Adding Units

Units in Resgrid represent physical apparatus, vehicles, or teams that respond to calls. Examples include fire engines, ambulances, rescue trucks, command vehicles, or specialized teams. Each unit can have a type, be assigned to a station, have defined roles (positions), and maintain its own status independent of individual personnel.

Why Adding Units Matters

Units are a core component of dispatch operations. When a call comes in, dispatchers often dispatch units rather than (or in addition to) individual personnel. Each unit tracks its own state (Available, Responding, On Scene, etc.), can be staffed with personnel in specific roles, and appears on maps with location tracking. Without properly configured units, dispatch operations, unit tracking, and resource management will not function.

Scope

Units are department-wide. Each unit belongs to the department and can optionally be assigned to a station group. Unit states and staffing are visible to all personnel (subject to Security and Permissions settings).

Creating a Unit

Navigate to Units and click New Unit to create a new unit.

Unit Fields

Field	Required	Description
Name	Yes	The unit name (must be unique within the department, e.g., "Engine 1")
Type	No	The unit type (from defined Unit Types)
Station Group	No	The station group the unit is assigned to ("No Station" if unassigned)

Unique Unit Names

Each unit name must be unique within your department. Attempting to create a unit with a duplicate name will result in an error.

Unit Roles

When creating or editing a unit, you can define roles (positions) for the unit. Roles represent the positions that need to be staffed on the unit (e.g., Driver, Officer, Firefighter 1, Firefighter 2).

To add a role, click Add Role and enter the role name. Role names must be unique within the unit.

Unit roles serve two purposes:

1. Staffing — Personnel can be assigned to specific roles on a unit
2. Dispatch — When a unit is dispatched, personnel assigned to its roles can also be automatically notified (if configured in Department Settings)

Unit Types

Unit Types are defined in Department Types and provide:

• A common classification for similar units
• A map icon for the unit on maps
• An association with Custom Unit Statuses

If you want a unit to use custom status buttons (instead of the default unit statuses), you must:

1. Create Custom Unit Statuses in Custom Statuses
2. Create a Unit Type in Types and assign the custom statuses to it
3. Assign that Unit Type to the unit

Unit Staffing

Unit Staffing allows you to assign personnel to specific roles on a unit for a given time period. This tracks who is currently operating the unit.

Navigate to a unit and click Staffing to manage role assignments.

When a unit is staffed:

• The assigned personnel are tracked as being on that unit
• If "Unit Dispatch Also Dispatch to Assigned Personnel" is enabled in Department Settings, dispatching the unit will also notify assigned personnel
• Unit state changes can optionally cascade to assigned personnel statuses

Unit States

Units have their own status tracking, separate from personnel statuses. By default, the following unit states are available:

State	Description
Available	Unit is available to respond to calls
Delayed	Unit is available but may have delayed response
Unavailable	Unit is not available
Committed	Unit is committed to an active call
Out Of Service	Unit is out of service and cannot respond

Custom unit statuses can be configured via Custom Statuses and assigned through Unit Types.

State Detail Types

Unit states can have detail types that determine what additional information can be selected when setting a state:

Detail Type	Description
None	No additional detail required
Calls	Select a call when setting this state
Stations	Select a station when setting this state
Calls and Stations	Select either a call or station

Setting Unit State

Unit states can be set from:

• The Units page (single or bulk state changes)
• The Dispatch dashboard
• The Resgrid Unit mobile application
• Optionally, states can include a destination (call or station) and GPS coordinates

Unit Event History

Each unit maintains a history of state changes. You can view the event history to see:

• What state the unit was in and when
• Who changed the state
• GPS coordinates at the time of the state change (if available)
• The state change displayed on a map

From the event history, you can:

• Generate a Report from selected events
• Clear All Events to reset the unit's history

Unit Logs

Units can have narrative log entries added to them. Logs are free-text entries that record significant events, maintenance notes, or operational details.

Field	Required	Description
Narrative	Yes	The log entry text

Editing a Unit

Click on an existing unit to edit its name, type, station assignment, or roles. Changes take effect immediately.

Deleting a Unit

Deleting a unit removes it from the department. This action is audited. Before deleting, consider:

• Active calls the unit may be assigned to
• Shift assignments that reference the unit
• Historical data that may reference the unit

How Units Connect to Other Features

Feature	Connection
Dispatch	Units are dispatched to calls; dispatching notifies assigned personnel
Custom Statuses	Custom unit statuses are assigned via Unit Types
Types	Unit Types define classification, map icons, and status associations
Groups/Stations	Units are assigned to station groups
Mapping	Units appear on maps with real-time location tracking
Shifts	Units can be part of shift configurations
Notifications	Unit type availability alerts monitor unit counts
Department Settings	Dispatch settings control how unit dispatch interacts with personnel

Common Errors and Resolutions

Error	Resolution
"Unit name already exists"	Choose a unique unit name within the department
Duplicate role names on a unit	Each role name must be unique within the unit
Custom statuses not appearing	Assign a Unit Type with custom statuses; set the type on the unit
Unit not showing on map	Ensure the unit has reported a GPS location via status update
Dispatching unit not notifying personnel	Enable "Unit Dispatch Also Dispatch to Assigned Personnel" in Department Settings