If your department is frustrated with your Fire Records Management System (RMS) or ePCR platform, you’re not alone. Many fire and EMS agencies across the country find themselves questioning whether they made the right software choice—especially as issues start piling up:
- Reports are unreliable
- Data entry is confusing
- QA/QI workflows are inconsistent
- Frontline users are disengaged
- Admin time is maxed out
It’s easy to assume that the only solution is to replace the system entirely. But here’s the truth: your software may not be the problem—your configuration might be.
Before you start the time-consuming (and expensive) process of replacing your RMS, here are five reasons to hit pause—and consider optimizing what you already have.
Out-of-the-Box Doesn’t Mean Ready-to-Run
RMS platforms like ImageTrend, ESO, and First Due are powerful—but they’re not plug-and-play. What comes “standard” is a foundation, not a finished product. Every department operates differently, yet many agencies launch with default settings and never touch them again.
That’s a recipe for frustration. Without customization, you’re likely forcing your team to work around the system instead of having the system work for them.
We’ve helped departments configure existing platforms to match their actual workflows—cutting time spent on reports, improving field usability, and aligning data fields with NFIRS and billing requirements. The difference isn’t the software—it’s how it’s set up.
Bad Data Is a Symptom, Not a System Flaw
If your incident reports are full of missing fields, inconsistent units, or messy timestamps, your problem might not be with the RMS. It’s likely a result of poor field configuration, vague validation rules, or an incomplete QA/QI pipeline.
Clean data is the byproduct of a well-structured system. But too often, departments either overload users with too many required fields or leave too much optional—resulting in inconsistent entries and failed exports.
By reviewing and streamlining your data collection points, OG Advisors helps departments create a system that captures what matters and eliminates what doesn’t. That leads to better reporting, faster auditing, and greater trust in the numbers.
Poor User Adoption Doesn’t Mean It’s the Wrong System
When field crews resist using the system, the knee-jerk response is often: “We need a different platform.” But most of the time, users aren’t pushing back against the software itself—they’re reacting to how difficult it is to use.
If a basic incident report takes 30+ clicks or multiple pages to complete, your configuration is to blame. A system designed for one workflow but used for another will always feel clunky.
User-focused optimization—like restructuring form logic, auto-filling known data, and simplifying workflows—can drastically increase adoption without changing platforms. We’ve seen departments go from 20% user satisfaction to 85%+ with configuration updates alone.
Reporting Shouldn’t Require a Degree in SQL
You shouldn’t need to export to Excel just to get weekly incident counts or QA flags. But many departments struggle to generate meaningful reports—not because their RMS lacks reporting capabilities, but because they never configured them.
This is where RMS systems typically fall short out of the box. Most require some setup: building scheduled reports, aligning filters to your agency’s categories, and creating dashboards that are actually useful.
OG Advisors specializes in helping departments build recurring reports that tie directly to operational and compliance goals—so your team spends less time clicking and more time acting on insights.
Replacement Isn’t Just Expensive—It’s Disruptive
A full RMS replacement can take 6–18 months, require an RFP process, and demand hundreds of hours in demos, training, data migration, and integration testing. If your current system is salvageable, optimization is not only faster—it’s smarter.
In many cases, we help departments achieve 80–90% of the benefits they wanted from a replacement just by properly configuring what they already have.
Not sure where you stand? We offer system assessments that give you an honest answer: is it time to replace, or can we just fix what’s broken?
Don’t Start Over—Start Smarter
RMS systems are tools. Like any tool, they work best when they’re sharpened, aligned, and adapted to the job at hand. Before you throw yours out, ask: Have we truly given it what it needs to succeed?
At OG Advisors, we’ve helped hundreds of departments rethink the way they use the software they already have. From workflow design to report automation and user training, we know how to make the most of your investment.
If you’re considering a system replacement—or wondering if your current setup can be saved—fill out the form below to schedule a consultation. We’ll give you a straight answer and a clear path forward.