What happens when an alarm is raised?

How alarms are handled

If you use Vatix 24/7 Monitoring, alarms are handled by the Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).

If you use Self-Monitoring, alarms are sent to the contacts in your Alarm Response Profile.

What happens when you raise an alarm on a Safe Pro device

When you raise an alarm on a Safe Pro device, the red LED will flash rapidly and the device will vibrate to confirm that the alarm has been raised.

If you use Vatix 24/7 Monitoring, the device will place a call to the ARC. The device will beep to indicate that the ARC operator is listening for audio cues and assessing the situation.

If you use Self-Monitoring, the device will call the contacts in your Alarm Response Profile instead of the ARC.

What happens when you raise an alarm in the Lone Worker app

When you raise an alarm in the Lone Worker app, a call is placed to the ARC or to the contacts in your Alarm Response Profile, depending on whether you use Vatix 24/7 Monitoring or Self-Monitoring.

On an Android phone the call is placed for you, so there is nothing else to tap. The app asks for your permission to place calls once, through an 'Emergency call access' message the first time you open 'Safety' after updating. If you do not give it, the dialler opens with the number already filled in for you to tap.

On an iPhone your phone prompts you to place the call, and you tap 'Call' to start it.

The alarm is raised and sent to your responders either way, whether or not the call is placed.

If you use Vatix 24/7 Monitoring, the ARC operator may listen silently at first while they assess the situation.

What happens next

After assessing the situation, the alarm responder will take the appropriate action. This will usually lead to one of the following outcomes:

• You confirm you are safe: If the alarm responder cannot detect an immediate threat, they will speak to you to check that you are safe. You may be asked to confirm your identity, usually with your name and date of birth. If the alarm is false, it will be closed.
• Escalation: If the alarm responder cannot detect an immediate threat, but you are unable to respond and confirm that you are safe, they will contact the people listed in your Alarm Response Profile. This may include your manager or colleagues.

• Emergency response. If the responder detects signs of distress, violence, or another clear emergency:

  • With Vatix 24/7 Monitoring, the ARC can dispatch police directly to your location, bypassing the standard 999 route. Your Alarm Response Profile contacts are informed in parallel.
  • With Self-Monitoring, your nominated contact will follow your organisation's internal escalation process. They can call 999 if emergency services are needed, but they don't have direct police dispatch.

Where the alarm is recorded

Every alarm is recorded in Vatix Workspace as soon as it is raised, along with the time, who raised it, who responded and how long it stayed open. Your Account Owner or Manager can see it under 'Lone Working' > 'Overview'. See how to view alarm history for your team.

Important phone numbers

If you use the Lone Worker app, the Alarm Receiving Centre contact number is +44 808 169 2431. When you raise an alarm in the app, this is the number the app calls. If a Timed Alert expires, an alarm is activated and an ARC operator may also call you from this number. Answer or complete the call if you're able to, even if the alarm was raised by accident, so the responder can confirm you're safe and close the alarm.

If you use Self-Monitoring, your nominated contacts are called from +44 808 169 2431 when an alarm is raised.

If you use Vatix 24/7 Monitoring and the ARC needs to escalate to your nominated contacts (because they couldn't verify your safety verbally), those contacts are called from +44 330 184 0444.

We recommend that emergency contacts save both numbers so they don't ignore the call in an emergency.