FORT LEE, Va. – Community members here now have access to a new Army app that enhances the building maintenance and repair request process.
Called ArMA, short for Army Maintenance Activity, the online resource allows users to not only submit a service order ticket, including photos if desired, from any cellphone or computer, but also track the progress as it goes through the Directorate of Public Works system and offer feedback about the support provided.
“We completed our fence-to-fence rollout last week,” noted Patricia Eason, the lead engineering technician in DPW’s Contract Management Branch. “I think it’s an exciting upgrade because it allows customers to provide details about the service request, including the picture option of course, that we didn’t have with our long-standing telephonic submission system. It gives the customer more control of the request and the status because of the tracking feature.”
The DPW team emphasizes that ArMA service orders are for Army owned and operated facilities only. Residents of privatized military family housing on Fort Lee will still use the Hunt Resident App to request routine maintenance and repairs. Furthermore, the key word of both apps is “routine.” For emergency repairs that pose a risk to life, health and safety, call 804-451-1914 for Army-operated facilities and 804-733-1558, option 3, for family housing.
Fort Lee is among the 73 Army bases under the Installation Management Command umbrella implementing ArMA. In an article released in February, Project Manager Doug Enfield noted how the rollout aligns with Army modernization efforts.
“Automation of the maintenance-customer relationship is at the core of what we are doing,” he said. “Customers expect this. It is part of the Army operating in the information age – not just for housing but for all facilities on the installation, which is what we call fence-to-fence.”
Pointing out the Army’s $2.5 billion investment in barracks construction and renovation over the past two years, with plans for billions more to come, IMCOM emphasizes how empowering occupants of those facilities with an easy-to-use service order application will encourage proactive maintenance and extend the life and quality of the new and upgraded buildings. It better ensures the identification and reporting of required work earlier and maintenance that’s performed quickly and accurately.
According to IMCOM, the ArMA system has processed more than 200,000 housing and barracks work orders since its launch in January 2021. Of this amount, 66 percent were website-entered versus in-person or telephone requests, which equates to a savings of more than 5,000 hours of labor. Giving users greater flexibility in providing descriptions and even photos has increased the likelihood of issues being resolved by service technicians in one visit and is showing a promising 25 percent decrease in the age of average work orders.
“I think it’s going to catch on here just as well as other installations,” Eason projected. “We’ve seen a steady increase in people signing up for it and starting to use it. That’s really encouraging.”
Eason noted that DPW receives about 20,000 service requests per year for the 441 Army-owned structures on Fort Lee. The demands of that workload make ArMA’s promise of increased efficiency, improved communication and tracking highly desirable.
“In the end, it’s all about increased customer satisfaction achieved through well-maintained facilities,” she summarized.
Community members can access ArMA through the Digital Garrison App, a free community information guide downloadable from the Google Play or Apple App stores. ArMA also is available at www.armymaintenance.com. An ArMA how-to video can be found at army.deps.mil/army/cmds/imcom_kc/ArMA/Shared%20Documents/Training%20Materials/ArMA-SignUp-Video-01_FINAL.mp4. The training website for DPW users is available at army.deps.mil/army/cmds/imcom_kc/pw_university/Pages/Main_ArMA_Overview.aspx.
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