Parks & Playground Inspections

Inspection management process for parks, playgrounds and their assets to ensure safety and maintenance conform to CPSC and ASTM standards.

Parks and Playgrounds need Inspections and Maintenance to Ensure Safety.

Public parks and playgrounds all across North America need to be inspected and maintained on a regular basis. Countless hours of use and outdoor weather take a heavy toll on outdoor fixtures and equipment. Ensuring public safety in your parks and playgrounds is critical.

Cityreporter Parks and Playground inspection software can help manage your Parks and playgrounds:

Extensive assortment of customizable park and playground checklists included
Custom schedule creation with alerts for each location and each inspection or task
Document and track every concern with photographs
Detailed reporting includes full concern description and photo’s
Copies of inspection results automatically emailed to managers and maintenance departments
Re-inspection process documents completed repairs with photo’s
Automated reminders emailed for outstanding repairs, inspections, and upcoming workload
Optional integrated work order process provides easy work order creation in the field
No data charges, no limits on data, inspections, number of photo’s, or number of assets

Conduct Highly Detailed Inspections More Efficiently Using Your Mobile Device

Using your smartphone or tablet to conduct paperless playground inspections is easy.

Simply open CityReporter and select a location, then start completing checklists. If you find a problem, document it by adding comments and photos via your touch screen.

Once you’re done the inspection, securely file it to the cloud. CityReporter will instantly compile your facts into a concise report. It can email a copy to management or maintenance, too.

Start the repair and maintenance process while on site during an inspection with our CityReporter Work Order module.

Parks & playground inspection module app screen

A New Level of Improved Risk Management & Record-Keeping

CityReporter comes with customizable checklists based on CPSC recommendations and ASTM standards. These checklists have been approved by Ken Kutska, a renowned playground safety expert.

This playground inspection software also ensures your record-keeping meets high quality standards. Each inspection report is stamped with the inspectors ID, the date, and the time of the inspection. The records are filed permanently in the cloud where they are totally secure, yet readily available if needed.

For those who prefer or require local data storage, our CityReplicator utility and your own local SQL server can ensure you have an onsite copy of all your data. Our product managers will gladly show you how simple this is to add to your solution.

A Valuable Tool For Parks Departments

CityReporter is loved by Certified Playground Safety Inspectors because it makes their job faster and easier. The real value, however, comes from the way it helps departments streamline maintenance and repair processes. In the words of one Certified Playground Safety Inspector:

“This application has allowed our city to compose checklists and maintain records for the safety inspections of playground equipment in our parks. The checklists are easy to use and include pre-prepared general documents, which are customizable to suit our needs. The documents are easy to read and manipulate as needed, and the application works easily from both the office, as well as in the field with handheld devices.”

Bill Smith, CPRP / CPSI, City of Colton

There’s a reason why parks & recreation departments from coast to coast are equipping their crews with this playground inspection software! Take the first step towards improving your inspection process. Request a live demo today.

Parks Dept Becomes Proactive, Not Reactive

December 9, 2016

Staff at the City of Lafayette in Colorado were attending a CPSI course when they heard about CityReporter. They figured they'd use it to manage their playground inspections - but found it was able to do a lot more than just cut down on paperwork.

Ken Kutska Recommends CityReporter

May 12, 2016

Mention the name Ken Kutska to any Certified Playground Safety Inspector, and you’ll get a nod of recognition. As past president of NRPA and author of Playground Safety Is No Accident, Kutska is a legend in the parks and recreation industry. He likes what he's seen of CityReporter.

More Brain Injuries From Playgrounds

May 4, 2016

A new study shows that the rate of playground-related traumatic brain injuries significantly increased between 2005 - 2013. The authors acknowledge improvements in playground safety but point out that conducting regular inspections for safety hazards and improving surfacing could help reduce injuries on monkey bars and swings.

District Digitizes Landfill Inspections

February 4, 2016

One regional district in British Columbia has put CityReporter's facility inspection module to work in their waste management division. District staff are able to easily conduct inspections of transfer stations, landfills, and recycling depots on their mobile devices, even in remote areas with no cellular service.

Inspector on construction site using CityReporter

Faster Permit Times For St. John's

December 23, 2015

The City of St John's has implemented a new process for building permit inspections that will see inspections done more quickly and effectively. City inspectors will be equipped with CityReporter inspection software on their smartphones and tablets, which will allow them to complete and file reports electronically.

Getting Playground Maintenance Right

December 16, 2015

Recreation Management magazine put together a great article with input from play equipment manufacturers, the NRPA, and CPSIs to provide valuable advice on what a good playground maintenance program entails.

Village Now Has Building Permit Audit Trail

December 8, 2015

The smallest towns and villages are responsible for processing building permits and conducting thorough inspections of construction sites. The Village of Radium Hot Springs, a tiny location in BC, Canada, decided to adopt CityReporter to ensure a good audit trail for building inspections.

Park Supervisor Recognized For Safety Program

November 30, 2015

Mike Pigg, parks supervisor at the City of Billings, MT, was recently recognized as the 2015 Young Professional of the Year thanks to the playground safety program he implemented using CityReporter.

Playground Injuries Grew 8% In Canada

November 27, 2015

Hospitalizations due to playground injuries grew 8% between 2007 and 2012. Find out which Canadian provinces have the highest injury rates and what Keith Thomas, risk management expert for the Manitoba School Boards Association, is doing about it.

Park District Achieves Faster, Easier Reporting

November 23, 2015

More than 15 park districts across Illinois use tablets for their playground inspections. One supervisor explains what he likes about CityReporter and how it's improved operations in his own department.

Wood Processing Plant Improves Dust Mitigation

October 16, 2015

After two sawmill explosions rocked the lumber industry in northern BC, one pellet plant decided to implement mobile inspection software to stay on top of daily wood dust inspections. The results of their pilot project are promising.

Building Official Reduces Town's Risk

October 16, 2015

The Town of Qualicum Beach implemented building inspection software as part of a pilot project... and improved their processes so much they were featured in a case study put together by BlackBerry.

Inspector using CityReporter at construction site

Permit Department Now Has Thorough Documentation

October 16, 2015

One building department in BC, Canada used to struggle with inefficiencies, lost paperwork, and expensive multi-part forms. Since implementing inspection software on their tablets, their paper-based problems are a thing of the past.

City Now Continuously Monitors Playgrounds

October 9, 2015

The City of Colton's Bill Smith has both a CPRP and CPSI designation. He knows what's critical when it comes to keeping his playgrounds and recreational facilities in top condition. According to Bill, CityReporter meets his maintenance reporting needs in several ways.

Highway Contractor Eliminates Paper

May 12, 2015

In the Province of British Columbia, highway maintenance is outsourced to contractors. They're required to provide the Ministry of Transportation with quality assurance documentation. That involves an overwhelming amount of paperwork. CityReporter helped them meet their record-keeping obligations with far less effort.

Know The History Of Rubber Mulch

February 11, 2015

The news has been shining a spotlight on the use of recycled tire rubber in playgrounds and sports fields. Learn why we started recycling tires, who got the idea to turn them into safety surfacing, and what studies have been done to examine the health risks.

Playground Injury Leads To $23M Suit

February 3, 2015

Playgrounds at the Tucson Unified School are in rough shape, and now they're in the news. In 2013, a child sustained a brain injury after falling from a slide. In 2014 and 2015, several playgrounds at closed schools remained accessible to the public, generating negative press when it was revealed they had significant safety hazards with exposed concrete slabs in fall zones.

Governments Move To Cloud, See Cost Savings

January 27, 2015

Local governments, state agencies, and even the federal government are moving to the cloud. As a result, they're seeing cost savings, improved communication, and increased transparency. The one thing holding governments back is concerns about who retains control of the data.

John McGovern Explains ADA Requirements

January 14, 2015

John McGovern, one of the leading experts in playground accessibility, explains what cities, school districts, or other local governments need to know about auditing their existing playgrounds for accessibility, and whether all playgrounds need to be retrofitted to meet ADA standards.

Inspect Pool Drain Covers To Avoid Tragedy

September 12, 2014

Failure to inspect pool drain covers resulted in a child's death in China. North American pools can have these hazards, too, but inspection software can help by highlighting when inspections are overdue or which items aren't compliant.

5 Problems With Paper Inspections

August 15, 2014

After discussions with municipalities across North America, we uncovered several problems that all city departments doing inspections seem to face, no matter their location or size.

City Finds Going Digital Is "Easy"

July 14, 2014

Making the switch from paper inspections to digital inspections might seem intimidating, but with the right support it can actually be an easy process. The City of Campbell River made the transition and outlines their expectations and results.

Development Services Saves Money

July 14, 2014

The building inspector in Castlegar, BC, switched from doing his permit inspections the traditional way. Once he adopted CityReporter's mobile inspection software, he realized that his department would save money by going green. Read on to learn why!

Park District Saves $4,000 Annually

July 14, 2014

In 2011, Zion Park District wasn’t sure about switching to CityReporter. They had a number of existing problems – missing reports, incomplete inspections, and high transportation costs – but their maintenance supervisor thought using inspection software would be frustrating.

Fire Chief Getting More Inspections Done

July 11, 2014

As Director of Protective Services, fire chief Jim McBride juggled a lot of duties. After seeing a fellow fire chief do inspections on an iPad, he was intrigued and decided to try it for himself.

Park District Cuts Paperwork By 50%

July 7, 2014

Sandwich Park District, located in Illinois, is responsible for maintaining 9 parks and 1 facility with a small staff. In 2012, they began using CityReporter in order to streamline their operations and get more done with a limited amount of resources.

Transitioning To Tablets? Choose Wisely!

June 23, 2014

Cities looking for ways to improve efficiency are moving away from old-school paper inspections to digital inspections on mobile devices like tablets. Find out what you need to know before purchasing a tablet for your department's mobile inspections.