CASE STUDY
InstantCard Offers Lower-Cost, More-Secure Solution to ID Badges for Fire Departments

Firefighter ID Card

“InstantCard has been without a doubt the best option for our small municipality”
Brian Dixon, Mayor of Troy, South Carolina.

Summary

  • For firefighters, a proper identification badge is a critical part of the uniform, and key to insuring the safety of themselves and the general public.
  • Firefighter departments face the dual challenge of needing professional, durable ID badges while also facing decreased budgets and increased demands on their time.
  • InstantCard is a secure, inexpensive way for municipalities to obtain ID cards that meet the most stringent of quality and security standards for virtually any budget.

Situation

For firefighters, a proper identification badge is a critical part of the uniform, and key to insuring the safety of themselves and the general public. A firefighter identification card  confirms that the person carrying the badge is the same person who is authorized to carry it.  These badges allow access to restricted areas  in crucial moments. ID badges for firefighters can also include crucial medical information about the person carrying it.

Many firefighter departments face the dual challenge of needing professional, durable ID badges that can withstand constant exposure to extreme elements, while also facing decreased budgets and increased demands on their time.

Printing badges in-house is no longer a feasible option for these departments.  Lower-cost commercially available printers can only print on low-quality cards that quickly wear out. These machines also do not have the ability to produce critical counterfeit-deterring features such as holographic overlays. Machines capable of producing secure, professional-grade cards costs thousands of dollars, which can be out-of-reach on an already strained budget.

Solution

InstantCard was conceived to create a secure, inexpensive way  for municipalities to order id badges for firefighters that meet the most stringent of quality and security standards for virtually any budget.

For InstantCard, security is at the center of their ID badge solution. InstantCard started with a commitment to invest in ID card printing machines capable of producing badges with enhanced security features.  All information is stored in a secure cloud-based platform protected by industry-leading technology. Most critically, InstantCard verifies all government ID cards before authorizing printing.

InstantCard allows even small fire departments to access the most secure, durable identification badges available, for a lower cost than flimsy, easily replicated badges printed in-house.

Secure, Full-Service ID Badges System for Firefighters

Producing ID cards in-house entails an investment of several thousand dollars in hardware and software, plus training someone to run the machine.  The machine needs to be secured at all times to prevent the creation of fraudulent ID cards. In addition, valuable staff time must be spent designing and producing badges.

Fire departments that choose to share the expense of an ID card printer with another district quickly find themselves with an additional set of administrative hurdles. New firefighters must receive an ID badge quickly. Communicating with a neighboring fire department and waiting for the  ID badges for firefighters to be issued and mailed can take days, or longer.

An Easy System to Issue ID Badges for Firefighters

InstantCard’s secure online ordering process removes the expense and hassle from issuing firefighter ID cards. Our professional designers create a unique template that cannot be found online from a pre-fab template service. Issuing new ID badges takes only a few seconds. The new firefighter’s information is added to the secure database, and a new badge is printed and shipped the same day.

Results

Implementing an online badge ordering system allows fire departments to order high quality, durable and secure ID badges for 60-70% less than the cost of printing in-house. In addition, departments save time by outsourcing badge production.

“InstantCard has been without a doubt the best option for our small municipality. We provided our Town Council with a vertical and horizonal government credentials that exceeded our expectations! We also provided all the members of our Fire Department with custom designed identification card. The cards has garnered a lot of conversations and we have highly recommended as we are doing here, InstantCard to everyone!” said Brian Dixon, Mayor of Troy, South Carolina.

>400
fire departments served

>50k
badges produced