We have completed the first in a series of tutorial videos for FP2, our RMS software for Fire Departments.
It's recorded in HD, so if you want to watch it, it's better to use Full-Screen mode.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Keeping All the Balls in the Air
It's summer, so many of you are away on holidays and spending some much-needed time with your families. That’s what I’ll be doing next week, actually. And making sure you spend time with your family can be a bit of an issue for firefighters, volunteer and otherwise. It’s hard to balance work and family time, let alone work, volunteer work and family time.
I’ve been having trouble with that lately. This spring/summer I did a lot of travelling for work. Ontario, Alberta, Alberta again... When I was home, I felt resentful about going to the hall and not seeing my family. Our daughter is 2 now, and as an only child, she likes quite a bit of attention. Which I’m happy to give – when your kid says “Dada, you play toys with me?”, you get down on the floor and you play toys.
I felt like something had to give, so I asked my chief for a leave of absence until the fall. Turned off the pager and put down my helmet for a while.
At first it felt pretty good. I was more relaxed at home – I had been feeling like I was constantly letting something slip, either home or the department. I got through my work travel, did a little visiting… but then I hear the sirens at night.
That’s a hard thing, knowing that your friends are out working. I resisted the urge to get up and turn on the radio, but I thought about it pretty hard. My wife heard the sirens too, because she asked me the next day what my plans were. After listening to my thoughts, she told me that she thought it was an important thing to do, and that she thought I should go back to it when my leave ended.
That kind of support is huge – family tends to bear the brunt of absence for firefighting, and knowing that my wife wants me to do it, even if it means I’m not at home as much – that means a lot. Plus, I’ve had some communication from the guys and girls at the hall, asking when I’m coming back – that’s big, too.
So come the fall, I’ll be back in harness, or PPE, at least. I’m glad the department was OK with me taking the time. It means I can come back energized and feeling less conflicted about volunteering, especially knowing that my family has got my back on it. Well, my 2-year-old probably isn’t onboard… but hopefully she’ll understand when she’s a bit older.
I’ve been having trouble with that lately. This spring/summer I did a lot of travelling for work. Ontario, Alberta, Alberta again... When I was home, I felt resentful about going to the hall and not seeing my family. Our daughter is 2 now, and as an only child, she likes quite a bit of attention. Which I’m happy to give – when your kid says “Dada, you play toys with me?”, you get down on the floor and you play toys.
I felt like something had to give, so I asked my chief for a leave of absence until the fall. Turned off the pager and put down my helmet for a while.
At first it felt pretty good. I was more relaxed at home – I had been feeling like I was constantly letting something slip, either home or the department. I got through my work travel, did a little visiting… but then I hear the sirens at night.
That’s a hard thing, knowing that your friends are out working. I resisted the urge to get up and turn on the radio, but I thought about it pretty hard. My wife heard the sirens too, because she asked me the next day what my plans were. After listening to my thoughts, she told me that she thought it was an important thing to do, and that she thought I should go back to it when my leave ended.
That kind of support is huge – family tends to bear the brunt of absence for firefighting, and knowing that my wife wants me to do it, even if it means I’m not at home as much – that means a lot. Plus, I’ve had some communication from the guys and girls at the hall, asking when I’m coming back – that’s big, too.
So come the fall, I’ll be back in harness, or PPE, at least. I’m glad the department was OK with me taking the time. It means I can come back energized and feeling less conflicted about volunteering, especially knowing that my family has got my back on it. Well, my 2-year-old probably isn’t onboard… but hopefully she’ll understand when she’s a bit older.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Ingenious Software News
It’s been a while since I did a post here, but we’ve had some changes around the office that have given us a bit more time to work with, so we thought it would be a good time to revive a long-standing tradition.
It’s been a very busy year for us here at Ingenious Software. In January we started rollout of the new, improved FP2. As with any new software release, we’ve had some challenges and some delays – all of which have kept us very busy.
At this point, things are starting to stabilize. We now have around 80 clients using the new version, and the feedback has generally been very positive. We’ve made the software more flexible, easier to use and much, much more user-friendly.
We aren’t quite ready to totally throw open the doors for conversions, although we’re very close. I’m including some information here about the architecture of the new FP2 system, which you can pass on to your IT department for use in planning your conversion.
We’re not putting any hard time limits on when you need to move to the new system, but our plan is that all of you will eventually convert. We are providing this upgrade free of charge to all clients with a service contract – the rationale is that we don’t want to support 2 pieces of software.
The current “Classic” version of FP2 is still supported, and we recognize that conversion time frames will vary, so we’re allowing you to schedule when you want to convert to the new system. I’ll be announcing a “doors open” date in the late summer when everyone who wants to convert can schedule a date – but we’re taking it a bit slower for the moment.
I know that this has been a long time coming, and we’re really excited and happy that the new program is finally being used. Thanks for being patient – and if you haven’t converted yet – just a bit more is all that we ask for. We want to bring you the best possible piece of software, and we’re almost there!
It’s been a very busy year for us here at Ingenious Software. In January we started rollout of the new, improved FP2. As with any new software release, we’ve had some challenges and some delays – all of which have kept us very busy.
At this point, things are starting to stabilize. We now have around 80 clients using the new version, and the feedback has generally been very positive. We’ve made the software more flexible, easier to use and much, much more user-friendly.
We aren’t quite ready to totally throw open the doors for conversions, although we’re very close. I’m including some information here about the architecture of the new FP2 system, which you can pass on to your IT department for use in planning your conversion.
We’re not putting any hard time limits on when you need to move to the new system, but our plan is that all of you will eventually convert. We are providing this upgrade free of charge to all clients with a service contract – the rationale is that we don’t want to support 2 pieces of software.
The current “Classic” version of FP2 is still supported, and we recognize that conversion time frames will vary, so we’re allowing you to schedule when you want to convert to the new system. I’ll be announcing a “doors open” date in the late summer when everyone who wants to convert can schedule a date – but we’re taking it a bit slower for the moment.
I know that this has been a long time coming, and we’re really excited and happy that the new program is finally being used. Thanks for being patient – and if you haven’t converted yet – just a bit more is all that we ask for. We want to bring you the best possible piece of software, and we’re almost there!
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