Link Equipment to Vehicle Inspections

Overview

The equipment linking feature allows you to associate specific equipment (like chainsaws, defibrillators, or other tools) with questions in your vehicle inspection templates. When conducting a vehicle inspection, inspectors can see the current inspection status of linked equipment and quickly perform overdue equipment inspections without interrupting their workflow.

Benefits

• Contextual awareness: See equipment inspection status while conducting vehicle inspections
• Proactive maintenance: Identify overdue equipment inspections before they become critical
• Streamlined workflow: Jump directly to equipment inspections from vehicle checks
• Automatic tracking: Equipment inspection schedules update automatically when inspections are completed
• Return flow: After completing equipment inspection, automatically return to the vehicle inspection

How It Works

Template Setup

When creating or editing a vehicle inspection template:

1. Navigate to Templates from the main menu
2. Create a new template or edit an existing vehicle inspection template
3. Add or edit an inspection item where you want to link equipment
4. Check the “Link to Equipment” checkbox
5. Select the specific equipment from the dropdown (filtered to equipment in your unit)
6. Save the template

Tip

You can link multiple questions to different equipment items. For example:

• “Check chainsaw operation” → Link to Chainsaw
• “Check defibrillator battery” → Link to Defibrillator
• “Inspect ladder condition” → Link to Extension Ladder

During Vehicle Inspections

When conducting a vehicle inspection with linked equipment:

Equipment Status Display

For each question with linked equipment, inspectors will see:

• Equipment name and inspection status
• Last inspected: Date, time, and how long ago
• Status badge: Pass/Fail indicator with color coding
• Next due date: When the next inspection is scheduled
• Overdue warning: Red highlight if inspection is past due

Taking Action

For Authenticated Users:

• Inspect Now button (red for overdue, blue for never inspected):

  • Automatically starts equipment inspection with correct template
  • Pre-selects the equipment
  • Stores return path to vehicle inspection

• View Details button (for up-to-date equipment):

  • Opens the last inspection in a new tab for reference

For Public Inspections:

• Inspect Now button appears ONLY if:

  • Equipment inspection is overdue or never completed, AND
  • Equipment template has public access enabled

• Clicking takes user to public inspection form:

  • Equipment is pre-selected
  • User enters their name
  • Starts inspection immediately
  • Returns to vehicle inspection when complete

Equipment Inspection Flow

Authenticated Flow

1. Conducting vehicle inspection on Truck 24
2. See “Chainsaw” is overdue (last inspected 45 days ago, due monthly)
3. Click “Inspect Now”
4. Immediately start chainsaw inspection (no form to fill)
5. Complete chainsaw checklist
6. Click “Complete Inspection”
7. Automatically return to Truck 24 inspection
8. Chainsaw status now shows: “Last inspected: Today” with new due date

Public Flow

1. Scanning QR code on Truck 24, conducting public inspection
2. See “Defibrillator” is overdue
3. “Inspect Now” button appears (only if defibrillator template has public access)
4. Click button → redirected to public inspection form
5. Enter name and start defibrillator inspection
6. Complete inspection
7. Return to Truck 24 inspection
8. Defibrillator status updated

Configuration Requirements

Equipment Template Setup

For equipment to be linkable to vehicle inspections:

1. Equipment must exist in the system (Equipment > Add Equipment)
2. Inspection schedule must be created for the equipment:
   • Navigate to the equipment details page
   • Create an inspection schedule with desired frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)
   • Associate with an equipment inspection template
3. Equipment template must be active and assigned to the correct equipment category

Public Access (Optional)

To allow public inspections of equipment from public vehicle inspections:

1. Navigate to the equipment template (e.g., “Chainsaw Inspection”)
2. Enable “Allow Public Access”
3. Generate or note the public token
4. Equipment “Inspect Now” buttons will appear in public vehicle inspections

Caution

Only enable public access for equipment templates if you want anyone with the link to be able to inspect that equipment. Consider your security and compliance requirements.

Best Practices

Which Equipment to Link

Link equipment that:

• Is permanently assigned to specific vehicles
• Requires regular inspection
• Is critical for vehicle operations
• Has scheduled maintenance requirements

Examples:

• Chainsaws on wildfire trucks
• Defibrillators on ambulances
• Ladder inspection on ladder trucks
• SCBA equipment on pumpers
• Hydraulic rescue tools on rescue vehicles

Template Organization

1. Group related checks: Place equipment links near related vehicle inspection items

   • Example: Link chainsaw inspection near “Check chainsaw mounting brackets”

2. Clear question text: Make it obvious why equipment is linked

   • Good: “Verify chainsaw is operational and inspected”
   • Avoid: “Check equipment”

3. One equipment per question: Don’t try to link multiple equipment to a single question

Inspection Frequency Alignment

Consider aligning frequencies:

• Daily vehicle checks → Link to equipment needing daily inspection
• Weekly truck checks → Link to equipment with weekly/monthly schedules
• Monthly apparatus inspections → Link to all permanently mounted equipment

Troubleshooting

”Inspect Now” button not appearing

Authenticated view:

• Check that equipment has an inspection schedule
• Verify equipment template is active
• Ensure equipment is linked correctly in template

Public view:

• All above checks, PLUS:
• Verify equipment template has public_enabled: true
• Check that public token exists on equipment template

Next due date not updating

• Ensure inspection was completed (not just saved as draft)
• Check that inspection schedule exists for the equipment
• Verify template matches the one in equipment’s inspection schedule

Equipment not showing in template dropdown

• Confirm equipment is active
• Check equipment belongs to same unit as template
• Verify equipment category matches if template has category filter

Return flow not working

• This uses session storage - ensure cookies are enabled
• Check that “return_to” parameter is being passed in URL
• For public inspections, verify session persistence

Related Features

• Create Inspection Templates
• Add Equipment
• Create Inspection Schedules
• Manage Equipment
• Enable Public Inspections

Technical Details

Data Structure

Equipment links are stored in the template JSON structure:

{
  "text": "Check chainsaw operation",
  "response_type": "pass_fail",
  "equipment_id": 123,
  "stock_item_id": null
}

Schedule Updates

When an inspection is completed, the system:

1. Updates inspection status to “completed”
2. Sets completed_at timestamp
3. Finds matching inspection schedules
4. Calls mark_completed! on each schedule
5. Recalculates next_due_date based on frequency
6. Updates last_completed_at

Frequency Calculations

Next due dates are calculated from completion date:

• Daily: +1 day
• Weekly: +7 days (or next specified day of week)
• Fortnightly: +14 days
• Monthly: +1 month (or next specified day of month)
• Quarterly: +3 months
• Semi-annual: +6 months
• Annual: +1 year