Responders Users Guide - PDF Free Download

Volume 1 SPOTTED DOG TECHNOLOGIES RoVER Responders Users Guide

Table of Contents Introduction... 1 How the System Operates... 2 The Instant Response Number... 4 The Response Number... 5 The Options Menu... 7 Error Handling... 9 Summary... 10 Index... 11

R O V E R R E S P O N D E R S U S E R S G U I D E Chapter 1 Introduction About the RoVER System P age Confirm is a hosted solution that provides valuable information to first responders about personnel responding to a call. The solution provides feedback on who is responding, to which location and when they are scheduled to arrive. This information allows dispatch and command personnel to make better informed decisions including when to roll apparatus, whether a second call or mutual aid is required and assignment of personnel to equipment. RoVER is available on a subscription basis. No special equipment is required; information can be accessed via any computer with internet access or any telephone. 1

How the System Operates Full featured, yet easy to use W hen a page goes out for first responders, anyone who will be responding can inform the system through a very quick telephone interaction with the RoVER Interactive Voice Response (IVR) unit. The response information is then available to any registered user through either the phone or the internet. Core concepts of RoVER are states, locations, durations and presets. Responders are always considered to be in some state. The states available to any given department are defined by the department administrator. For purposes of illustration we will assume a department has 3 states as defined below: State Idle Meaning Responder is not involved in the incident Confirmed Responder has confirmed their participation and is one the way In Station Responder is in the station Some states have an associated location and duration. Continuing our example, the confirmed state would have a location that indicates where the user is responding to, is it station 1, station 2 or the incident scene? There would also be duration to indicate how long it will take for the user to arrive. By contrast, idle would have no location or duration. Presets are used to allow maximum flexibility for users to inform the system of their response intentions, while minimizing the time that is spent on the phone. When responding to a page, time is clearly of the essence and the simplest interaction should take no more than a few seconds. Each user can program up to 9 preset entry codes. An entry code indicates what the responders state will be, and if applicable a location and duration. This is best illustrated with a simple example. A given service may have two locations, and a responder may be coming from either work or home. Each combination of starting point and destination will have a different duration associate with it. A responder in 2

this situation could program 4 preset keys to correspond to responding to the various combinations of location and duration. Preset number Destination Duration (min) Comments 1 Station 1 3 Corresponds to coming from home 2 Station 1 6 Corresponds to coming from work 4 Station 2 4 Corresponds to coming from home 5 Station 2 5 Corresponds to coming from home The use of presets allows responders to very quickly to inform the system where they are going and when they will arrive. The most frequent response pattern should be entered as preset 1, as we are about to see, this preset can be selected just by dialing the system. When a responder receives a page, there are two numbers he or she can call. The instant response number will recognize the caller s phone number and set the response profile according to preset 1. In the example above, the responder would be expected to arrive in Station 1 in 3 minutes and 30 seconds. This interaction normally completes in less than 5 seconds. If the responder is not coming from home to Station 1, they can call the response number. Upon recognizing the caller s number, they are presented with a list of their presets and can easily select one using the phone keypad. The list of presets can be interrupted at any time, minimizing the interaction time. Once a user has entered their preset they can either hang up, or interact further with the system. 3

The Instant Response Number Nothing to enter, no menus to navigate E ach user registers one or more phone numbers that the system will use to recognize them. When a user calls the instant response number from one of these registered phone numbers, they are set according to preset 1. The system will then read them their state and disconnect. That s all there is to it. If the user needs to input response information other than what is set in preset 1, they can call the response number. If the user has not set up a preset 1, or they call from an unregistered phone, they will be told so and can call the response number which provides a more flexible interaction. 4

The Response Number Using your Presets S ometimes a responder needs to do more than just pick preset 1. The Response Number provides additional options and can be used from any phone, even phone numbers not registered with the system. When a user calls the response number and the system recognizes the calling number the interaction will start at the main menu which will be detailed below. If the calling number is not a registered phone number, the user will be prompted to enter their registered number and a pin code. Once validated the user will proceed to the main menu, and interact as if the calling number were recognized. The main menu allows a user to enter any of their presets. The menu will prompt with a list of the presets available. There may be up to 9 presets and they are selected by entering the corresponding number on the keypad of the phone. There is no requirement for presets to be sequential. It is valid to skip numbers, which allows the user to create meaningful patterns. For example the use of 1 and 4 for station 1 from home or work, and 3 and 6 for station 2 from home and work can be a memory aid since the top row is always from home and the left column always to station 1. Station 1 from home Station 1 from work Station 2 from home Station 2 from work Figure 1 - Using Keyboard location as preset reminder The main menu can be interrupted at any time, so once presets have been committed to memory there is no need to listen to the menu. As soon as the menu begins a preset can be selected. Once a preset is selected the system will read back the new state. The main menu has two additional choices, pressing 0 to exit the system, or pressing * to move to the options menu 5

Digits 1 9 May be mapped to presets 0 Hang Up * Go to Options Menu. Figure 2 Summary of Main Menu choices 6

The Options Menu For the power user T he options menu allows for more complex interactions. In the options menu the user can set response information that is not on a preset, and can query the system about the overall response situation. 1 Set response state, not from preset 2 Play back current state 3 Hear summary response information for the entire department. 4 Hear summary response information for the user s current state. 5 Hear summary response information for a selected state 6-8 Reserved For Future Use 9 Reset all users [ optional ] * Return to main menu 0 Select a different user Figure 3 Summary of Options Menu choices Like the main menu, the options menu can be interrupted once the system starts to speak, so if a user knows what they want to do, there is no need to wait. Entering 1 at the options menu allows the user to set any state. This is used to enter information not encapsulated in one of the presets. If the user is responding, but not from one of the preset locations, this menu can be used to select the responding state, and set the location and duration. Additional menu prompts guide the user through entering the necessary information. Entering 2 will speak the user s current state and then repeat the options menu. If the state includes a location and duration these are included. 7

Entering 3 will speak a summary of the response information. The administrator at each customer sets up the states and locations for that department, so what is spoken on any given system m ay not match this example precisely. The output of this option will be something like There are 4 people idle, there are 2 people confirmed for station 1 minimum time is 2 minutes, there are 0 people confirmed for station 2, etc. Entering 4 will speak a summary that is limited to the user s current state. Using the example above, if the user is idle the system will speak There are 4 people idle, but if the user is confirmed the system will speak information about confirmed people. Entering 5 will prompt the user to enter a state, and then speak a response summary limited to the selected state. Following an incident, command personnel may want to clear the board and set all users back to a non responding state. For uses with this right, entering 9 will set all users back to a default state that has been set up by the administrator. Pressing * will return the user to the main menu. Pressing 0 will allow the entry of a new registered phone number and pin, restarting at the main menu for a different user. The options menu can seem a little complex, but for simple response information the presets will handle the job and there is no need to use the options menu. However it does provide the additional capability to set non-preset response information and to get a better understanding of how many other personnel are responding. 8

Error Handling System Messages U p until now this manual has covered all of the normal cases. The system is designed to provide helpful information if the user veers off the expected path. Some of the more common possible errors are outlined below. Invalid Input As the name implies, the user input is not valid. This can occur when the system has prompted the user with a list of options, and the user presses a key not on the list, or the system has requested some number of digits, for example a 10 digit phone number, and the user enters fewer digits. The system will tell the user the input is not valid and then repeat the list. I did not hear you following a prompt, the system always waits five seconds for the user to begin entering information. If the user does not enter any information the system will tell the user no input was heard and then repeat the prompt. If the user has 3 consecutive errors the system will inform the user they have reached the maximum retry count and disconnect. If a user accidently bumps the phone and dials the response number this feature will limit the length of the call. 9

Summary Putting it all together P Age Confirm is a solution that provides the necessary information to make optimal decisions about when to roll apparatus. If I am first to arrive at the station, should I wait or go alone? Is anyone else coming and how far behind are they? Voice response is one component of the solution with capabilities to very rapidly update response information and optionally, to retrieve response information. Another system component, the web viewer, provides more details about response status in an easy to use visual format. 10

Index durations, 2 Error Handling, 9 instant response number, 3 locations, 2 main menu, 5 options menu, 7 presets, 2 registers, 4 response number, 3 states, 2 11