Why Fire Inspection Reporting Software Is a Community Risk Reduction Best Practice
BRYCER LEADERSHIP SERIES
A Conversation with Jill Cotton, Executive Vice President of BRYCER
Third-party fire inspection reporting software gives a jurisdiction something it rarely has on its own: a clear, current picture of whether the fire protection systems inside its buildings will actually work when they are needed. For Jill Cotton, Executive Vice President of BRYCER, that picture is not an administrative convenience. It is one of the strongest community risk reduction practices available to a local jurisdiction, and its effects reach well past the walls of the fire department.
Jill joined BRYCER after 15 years leading IROL, bringing a long view of the compliance industry with her. In this installment of the BRYCER Leadership Series, she talks about what struck her first about the company, what outsiders tend to miss about compliance work, and why she believes this industry should be measured by what happens in the community rather than by what happens on a screen.
On What Makes a Fire Compliance Software Company Different from the Inside
Jill came to BRYCER from outside its walls, which gives her a useful vantage point on what separates a fire compliance software company from the product it sells. Her answer starts with the people.
What is unique about working at BRYCER?
Jill Cotton: I am new to the BRYCER family. Coming from 15 years running another company, you don’t know what you don’t know. Stepping into this role and being immersed in BRYCER's culture is what’s unique, honestly, and the people too. There is a mix here of industry experience and non-industry experience, and here at BRYCER, people collaborate to bring both of those perspectives together. People who have been in the industry can have tunnel vision in some areas. People who have not been ask really good questions that make industry veterans think differently.
Something I have truly enjoyed here at BRYCER is that on a random Tuesday, I will walk out of my office at 9:30 AM and there are already people collaborating, standing next to each other's desks or in the hallway. To me, that is an energy I cannot quite articulate. You have to be here. But it is something I want people outside of these walls to know about BRYCER.
What Most People Miss About Fire Safety Compliance
The question of what outsiders misunderstand is a recurring one in this series. Jill's answer moves quickly past the mechanics of fire safety compliance and lands on who is affected when a fire and life safety system is not working.
What is something most people do not realize about fire and life safety compliance until they are inside it?
Jill Cotton: I think the bigger picture of what we do is connecting people to information. There is a reliance on fire and life safety systems, but not only on systems. It is whether those systems are functioning. What a lot of people do not realize about that process and those services is that it is a trickle-out effect. What we do impacts people within the departments we serve; it impacts the contractors, and most importantly, it impacts the community members. We have an impact on operations, on prevention, on emergency response, and on economic incentive. All of those five E's of prevention and community risk reduction.
On Third-Party Fire Inspection Reporting Software as a Best Practice
This is the point where Jill's case for fire inspection reporting software stops being a technology argument and becomes a public safety one.
Jill Cotton: I really feel third-party reporting is one of the best practices in community risk reduction. Fire and life safety systems impact every local jurisdiction. Whether you are a small or large jurisdiction, somewhere you have a building with a system, and knowing whether or not a system is going to function protects lives. We can help with understanding the situation and the response to what is actually happening in the jurisdiction.
I do not think people really realize the complexity of that, but mostly how our services then allow them to be more proactive. The data we deliver helps make decisions faster. That’s really something unique, to watch a community come to life when they start utilizing these types of platforms, and specifically the services that come along with it.
Knowing whether or not the fire protection system is going to function protects lives.
On Meaningful Work Behind Fire Safety Software
Jill's answer on meaningful work is not about one project or one launch. It is about the discipline of noticing that fire safety software and the services around it add up to something, every day.
Can you share a moment when your work felt especially meaningful?
Jill Cotton: I have always been someone who prides myself on being involved in areas that make a difference. I am really about the idea that no matter where you are or who you are, you can always do something in your own backyard to help people, to help others, and to be that difference.
When you start really inundating yourself with business and with work, sometimes you have to stop and realize that literally what you are doing every day - you are making a difference. That is something I try to be very mindful about. It may be very small, it may be very big, but in the industry we serve in and of itself, we are making meaningful progress every day.
On the Future of Fire Protection Software at BRYCER
Asked where The Compliance Engine goes next, Jill frames the next chapter of fire protection software at BRYCER around three things: proven process, an expanding set of services, and a deliberate approach to AI.
What is your vision for The Compliance Engine moving forward?
Jill Cotton: Becoming the leader in community compliance. I think we are well on our way. We have the experience when it comes to the backgrounds we have, the people, and the services. They are proven. We have proven processes and strategic things that we have done for 15 years. So again, it is being able to pivot with the industry, being able to develop with the industry, and being the best at it.
We are going to continue to focus on third-party reporting and on driving our services. We have now brought in Pre-Plan, Mobile Food Units, and the Premise Portal. We are already seeing the future come to life, and I see us expanding on those. Obviously, we cannot leave out things like AI. We are already starting to implement some of these best practices and continuing to watch where we can bring AI in, without, of course, leaving the human out of it. We still believe in keeping the human in the loop, and I think that is where we will be effective in the future.
BRYCER has made significant investment in people here who can continue providing that one-on-one collaboration and customer service that everybody needs and has been asking for. But it is also growth and development. We now have ten developers, and what I do not think people realize about that is that our development is not overseas. It is not in another area. They are literally sitting right outside of this office. That allows us to respond faster to the needs of what we are being asked for, especially in a changing time with AI. The more people who can come to the table to solve these challenges and pain points, not only for us as a company but also for our customers, the better.
Closing Reflection: Fire Safety Inspection Software and the People It Protects
Jill's case for third-party reporting never stays inside the department for long. Systems get tested, data moves, decisions get made faster, and the benefit lands with the people who live and work in those buildings. That is the standard fire safety inspection software should be measured against, and it is the standard BRYCER is building toward.
Learn more about how departments across the country use The Compliance Engine at thecomplianceengine.com.
About The Compliance Engine
The Compliance Engine (TCE) is BRYCER's third-party inspection reporting platform for fire, backflow and elevator compliance. More than 2,000 Authorities Having Jurisdiction use TCE to track inspection, testing and maintenance activity, manage deficiencies and drive corrections through to completion. Learn more at thecomplianceengine.com.
Media Contact
April Gaytan Zamora
Marketing Specialist, BRYCER
2300 Cabot Drive, Suite 250, Lisle, Illinois 60532
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