for multiple items on a single visit). Staff said an ordinance amendment would be required to mandate submissions and allow the city to set the fee schedule. Council members expressed general support for the concept while asking for guardrails on future fee changes.
Operational benefits cited by staff include near-real-time updates to preplans and keyholder information, automated deficiency reporting, and fewer staff hours chasing paperwork; staff also said the tool would help identify buildings overdue for five- and ten-year hydro tests. Staff proposed returning to council with ordinance language and specific vendor/cost recommendations before any implementation.
Representative quote: “This closes the loop on everything and gives us an opportunity to get every inspection report submitted to the department for review, for approval, including a list of deficiencies,” a fire inspector said.
