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From inspection to dispatch
West Jordan Fire Department
Background
The West Jordan Fire Department serves one of Salt Lake County's larger communities in Utah, with Chief Mike Jensen leading prevention and code enforcement across roughly 3,000 businesses. The department also gives and receives significant mutual aid with neighboring agencies, meaning crews — both their own and partner departments — frequently respond to buildings they aren't deeply familiar with. To preserve institutional knowledge and equip every responder with the same on-scene intelligence, the department expanded its use of LIV to include the Pre-Plan Mapping feature.
Challenges
Prior to building preplans in LIV, West Jordan faced:
- Like many fire departments, an institutional knowledge gap as senior firefighters retired and newer personnel needed to come up to speed on the jurisdiction's buildings
- On-scene delays, including instances of crews waiting extended periods to access properties for which a Knox box key was already available but not easily located on scene
- Mutual aid partners arriving in West Jordan without familiarity with local buildings
- Limited dedicated time and resources to launch a standalone pre-planning initiative
Solution
Engineer Jason Maughn spearheaded West Jordan’s Pre-Plan initiative. Chief Jensen offered LIV as the platform that could enable Maughn’s vision: LIV already had the building data and the inspection workflow. From there, Maughn took charge and made it happen. Pre-planning didn’t need to be a separate initiative — it could be embedded directly into the fieldwork the department was already doing with LIV.
- Pre-Plan Mapping ties into the existing business inspection workflow — completed in a single visit, using a structured, map-based format that links pre-plan data directly to the property records and inspection history already in the system.
- Standardized capture of hydrants, fire alarm panels, Knox boxes, riser rooms, exits, stairwells, standpipes, gate codes, and on-scene hazards
- PDF export of completed pre-plans for import into VersaTerm, the department's dispatch platform, an approach Deputy Chief Clint Paxton proposed, so responders see the pre-plan alongside call details on dispatch
- A development path for newer firefighters to gain ground knowledge of the jurisdiction while completing pre-plans
- Continuity with features the department was already using day-to-day in LIV
Results & impact
Knowledge that survives turnover
Building details that previously lived only with senior firefighters are now documented and accessible to every responder, regardless of tenure.
Information that travels with mutual aid
Pre-plans pushed into dispatch make the same on-scene intelligence available to partner agencies — including Unified Fire, South Jordan, and Murray — when they respond into West Jordan.
Faster, smoother on-scene access
Documented entry codes, Knox box locations, and access points have reduced the delays and forced-entry scenarios that previously slowed response.
Unexpected benefits
Embedding pre-planning into routine business inspections has strengthened the department's relationships with local business owners. Inspection visits now double as life-safety education conversations with owners, employees, and patrons, and the department anticipates this engagement will improve first-time inspection pass rates in the years ahead. Internally, the program has also given newer firefighters structured field experience in identifying the building features they'll need to locate during an emergency.
What's next
The department is currently completing its five-year strategic plan and ISO rating review, which will incorporate quantitative measurement of the pre-planning program's impact on call volume, time on scene, and inspection outcomes. Initial signs — including a reported decrease in false alarm call volume — are encouraging, with formal metrics expected later this year.
Case Study
User Since: January 2023
Location: Utah
Key Features Utilized:
- Pre-Plan Mapping
- Premises Management
- Internal Inspection Tool
Conclusion
Expanding routine business inspections to include pre-planning and pushing the resulting plans into dispatch, enabled West Jordan Fire Department to turn a knowledge gap into a department-wide — and region-wide — operational advantage. The approach equips newer firefighters, supports mutual aid partners, and strengthens the department's relationship with the businesses it serves, reinforcing LIV's value as a connective platform across prevention, response, and community safety.