This page explains how real alarms are grouped into site events, how site events wait in the queue and reach the operators, and what happens when no operator is available. It also lists the settings that control the timing.
Who it is for: Admins and shift supervisors. Operators find what they need in the Operator handbook.
Watch:
Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
Longest wait first | The site event that has waited the longest is always the next one out. |
Automatic assignment | Operators do not choose their work. GC Surge assigns it. |
One site, one operator | A site event is held by one operator at a time. Two operators never get the same event. |
Fair rotation | If several operators are available, GC Surge rotates between them. |
Nothing is assigned while all are busy | The event waits. Its wait time grows, so it comes first when an operator becomes available. |
Hold after a real alarm | After Real alarm the operator gets no new event for a set time, to finish the handling in the alarm system. |
State of the user | Gets assignments? |
|---|---|
Operator, shift started, monitoring | Yes |
Operator on hold after a real alarm | No, until the hold ends |
Operator paused | No |
Operator inactive (paused because of inactivity) | No |
Operator offline or signed out | No |
Admin in Admin mode | No |
Admin switched to Operator, shift started | Yes |
Situation | What happens to the site event | What happens to the operator |
|---|---|---|
The operator pauses (Pause monitoring) | It is released and goes to another operator. | Paused. |
The operator does not decide within the time set in Operator inactivity | It is released and goes to another operator. | Set to Inactive. The operator must start the shift again. |
The operator ends the shift or logs out | It is released and goes to another operator. | Out of the queue. |
A supervisor uses Release or Reassign... | It goes back to the queue or to the chosen operator. | Free for the next event. |
A released event keeps its wait time. It does not start again at zero, so it stays in front.
If no other operator is available, the released event is forwarded to your alarm system. See When No Operator Is Available below.
No operator is available when nobody is monitoring: nobody is signed in as operator with a started shift, and no admin has switched to Operator.
Watch:
Open Settings > Alarm routing. Change a value and click Save Changes.
Setting | What it controls | Possible values | A new account starts with |
|---|---|---|---|
Forward after (NOA) | How long GC Surge waits before it forwards an alarm to your alarm system when no operators are online. | Immediately, 60s, 120s or 180s | Check your value |
Operator inactivity | How long an operator can hold a site without a decision before the operator is paused and the site is released. | 1 to 120 seconds | 30 seconds |
Hold after escalation | The wait after a Real alarm decision before the operator receives another site. | 1 to 120 seconds | 60 seconds |
Alarm queue timeout | The maximum time alarms remain in the queue before they time out. | 1 to 30 minutes | 30 minutes |
Setting | If the value is too low | If the value is too high |
|---|---|---|
Forward after (NOA) | More unchecked alarms reach your alarm system, for example during a short shift change. | Real alarms wait longer when nobody is there. |
Operator inactivity | Operators are paused while they are still looking at a large site. | A site waits long with an operator who left the desk. |
Hold after escalation | The operator gets the next site before the handling in the alarm system is finished. | Operators are idle and the queue grows. |
For Alarm queue timeout: staff your shifts so that Longest wait in Live Alarms always stays well below this value. No site event should reach the timeout.
Change one value at a time and watch Live Alarms and Home for one shift.
Watch:
Open Live Alarms.
Element | Meaning |
|---|---|
Operator monitoring | How many operators are monitoring now. The line below shows how many are paused and how many are on cooldown (the hold after a real alarm). |
Sites waiting in queue | The number of site events that wait, with the number of alarms collected. |
Longest wait | The age of the oldest waiting site event. |
Forwards to ARS today | Forwards to your alarm system today, split into by operator and with no operator. |
Queue table | "Queue · longest wait first". Filters: All, Waiting, Assigned. Columns: Site, Waiting, Open alarms, Cameras, Assigned to, Supervisor actions. |
Users | Your operators with their state. Filters: All, Paused, Offline. |
In the queue table, use Supervisor actions in the row of a site.
Action | Use it when |
|---|---|
Assign... | A waiting site should go to a specific operator now. |
Reassign... | A site is held by an operator who cannot finish it. |
Release | A held site should go back to the queue. |
Forward now | The alarms of the site should go to your alarm system immediately, without an operator decision. |
You can only choose operators who are actively monitoring. Operators who are offline, inactive or on hold after a real alarm cannot take a site.
Symptom | Cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Sites wait, but operators are signed in | The operators have not started their shift, or they are paused, inactive or on hold. | Look at Users in Live Alarms. Ask the operators to click Start Shift. |
Longest wait keeps growing | There are more site events than the operators can decide. | Bring in another operator, or switch to Operator yourself. Use Forward now for sites that cannot wait. |
Many decisions show Forwarded, no operator | Nobody was monitoring at that time, or Forward after (NOA) is set to Immediately. | Check shift coverage. Check the setting. |
Operators are often set to Inactive | Operator inactivity is too short for your sites, or operators leave the desk without pausing. | Raise the value. Ask operators to use Pause monitoring when they leave. |
Operators wait too long after a real alarm | Hold after escalation is longer than needed. | Lower the value. |
"You can only assign operators who are actively monitoring" | The chosen operator is paused, inactive or has not started a shift. | Choose another operator, or ask this operator to start the shift. |
"This operator is on post-forward hold and cannot take a site yet" | The operator has just confirmed a real alarm. | Wait for the hold to end or choose another operator. |
"Could not save alarm routing settings. Please try again." | A value is outside the allowed range, or a temporary problem. | Check the ranges in The Settings That Control the Timing and save again. |
Live Alarms shows a Coming soon notice at the top | Some live figures of this page are still being completed. | You can close the notice. If a figure looks wrong, compare it with Home and Recordings. |
Can an operator pick a site from the queue? No. Assignment is automatic. This keeps the order fair and makes sure the oldest event is handled first.
Can two operators work on the same site? No. One site event is held by one operator.
What happens to a site event if the operator's computer or connection fails? The operator goes offline and gets no new assignments. The site event is given to another operator, or forwarded if nobody is available. If a site seems stuck, use Release or Reassign... in Live Alarms.
Does an admin count as an operator? Only after switching to Operator and starting a shift.
Are alarms of different sites ever mixed in one event? No. An event always belongs to one site.
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