December Updates: Enhancing Your Administrative Experience with BeforeYouBurn.com

At WFCA, PFS and BeforeYouBurn.com, we are dedicated to improving outdoor burn management, ensuring fire safety, and making the process intuitive for residents and agencies alike. With this mission in mind, we're thrilled to announce several updates as of December 6th that enhance the functionality, accessibility, and user experience of the platform. Whether you're a resident planning a burn or an agency managing burn policies and checkins, these improvements are designed to streamline your interactions with BeforeYouBurn.

Enhanced Activity Map

New Activity Map with Date Filtering, Heatmaps, click to zoom, and one click activity detail.

The Activity Map has received a significant upgrade to ensure a seamless and interactive user experience:

Date Filtering: Users can now filter the activity view by specific dates, making it easier to track and review burn activities within a particular timeframe. Be sure to double-check the year for accuracy!
Interactive Zoom and Grouping: Clicking on grouped markers now smoothly zooms in for more detailed views, while individual pins display a summary of the activity with direct links to full records.

Improved Activity List

The Activity List is now more user-friendly across various devices and use cases:

Small Screen Optimization: Fixed bugs that affected readability on smaller devices.
Printing: Fixed bugs that affected your ability to print the Daily Activity List.
Batch Export to Excel: Users can select multiple records and export them with ease, enabling efficient data handling for agencies and residents alike.

User Avatars and Profiles

Avatars now feature color-coded initials based on users' first and last names for better identification. Additionally:

New Grid Display: Users can search and sort profiles by name or recent activity, helping agency administrators track interactions more efficiently.

New Searching and Sorting Options along with a new display makes User List and Grid makes finding users much easier.

Impersonation Feature for Agency Admins

Impersonating a User allows the Admin to update the User profile and Register activities on their behalf.

Agency administrators can now impersonate users directly from the user listing or profile detail pages. This functionality is ideal for troubleshooting and resolving issues, with all impersonation activities being logged for transparency.

Updates to the Verification System

Recent changes to the verification process aim to make account access simpler while addressing user identification challenges:

Streamlined Sign-In Experience: Users are accessing their accounts effortlessly now through the “Sign In” button on the homepage of BeforeYouBurn.com. Recent tracking is now demonstrating that 95% of users are completing the verification process within 1 minute.
NOTE: Verification is currently set at once per 90 days unless client browser security setting prevents the verification cookie from being set or stored.

Cosmetic and Usability Enhancements

A slew of minor visual and functional updates have been implemented to make your PFS portal more intuitive and visually appealing. From improved mobile responsiveness to easier navigation, these changes ensure an optimal experience across all devices.

Looking Ahead

This December updates reflect our ongoing commitment to enhancing both safety and user satisfaction. With tools that empower residents to burn responsibly and enable agencies to manage permits and safety with precision, Before You Burn continues to lead the way in modern outdoor burn management.

Your Feedback Matters! We’re eager to hear from you. If you have suggestions or encounter any issues, please don’t hesitate to reach out through our support portal or your local agency contacts. Together, we can build a safer, smarter, and more connected community.

Stay safe and informed,

The WFCA, PFS and BeforeYouBurn.com Team