Fire Department Software and Cost Recovery for Any Size Department

Introduction:

The founders of Emergency Solutions, Inc. are firefighters who met in 2015 in a small volunteer fire department that faced numerous challenges in responding to calls at all hours of the day.

One of the biggest hurdles they faced was figuring out how to integrate multiple tools to create a fire department software and comprehensive management program that would track day-to-day activities, respond to calls, and generate compliant reports in a timely manner.

Another significant hurdle they faced was obtaining the funding to run the department, purchase equipment, train the volunteer firefighters, and afford the purchase and maintenance of newer apparatus. Gone were the days of raising adequate funds through garage sales, cookouts, boot drives, and other community fundraising programs.

The daily expenses of running a fire department weigh heavily on those in charge of departments of any size. This is where having an automated fire cost recovery program in place is vital.

Small Department, Big Needs

In a small fire department, every person wears multiple hats. Firefighters also serve as medical support until EMS arrives, if a local EMS program is even available in rural areas. Chiefs double as grant writers. Administrators might juggle various tasks, including payroll, training schedules, and fleet maintenance, in a single afternoon. Unlike large metropolitan departments with IT teams and support staff, small departments run lean. The demand for a reliable, easy-to-use system is not a luxury; it’s a necessity.

Yet, most tech vendors build solutions for large companies. They assume that departments have the time, staff, and resources to train on complex software. This mismatch leaves smaller teams struggling to fit their fast-paced, unpredictable workflows into tools that weren’t designed for them. What they need is simple: a system that works where they work—in the truck, in the station, in the field, or at home.

Emergency Solutions, Inc. (ESI) was born out of that exact need.

Frankensteined Systems

Talk to any firefighter in a small department, and you’ll likely hear about the tech patchwork: scheduling on a whiteboard, incident reports in one software, inspections in another, and inventory in a spreadsheet that only one person knows how to update. It’s not just inefficient; it’s dangerous.

When tools fail to communicate with each other, data becomes lost, duplicated, or overlooked. Firefighters may arrive at a call without the latest pre-plan information. Chiefs may spend hours compiling reports that should take minutes.

Emergency Solutions, Inc. recognized that these disconnected tools weren’t just a nuisance; they were a liability. An all-in-one, cloud-based fire department software isn’t just a dream; it’s a requirement for safety, speed, and accountability.

Not Built for Us

The software industry has a problem: it designs sales demos, not for everyday users. Most fire department software is bloated with features that few departments ever use. Instead of intuitive workflows, users get complex menus and hidden settings. It’s no surprise that many departments end up using only 10% of what they’ve paid for.

As firefighters, the founders of Emergency Solutions, Inc. attempted to collaborate with the companies whose tools they were using at the time by providing valuable feedback from their colleagues in order to help these companies improve the usability of their tools.

The unprofessional responses they received from the companies whose tools they were using were quite frustrating. One of the companies made a huge mistake by telling them, “If you think you can create a better system, why don’t you create your own?”

In 2016, the challenge to create an affordable, all-in-one, cloude-based fire department management software was accepted. This is what sparked the desire to create their own all-in-one system from scratch.

They would actually meet at a local Dairy Queen for what they would call “Blizzard Meetings” to discuss how they could create a very easy-to-use, affordable, all-in-one program that did not require multiple tools from multiple companies. They took every valuable piece of knowledge from their experiences and from what they had received from their colleagues at their station and from those in the areas they mutually assisted to shape every feature they wanted to include in their own system.

On August 27th, 2017, Emergency Solutions, Inc. was formed. They didn’t start with an actual product. They continued to have valuable conversations while responding to calls and completing station duties despite still using the frustrating and outdated tools at their volunteer fire department.

Software doesn’t have to be outrageously expensive and complicated. It just has to work.

The Usability Problem

“I just want to log the call and move on.” That quote came from a firefighter who, after responding to a traumatic call in the middle of the night, had to navigate a complex reporting system before he could go home to prepare for his day job. That moment stayed with the founders of Emergency Solutions, Inc.

Usability isn’t a nice-to-have. In emergency services, it’s the difference between smooth operations and friction that slows everything down. Interfaces should be intuitive. Forms should be much easier to complete. Mobile views should work in the cab of a truck or on your phone. Every second saved is a second given back to the job that matters most.

At Emergency Solutions, Inc., they utilize the software and services they create, and usability is integral to their mission: “Firefighters here to make firefighters’ lives easier and safer”.

Chasing the Standard

Government standards like NFIRS/NERIS and NEMSIS are constantly evolving. What worked last year might not pass inspection today. For small departments, this is more than an inconvenience; it’s a threat to funding, compliance, and community trust.

Too often, departments are left scrambling to make last-minute updates or pay for expensive consulting and software just to meet basic reporting standards. Emergency Solutions, Inc. founders knew from the start: Compliance needs to be baked in, not bolted on.

The ResponseMaster system founded by Emergency Solutions, Inc. is continually evolving to reflect the latest standards and technologies, allowing departments to focus on response, not red tape.

From the Ground Up

Emergency Solutions, Inc. didn’t start as a software company. It started as a group of problem-solving volunteer firefighters with a diverse background—a career firefighter, a medically trained anesthesia provider with a handful of years as a flight nurse and volunteer firefighter/paramedic, a mechanical engineer who had been a volunteer firefighter for over 10 years, and a frustrated admin assistant who was a volunteer firefighter who just so happened to be a computer science and programming genius who had seen too many systems fail. Together, they asked: “What if we built a platform from the ground up that actually helped make firefighters’ lives easier and safer?”

They didn’t chase venture capital. They chased feedback. They didn’t start with a feature list. They began with a napkin at a local Dairy Queen and a question: “What do small departments actually need?” That question still drives everything they do.

Listening First

Before writing a single line of code, they not only sat down with the firefighters they responded with but also with fire chiefs, EMS Supervisors, and frontline responders. They asked what slowed them down, what confused them, and what they wished they had in a system that would make their life easier.

One chief told us, “I don’t want software. I want a second me.” That insight changed everything. They began designing features that duplicated brainpower—smart reminders, easy-to-complete forms, and report generators that didn’t require an IT degree.

They also developed their own cost recovery program so their customers wouldn’t have to spend extra time and effort learning how to recoup costs from making calls. They then developed a method to automate the process, making their customers’ lives even easier.
Listening isn’t a one-time step. It’s a company policy that Emergency Solutions, Inc. has adhered to since its founding on August 27, 2017.

The All-in-One Dilemma

All-in-one is a tempting promise. But building a unified platform that handles inspections, scheduling, incidents, assets, training, and compliance is deceptively hard.
Every new module risks bloating the system. Every feature must justify its existence. The founders learned the hard way: Adding everything helps no one if the system becomes a maze.

So, they made a rule: build for flow, not fluff. Only include features that enhance the core mission—making firefighters’ lives easier and safer. The “all-in-one” doesn’t mean “everything imaginable.” It means “everything essential, working together.”

Your Next Step

If you’re leading a department that feels buried under paperwork, juggling disconnected tools, or just tired of software that creates more problems than it solves, you’re not alone. Emergency Solutions, Inc. was built to serve exactly that need: a real solution for real departments of all sizes.

Fire Department Software and Cost Recovery for Any Size Department is now a reality and this is just the beginning. If this excerpt resonated with you, we invite you to take the next step.

Emergency Solutions, Inc. is now nationwide, serving fire departments of all sizes. Emergency Solutions, Inc. also received a positive response from their automated Cost Recovery system for their ResponseMaster customers, prompting them to develop their own separate Cost Recovery program for any department to use, regardless of whether they utilize ResponseMaster.

Want to see how Emergency Solutions, Inc. simplifies life for your department?

Request a free demo of their all-in-one fire department management system, ResponseMaster, and learn more about how your department can use the Emergency Solutions, Inc. automated cost recovery program at https://forfiredepartments.com/demo-signup/

Thank you for your service to your communities, and may God bless and keep you safe.