|
When we
made the decision to offer the newest version of our fire
simulator for free, we never thought people would care why.
But, “Why” is the question we find ourselves answering
everyday. At first, we were surprised by the question, but
we realized that it is a legitimate concern so we will
attempt to answer it here.
We wrote the
first version of the program nearly ten years ago to help us
prepare for the fire problem portion of our lieutenants
test. We found that the ability to import our own
pictures and place animation exactly where and how we wanted
was an invaluable study tool. The other simulators on the
market were restrictive, complicated, and were way too
expensive for us, as individuals, to afford. We thought it
would be a great idea to get our program to others like us
and so we started selling it for a low price (around $50) to
cover our costs.
We
quickly found that the nature of business dictated that if a
product was nominally priced then its perceived value was
also low; therefore, many did not consider its abilities.
Instead they continued to buy the simulators costing several
thousand dollars that were in fact inferior to ours. Under
advisement, we raised our prices up to the $1000 range and
sales went through the roof. Consequently, the competitors
either vanished or began to copy what we were doing.
As the
business grew, so did the distance from our original idea of
putting a simulator in the hands of firefighters trying to
improve their craft. The fire simulator business became a
contact sport. The competition became ruthless with
personal attacks and dirty tricks. One company even used
the web name “firesimulator.net” in order to detour
clients that were attempting to reach our website “firesimulator.com”.
Just plain childish and unnecessary.
Over the
years, with great success, we have launched several products
in other areas of the emergency services market. These
other programs have financially propelled us as a company.
So, when we launched our latest product, Fire scene
Simulator 6, we decided that it was time to get back to
where we wanted to be at the beginning. We are giving
the Simulator away to anyone who wants it. We won’t
lose money because we will continue to sell (at a reduced
rate) industry specific features that larger departments
request, such as network server capabilities. This revenue
will pay for the maintenance of the website so the average
firefighter can download the program for free.
We will
continue to make changes and upgrades to the program and
make them available for “Free download.” We have found that
the best improvements in our products have always come from
firefighters calling us and saying “it would be great if it
could do…” and so we will continue to listen.
We hope
this answers the question of “why”. This is our commitment
to the fire service. For anyone who feels that they MUST
pay something, we suggest donating to your local burn
foundation.
Stay safe
out there.
|
Why Free