Frequently Asked Questions

How do EMS Manager™ and FIRE Manager™ work?
EMS Manager and FIRE Manager are sophisticated online programs which run on our secure and dedicated web server. They can be accessed by your administrator(s) and employees with a web browser, the same way they access a typical website.

What is the big deal about EMS Manager and FIRE Manager being "online"?
It's a big deal because your employees can view your schedule from anywhere with an Internet connection. It also allows them to use optional features such as: submitting availability, trading shifts, signing up for shifts, using the library, submitting time off requests, and viewing the message board. These features save your company administration time, reduce overtime costs, improve communications and helps your entire organization be more efficient.

Other benefits include:

• The entire system and all data is stored securely on our server, so nothing needs to be installed on your computer and you don't need to worry about upgrades or compatibility problems.
• We back up all data every day to a remote location, so you never need to worry about backing up your information.
• EMS Manager and FIRE Manager work equally well with Microsoft Windows and Apple computers

Do we need any special software to use EMS Manager or FIRE Manager?
No. Your employees and administrators only need a standard web browser and Internet access. We've tested EMS Manager with recent versions of Microsoft Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome, but other browsers should also work.

Most of our employees are volunteers or paid-on-call workers. How can EMS Manager help us?
EMS Manager and FIRE Manager include many features for companies with casual employees, including availability submission, shift trading, find coverage requests and schedule sign-up.

Most of our employees are full-time. How can EMS Manager and FIRE Manager benefit us?
EMS Manager and FIRE Manager include a variety of features for companies with full-time employees. These include time off requests, shift trades and employee rotations (such as the Berkley, Modified Detroit, Modified Kelly, California, Chicago, 24/48, ABC, 10s and 14s, 48/96 and others). If you need a custom rotation, we'll add it for no charge.

What security measures do you have in place?
Our team has been building secure online applications since 1996, so we have the expertise and experience to design security and reliability into everything we do. We host our software on our own dedicated servers. Each of your employees receive a login and password for authentication over our 128 bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) connection. And all data is backed-up to a remote location every day.

What is your privacy policy?
We will never give the information your organization enters into EMS Manager to any other company. The information posted by you and your employees onto EMS Manager will remain private and confidential.

How much does EMS Manager and FIRE Manager cost?
EMS Manager and FIRE Manager are offered as a subscription service based on your number of full-time vs casual employees. Our goal is to make our pricing a bargain to any size organization. Please call us for a quote.

How much do you charge for support?
Unlimited telephone and email support is included FREE with each subscription. We can do this because we've built our software to be easy to learn and easy to use.

If you don't charge extra for support, how good can it be?
We take great pride in the quality of our support. But don't take our word for it, read what actual EMS Manager customers tell us in their Testimonials.

Do you provide classes or training seminars?
So far, we've never found this to be necessary. Our software is easy to learn and easy to use. If you purchase EMS Manager or FIRE Manager we'll take whatever time is needed to train your administrator(s) over the phone. Usually an hour or so is all that is needed. We'll help them make the necessary configurations. Then your administrator(s) can train your employees. If you ever need any additional support, it is as simple as a phone call.

Would you provide on-site training if we need it?
For several years now people have been asking us this question, and we've been telling them "Yes, if you need it, we can provide it. We would just need to cover our traveling expenses." So far, nobody has needed it, so we've never come up with any pricing. We don't think you'll need it either.

What if we need extra features added?
EMS Manager and FIRE Manager are built to be very flexible. Many times people have asked us how much we would charge to add a certain feature, only to be surprised when we tell them the system can already do what they need with a simple configuration change. However, if you do need customization which requires additional engineering we can provide modifications at competitive rates.

Can we host EMS Manager or FIRE Manager on our own internal server?
No. Our hosted solution, sometimes called Software As A Service, or Software On Demand provides your company with many advantages over old fashioned desktop software or even software installed on your own network server. Our hosted solution eliminates your need to buy or repair servers. It eliminates compatibility concerns regarding the operating platform, database, program versions, directory structure, etc. It also eliminates your need to worry about installing upgrades and maintaining backups.