When you add an emergency profile, you can customize messages so employees and visitors receive clear instructions when an emergency event starts and ends.
Who can use this feature?
About emergency messaging
Emergency messaging helps employees and visitors understand what is happening, where to go, and what to do next during an emergency.
You can configure the following types of emergency messages:
- Email - Start Messages
- Email - End Messages
- Mobile - Start Messages (Corporate tier required)
- Mobile - End Messages (Corporate tier required)
Important:
To ensure messages are sent, make sure of the following:
For your visitors: Make sure the "email address" or "phone number" data fields are enabled and are mandatory for visitor sign-ins. For more information, see Manage data fields.
For your employees: To ensure employees receive mobile emergency messages, make sure their mobile number is entered in the "Mobile Number (for SMS Notifications)" field in the Address Book. To learn how to edit their details, see Manage the Address Book.
Control who receives messages
When you create a new emergency profile, the selected participants are used as recipients for start and end messages by default. You can turn this setting off if messages need to go to a different audience than the selected participants.
You may want to turn off participant and recipient alignment to:
- Notify supervisors or responders only.
- Send emergency messages to a smaller audience for drills.
- Include a special communications group that is not included as participants.
Configure messages
- On the edit page of the emergency profile, enable the start or end message you want to configure, then click the Edit icon.
- (Optional) If you do not want all participants to receive the message, do the following:
-
Turn off Use participants as Recipients.
Note:
Emergency profiles created before June 8, 2026 have participant and recipient alignment turned off by default. If you have a large number of profiles that need to be updated, contact FacilityOS Support.
- Choose who will receive the message. You can select recipients by:
- Lists: Include signed in visitors, signed in employees, or everyone in the employee list.
- Reports to: (Corporate tier required) Include employees who report to a specific user.
- Employee Tags: (Corporate tier required) Include employees with specific tags.
- Specific Employees: (Corporate tier required) Include the names of specific employees.
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- Under Configure Email or Configure SMS Message, edit the current text. The default message templates include placeholders enclosed in brackets. These placeholders are automatically replaced with the correct values when the message is sent. For tips on writing messages, see Best practices for writing messages. The placeholders include:
- [EVACUATION TYPE]: The event type, such as test, drill, or emergency.
- [NOE_NAME]: The nature of the emergency selected in the emergency profile.
- [COMPANY NAME]: The name of your company.
- [SITE_NAME]: The name of your site.
- [MUSTERING_POINTS]: The mustering points configured for the emergency profile. Applicable if the response type is set to roll call in the emergency profile.
- [VISITORS]: A list of visitors. Applicable if Send List of Signed in Visitors to Host is enabled in the emergency profile.
- Click Save.
Best practices for writing messages
Use the additional message field to provide instructions specific to the site. This lets you add important details without rewriting the full message template.
Keep additional messages short and actionable. People may be reading the message on a mobile device during an emergency.
You can use the additional message field to include:
- A clear instruction about what to do next.
- A reminder about what not to do.
- Site-specific directions, such as where to go or how to check in.
- Critical operational details required at your site.