How Approved Fire Pumps Increased Output 5x Without Hiring

‍

‍

‍Approved Fire Pumps, a family-run fire pump service and testing company in Corona, California, has been in business since the early ’90s. When Dina Mueller took over from her father in the 2000s, she shifted the company’s focus from pump sales to service and testing. The team grew, but the workflows stayed the same.

‍

Handwritten reports. Paper work orders. Office drop-offs. It worked, but it was slow.

‍

“Each report took an hour. If techs only came in once a week, we’d have 20 piled up. Plus customers asking where their reports were.”

‍

Eventually, the paperwork started holding them back.

‍

The Challenge: Time-Consuming Workflows, Bottlenecks Everywhere

Every job at Approved Fire Pumps required a handwritten work order. One at a time, by hand, for every technician. Just prepping jobs could take half the day. Reports were scanned and emailed manually. Proposals and invoices couldn’t go out until someone in the office sorted through unclear or incomplete paperwork.

‍

“We lost hours every day just tracking down info, rewriting reports, and figuring out what needed to go where.”

‍

Scheduling took hours too. Without a centralized system, it was easy to waste time and send techs zigzagging across town. Techs often had to call the office just to get a gate code or contact name.

‍

The Solution: Real-Time Tools That Keep Everyone Moving

When Dina switched to Ember, the change was immediate.

‍

Now, techs complete inspections and work orders in real time. Everything is uploaded before they leave the site.

The office team can review, send the report, and invoice the customer in just a few clicks.

‍

“What used to take hours now takes 10 minutes. It’s all right there.”

‍

Scheduling is easier too. Ember’s built-in map view and calendar let Dina build a full week of jobs in five minutes. Site contacts, lockbox codes, and access notes are saved automatically, so nothing gets lost and the techs don’t need to call in for basic info.

‍

Even pump curves are now generated automatically. Dina used to graph them manually. Today, she can glance once and know whether a test passed.

‍

The Results: 5x More Jobs. Same Team.

Approved Fire Pumps didn’t need to hire more staff. The team simply became more efficient across the board.

‍

• Each job now takes 30 minutes instead of 2+ hours
  
  
• Reports and invoices go out same-day instead of days later
  
  
• Scheduling a full week takes 5 minutes instead of half a day
  
  
• The team can complete 20+ jobs per week, up from 4 to 5
  
  
• 4 or more hours saved per day across the team
  

‍

“We used to be able to process 4 jobs a day. Now we can do 20. Ember helps us move five times faster without needing to grow the team.”

‍

A Modern Workflow That Just Works

With Ember, Dina and her team can work from anywhere. Field techs have full visibility. Office staff can clean up field reports before sending. Deficiencies are flagged automatically. Quotes are generated instantly. Submissions to AHJs take one click.

‍

“It makes us look more professional, saves hours every day, and gives me back time to run the business. Even our least tech-savvy guy loves it.”

‍

And the support?

‍

“Best I’ve ever had. Fast replies, step-by-step help, and they don’t disappear after onboarding. They’re in your corner.”

‍

“I Don’t Care What It Costs. Do It.”

‍

Dina says it best:

‍

“If someone’s thinking about switching to Ember, I tell them: I don’t care what it costs. Do it. It’ll change your work life. You’ll go home earlier, get more done, and finally get out of the paperwork mess.”

‍

Want to 5x your team’s output without hiring anyone new?

Schedule a demo to see how Ember helps fire protection contractors do more with less.

‍