Applies to: OnCAFE Operations / Alarms

Summary

Alarm priority levels help operators quickly identify which alarms require immediate attention and which alarms can be reviewed less urgently. In daily operations, not every alarm has the same level of urgency. A forced door, lockdown event, or critical security conditions may require immediate response, while lower-priority alarms may only need review or follow-up.

Assigning alarm priority levels allows OnCAFE users to organize alarms by severity, reduce response time, and improve situational awareness during active monitoring. Properly configured priorities also help teams avoid alarm fatigue by making critical events stand out from routine notifications.

Importance of Alarm Priority Levels

Alarm priorities provide a clear method for ranking alarm events based on urgency and operational impact. This is especially important for organizations monitoring multiple doors, elevators, inputs, areas, or sites.

When multiple alarms occur at the same time, priority levels help users determine which alarms should be reviewed first. Instead of treating every alarm the same, operators can focus on the events that may impact security, safety, or business operations.

Proper use of alarm priorities helps:

• Operators respond to the most urgent alarms first.
• Critical security events stand out from routine activity.
• Reduce confusion during high-volume alarm activity.
• Supervisors can review high-impact alarms more efficiently.
• Organizations maintain consistent alarm response procedures.
• Ease management of daily alarm monitoring.
• Alarm fatigue is reduced by separating urgent alarms from routine notifications.

Alarm Status and Priority

Alarm priority identifies the severity of the alarm. Alarm status identifies the current handling state of the alarm.

Priority and status should be used together. For example, a High priority alarm with an Attention required status should typically be reviewed before a Low priority alarm that has already been acknowledged or cleared.

Alarm Priority Levels

OnCAFE alarm priorities are used to classify alarms by severity. The priority assigned to an alarm should reflect how quickly the event needs to be reviewed or acted upon.

NOTE: Priority levels should be assigned consistently across the organization so operators understand which alarms require immediate action.

High-priority alarms should be used for events that may indicate a security risk, unauthorized activity, or an urgent operational condition. 

Examples may include:

• Door forced open
• Lockdown-related alarm
• Critical input alarm
• Unauthorized access condition
• Security-sensitive area alarm
• Emergency response event

Medium-priority alarms should be used for important events that require review but may not require immediate response.   

Examples may include:

• Door held open
• Device communication issue
• Area-related warning
• Elevator access-related issue
• Input alarm that requires follow-up     

Low-priority alarms should be used for routine, informational, or lower-impact events.

Examples may include:

• Routine monitoring alerts
• Non-critical status changes
• Informational alarm events
• Events used mainly for audit or review

Viewing Alarm Priorities

To view alarm priorities:

1. Log in to OnCAFE.
    
2. Select Operations > Alarms.
    
3. Review the alarm list.
    
4. Locate the priority label assigned to each alarm.
   
   Each alarm displays its assigned priority, such as High priority, so users can quickly identify the severity of the event.

Filtering Alarms by Priority

The Alarms page includes filtering options that allow users to narrow the alarm list by priority.

To filter alarms by priority: 

1. Navigate to Operations > Alarms.
    
2. Locate the Filter by panel.
    
3. Under Priority, select or clear the priority levels to display:
   • High
   • Medium
   • Low
      

4. Review the filtered alarm results. 

   Operators can now focus only on the priority levels that matter for the task they are performing.

Sorting and Reviewing Alarms by Priority

Alarms can be reviewed by priority to help operators focus on the most critical events first.

To sort and review by priority:

1. Open the Alarms page.
    
2. Review active alarms.
    
3. Filter by priority, starting with High.
    
4. Investigate the highest-priority alarms first.
    
5. Update the alarm status as needed.
   
   

Best Practices

Use alarm priorities consistently across sites, doors, elevators, inputs, and areas. Avoid assigning too many alarms as High priority unless they truly require immediate attention. If everything is marked High priority, operators may become desensitized and critical alarms may be missed.

• Reserve High priority for alarms that require immediate operator awareness.
• Use Medium priority for events that require timely follow-up.
• Use Low priority for routine or informational events.
• Review alarm priority configuration during system setup.
• Train operators on what each priority level means.
• Periodically review alarm history to confirm priorities are being used correctly.
• Adjust priority levels if operators are receiving too many unnecessary high-priority alarms.

Consistent alarm priority assignment helps operators make faster and better decisions. When priorities are configured correctly, users can immediately understand which alarms require action and which alarms can be reviewed later.

Inconsistent priority assignment can cause:

• Delayed response to critical alarms.
• Too many alarms appearing urgent.
• Confusion between operators and supervisors.
• Increased alarm fatigue.
• Missed or overlooked security events.
• Inefficient investigation workflows.

A consistent priority structure allows the alarm page to function as an effective operational tool instead of a general event list.