Pricing
How we determine pricing.
On this page: what shapes your price, how to get an accurate quote from us, and some frequently asked questions.
budgeting · RFPs · council approvals
The short answer
Response & Risk
Ongoing subscriptions, scaled to the size of your department.
Plans & assessments
Fixed-scope projects with a defined start and a defined finish.
Either way
Quoted in writing, with the scope attached, before anything is signed.
To quote you we need three things: how many stations you run, the state of your data, and which products you’re considering.
What shapes your price
Six factors to consider.
If you can answer these six, we can usually put a quote together right after our first call.
01
Stations and apparatus
The single biggest factor. Scope follows your footprint — how many stations you run, how many apparatus, and how many districts you answer for.
02
Population and call volume
A department answering 2,000 calls a year and one answering 40,000 are modelling very different problems, on very different amounts of data.
03
Which products you need
Darkhorse Response, Darkhorse Risk, and consulting engagements are priced separately. Most departments start with one and add the others later.
04
The state of your data
Clean CAD and NFIRS exports move fast. Partial histories spread across systems that never talked to each other take work before anything can be modelled — and that work shows up in the number.
05
A study, or something you keep
A master plan or standards-of-cover assessment is a project with an end date. Response and Risk are living tools your team keeps using as the data changes.
06
How long you commit
Multi-year agreements price differently than a single year, and they tend to line up better with the way departments tend to budget.
OUR GUARANTEES
What you can expect from us.
Confirm the details on your call — but this is what we guarantee for every department we partner with.
Onboarding
Training your people
Getting your team productive is part of the engagement.
We are always here to ensure your team is supported and educated.
Data
Ingesting your history
Send your CAD and NFIRS exports in whatever shape they are in. The cleanup happens on our side.
Seats
Everyone who needs a login
We do not charge per seat. Everyone who needs a login gets one.
Updates
Always the current version
Software improvements land for every department. There is no upgrade cycle to budget for separately.
Support
People who know the fire service
Questions you have go to people who have worked with departments like yours.
Paperwork
Documentation for your approvals
We'll provide a written scope, written quote, and the specifics your finance director and council will ask for.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The questions that come up before the call.
Term
Is this a subscription or a one-time cost?
Both exist. Darkhorse Response and Darkhorse Risk are ongoing, because your data keeps changing.
A master plan or standards-of-cover engagement is a project with a start and a finish. Plenty of departments buy one of each.
Seats
Do you charge per user?
No. Pricing follows the size of the department, not the number of logins.
Size
We’re small and mostly volunteer. Are we too small for this?
It depends. Some of the clearest results we have seen came from small combination departments that needed one defensible map to unlock funding.
Book a call and we will evaluate and tell you honestly if the fit isn’t there.
Funding
Can this be grant funded?
Often. Assessment and planning work fits a number of federal and state programs. We can’t write the application for you, but we can give you the scope and cost language it needs.
Timing
How long from first call to a real quote?
We prefer to sit on a call to understand your department, your challenges and your needs to determine the best plan for you.
After the call, we can typically build a quote for you within 1-2 business days.
Procurement
We’re going out to RFP, or need a sole-source justification. Can you help?
Yes. Tell us which path you’re on and we’ll produce what it needs — scope and requirement language for an RFP, or the written documentation your purchasing department needs for a sole-source form.
Purchasing
Can we buy through an existing contract or co-op vehicle?
Sometimes. If your agency already has a purchasing vehicle we can be added to, it can take months out of the process. Mention it on the call and we’ll look into what’s possible.
Budgeting
What if we only need a number for next year’s budget?
Say so up front. That is a legitimate reason to talk to us and it isn’t a wasted call on either side — we would far rather be in your draft budget than surprise you in the spring.
Get your number
Tell us about your department. We’ll tell you what it costs.
After you hit send
01
A member of our team will review your details and ask for any further information required.
02
You get a reply with a working range for a department your size, and what would move it up or down. We may ask to book a quick call to get to know your department further.
03
If you want to go further, we book an hour call where we get to know your department, your challenges, and your needs in detail.
Departments can expect to hear back within 2-3 business days.