Understanding Alerts 👥

Learn about the Alerts module, who uses it, and how it works as a security incident reporting system.

What Are Alerts?

Alerts are emergency incident reports created by residents when they witness suspicious activity or emergencies in the community. Security guards receive these alerts immediately and respond by acknowledging, logging incident events, and submitting a detailed report.

The Alerts module creates a communication bridge between residents and security during critical moments, ensuring rapid response and complete documentation of incidents.

Who Participates?

🔒 Residents

Can: Create alerts when they witness emergencies or suspicious activity
Cannot: Acknowledge alerts or log incident events
Role: Initiate the alert, then verify and confirm the security response

🛡️ Security Guards

Can: Acknowledge alerts, log incident events, submit incident reports, call residents and 911
Cannot: Create alerts (only residents can)
Role: Respond to alerts, manage the incident, and document what happened

Alert Motives (Reasons for Alerts)

When creating an alert, residents select one or more motives that best describe the situation:

Motive	Meaning
Robbery	Robbery involving force or threat.
Suspicious Person	Unknown person acting suspiciously
Stranger Wandering	Unfamiliar person in community common areas
Breaking and Entering	Attempted or actual break-in
Theft Attempt	Theft or robbery occurring
Other	Any other emergency or incident

Alert Statuses

An alert passes through several statuses during its lifecycle:

Status	Icon Color	Meaning	Who Can Act
Active	🔴 Red	Alert just created, security not yet acknowledged	Security acknowledges
Acknowledged	🔴 Red	Security confirmed they are handling the incident	Security logs events & submits report
Report Submitted	🟡 Yellow	Security submitted their incident report, pending resident review	Resident verifies report
Resolved	🟢 Green	Resident verified and accepted the security report	View only
Canceled	⚫ Grey	Alert was canceled by system or admin	View only

Full Alert Workflow

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ RESIDENT CREATES ALERT                    Status: Active 🔴│
│ • Selects one or more motives              Resident sees   │
│ • Optional description                     red header      │
│ • Security notified immediately via push                   │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────────┘
                  │
                  ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SECURITY ACKNOWLEDGES ALERT           Status: Acknowledged│
│ • Taps Acknowledge button                 🔴 Red header    │
│ • Incident response begins                                  │
│ • Resident notified                                         │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────────┘
                  │
                  ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SECURITY LOGS INCIDENT EVENTS                              │
│ • Resident Contacted         ┐                              │
│ • Security Arrived at Unit   ├─ Timed, in order            │
│ • Police Contacted           │                              │
│ • Situation Under Control    ┘                              │
│                                                             │
│ Timeline is built chronologically                          │
│ Can call resident or 911 anytime                          │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────────┘
                  │
                  ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SECURITY SUBMITS REPORT              Status: Report Submitted │
│ • 3-step review wizard                    🟡 Yellow header  │
│ • Step 1: Resolution status (Resolved or False Alarm)      │
│ • Step 2: Review events timeline                           │
│ • Step 3: Final summary → Submit                           │
│ • Resident notified to verify                              │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────────┘
                  │
                  ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ RESIDENT VERIFIES REPORT                Status: Resolved 🟢│
│ • Reviews security's report                                 │
│ • Confirms resolution status                                │
│ • Reviews event timeline                                    │
│ • Taps Verify → Alert resolved                              │
│ • Complete record saved                                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Event Timeline

During an acknowledged alert, security guards build a chronological event log that documents every action taken:

Auto-Generated Events (system adds these automatically)

✅ Alert Created — Alert was created by resident
✅ Security Acknowledged Alert — Security confirmed they received and are handling it
✅ Security Report Submitted — Security report completed
✅ Report Verified — Resident confirmed and verified the report

Manual Events (security guards add these)

📞 Resident Contacted — Security called or messaged the resident
🏠 Security Arrived at Unit — Guard arrived at the affected unit
🚔 Police Contacted — Police or emergency services called
✓ Situation Under Control — Incident is stabilized

Each event is timestamped and appears in chronological order in the timeline.

Push Notifications

The system sends push notifications at key moments:

✅ When a resident creates an alert → Security guards are notified
✅ When security acknowledges → Resident is notified
✅ When security submits report → Resident is notified to verify
✅ When resident verifies report → Alert is now fully resolved

Tapping a push notification deep-links directly to the alert detail screen, so users can respond immediately.

Accessing Alerts

For Residents

Tap the alarm-light icon in the app header (red icon, top-right area)
- Shortcut directly to create a new alert
Tap Explore → View Alerts
- See all alerts you've created

For Security Guards

Tap Explore → View Alerts
- See all active and recent alerts in the community
Receive push notifications when new alerts are created
- Tap notification to open the alert immediately

Key Points to Remember

✅ For Residents:

Only you can create alerts
Always include a motive for clarity
Add a description if possible (helps security understand faster)
You must verify the security report when they submit it
Once resolved, you can view the complete incident record

✅ For Security:

Respond to alerts as quickly as possible
Always acknowledge first
Log events as the incident unfolds
Be thorough in your report
Each action is timestamped and documented

Workflow Diagram Summary

Resident Creates → Security Acknowledges → Security Logs Events → Security Submits Report → Resident Verifies → Resolved

Next Steps

Residents: Create an Alert - Step-by-step guide
Security: Respond to Alerts - Full incident management
Residents: Verify Security Reports - Review and confirm

What Are Alerts?​

Who Participates?​

🔒 Residents​

🛡️ Security Guards​

Alert Motives (Reasons for Alerts)​

Alert Statuses​

Full Alert Workflow​

Event Timeline​

Auto-Generated Events (system adds these automatically)​

Manual Events (security guards add these)​

Push Notifications​

Accessing Alerts​

For Residents​

For Security Guards​

Key Points to Remember​

Workflow Diagram Summary​

Next Steps​