When you add or edit an emergency profile, you can customize messages so employees and visitors receive clear instructions when an emergency event starts and ends.
About emergency messaging
Emergency messaging helps employees and visitors understand what is happening, where to go, and what to do next.
We recommend enabling start and end messages for the Emergency Profiles you use in real events. You can configure mobile messages, email messages, or both.
- Start messages: Sent when an emergency event starts.
- End messages: Sent when an emergency event ends.
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 need to turn off participant and recipient alignment when you want to:
- Notify supervisors or responders only.
- Run a drill with a smaller communications audience.
- Include a special communications group that is not included as participants.
Turn off participant and recipient alignment
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.
- On the edit page of your profile, enable the start or end message whose recipients you want to change, then click the Edit icon.
- Turn off Use Participants as Recipients.
- 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: Include employees who report to a specific user.
- Employee Tags: Include employees with specific tags.
- Specific Employees: Include the names of specific employees.
- Click Save.
Important:
Make sure to document the reason you turned off participant and recipient alignment in your internal standard operating procedures so future administrators know the recipients do not match the selected participants.
Edit the message template
You can edit the email or SMS message template with your own custom text. For tips on writing messages, see Best practices for writing messages.
- On the edit page of your profile, enable the start or end message you want to customize, then click the Edit icon.
- Under "Configure Email" or "Configure SMS Message" edit the current text. The default message templates include placeholders marked with brackets. These placeholders are automatically replaced with the correct values when the message is sent. The placeholders include:
- [EVACUATION TYPE]: The event type, such as test, drill, or emergency.
- [COMPANY NAME]: The name of your company.
- [SITE_NAME]: The name of your site.
- [MUSTERING_POINTS]: The mustering points configured for the Emergency Profile. If applicable.
- [VISITORS]: A list of visitors. If applicable.
- Click Save.
Best practices for writing messages
Use the additional message field for instructions that vary by 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.
Key reminders
- Enable start and end messages so people know what to do during an emergency event.
- Use participants to define who is included in emergency workflows.
- Keep recipients linked to participants by default to reduce over-notification.
- Only turn off participant and recipient alignment when you have a specific operational need.