Setting Up a Security Company, Campus Security or Facilities Team
For contract security companies with many client sites, campus / healthcare / corporate security departments, and facilities teams that respond to alarms, incidents and service requests. In Resgrid a client site is a station group, a patrol vehicle or post is a unit, an incident or request is a call, and patrol logs and incident reports are records.
1 — Department settings
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| 24-hour time | On. |
| Use branding in emails | On (clients see your logo). |
| Staffing reset | At shift boundaries → Off duty. |
| Suppress notifications for | Off duty. |
| Mapping settings | Personnel location TTL 15 min. |
| Modules | Shifts, Checklists, Work orders (Readiness Pro), Inventory, Records, Routes on; Trainings on. |
| Security policy | SSO with the corporate IdP where available; Require SSO; session timeout 720; view users / units group only so client sites are isolated. |
2 — Types
| Type | Values |
|---|---|
| Unit types | Patrol vehicle, Foot post, Bike patrol, Mobile supervisor, K9. |
| Call types | Alarm response, Suspicious activity, Trespass, Escort request, Medical, Fire alarm, Access control, Maintenance request, Incident report, Welfare check. |
| Priorities | Routine, Urgent, Emergency. |
| Certifications | Guard licence (with expiry), First aid/CPR, Use of force, Firearms (if armed), Fire warden, Forklift. |
| Contact note types | Site instructions, Key-holder, Alarm code (restricted). |
3 — Groups, roles, statuses
- Organisational group per client; station group per site with the address and a geofence (alarm-response area); site supervisors as group admins.
- Roles: Security officer, Supervisor, Dispatcher / operations centre, Site lead, Armed officer, Fire warden.
- Custom statuses (security template): personnel — On patrol · At post · Responding · On scene · On break · Off duty; staffing — On duty · Off duty · Available for overtime; units (Patrol) — Available · Responding · On site · Out of service.
4 — Units and tracking
One unit per patrol vehicle (role Officer) and per fixed post; hardware GPS tracking on vehicles (source priority above the phone app) so the operations centre always sees them.
5 — Calls and dispatch
- Dispatchers use the Dispatch app; alarm-centre emails create calls via email import; client requests by text-to-call.
- Contacts per site: client contact, key-holders, alarm company — with alert notes (dogs, access hazards) and gate codes in the occupancy record.
- Run cards: Alarm response (Urgent + Alarm): Patrol vehicle ×1 closest-unit, auto-dispatch; Medical on site adds First-aid role ×1.
- Indoor maps for campuses and large buildings: access points and assembly points searchable in dispatch.
- Templates: Alarm response, Escort, Medical; call-note templates for standard dispositions (False alarm — reset, Owner notified).
6 — Shifts and routes
- Assigned shifts per site with rotating patterns; trades within the same site group; workshifts for each shift checklists.
- Routes: patrol routes per site with checkpoint stops and geofence radius; officers run them in the Unit app; the end-of-shift Security Patrol Log record captures checkpoints and exceptions.
7 — Records
From the Operational report templates pack: Security Patrol Log (Quick entry, prefix PAT, sequence per site group) and Security Incident Report (Review required, involved persons restricted). Add Job/Service Completion for facilities work. Group-scope Records so clients' reports stay separate; use report exports to email a client a nightly patrol summary through a workflow. Legal holds and records requests cover subpoenas.
8 — Readiness
- Checklists: Patrol vehicle start-of-shift (Unit, each shift, reported location required), Post orders acknowledgement (Group per site), Fire extinguisher monthly (Serialized equipment), Lighting and camera check (Group, weekly) with Create a work order on failure.
- Work orders (Readiness Pro): Facility type for door, camera, lighting faults; business calendar Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00 with response targets per priority; vendor charges for outsourced repairs; spending approval above a threshold.
- Inventory: uniforms, radios and body cameras issued to officers; keys and access cards as serialized assets; vehicle equipment on units.
9 — Communication
- Chat: custom channel per client site (group rule) and a supervisors channel; GIFs off; moderation delegated to site supervisors.
- Notifications: Patrol unit out of service → operations; Checklist missed → site supervisor.
- Workflows: Call closed → email the client contact a summary from a Records export; Form submitted (incident statement) → create a work order via API.
- Communication tests quarterly.
First-week checklist
- Client and site groups with geofences; officers assigned; SSO tested
- Patrol vehicles as units with trackers
- Alarm-response run card tested with Run Test
- Patrol Log and Incident Report definitions published; group scoping on
- Start-of-shift checklist scheduled per vehicle