When migrating alarm management from a BAS to Virtual Facility, it is important to establish a seamless workflow. This means that users should not have to switch back and forth between the BAS and Virtual Facility in order to carry out basic alarm dispatch tasks.
One such consideration is the need for alarm acknowledgement in the BAS. Once the VF platform is launched for your organization, the best practice is to disable the need for acknowledgement within the BAS for alarms that are being Monitored and Triaged within Virtual Facility. In additional to reducing confusion about where Monitoring is occurring, this step can also minimize alarm fatigue when BAS users are diagnosing an issue that has been dispatched to them.
Each BAS provider handles alarm acknowledgement slightly differently. Below you will find specific instructions how to disable the alarm acknowledgement requirement for select BAS providers. If your BAS isn't listed, please contact your BAS vendor for assistance.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Modifying alarm acknowledgment settings can impact how critical events are monitored and responded to. Ensure that any changes comply with your organization's operational procedures and safety protocols. It is your responsibility to verify and apply this knowledge appropriately.
Automated Logic WebCTRL
- Locate the GEO or NET tree, area, equipment, or controller containing the alarm sources
- Click Alarms, then select the Enable/Disable tab
- Select the category or categories that contain the alarm sources, or select the Select All checkbox
- Select the alarm source(s), or select the Select All checkbox
- Disable both “Alarm requires acknowledgement” and “Return requires acknowledgement”
- Click OK
Johnson Controls Metasys
- Perform an Advanced Search for the objects to modify
- In the Advanced Search Results window, select the objects to modify
- Click Actions
- Select Bulk Modify
- Locate the following attributes in the list and set them to False / Ack Not Required:
- “Alarm Ack Required”
- “Normal Ack Required”
- “Warning Ack Required” (available only for analog alarms)
- Click Next
- Verify that the changes displayed are correct, then click Apply
More Information: Metasys UI Help https://docs.johnsoncontrols.com/bas/r/Metasys/en-US/Metasys-UI-Help/7.0/Navigating-and-searching/Advanced-search-reporting-bulk-commanding-and-bulk-modifying/Bulk-Modifying
Tridium Niagara 4 (and other Niagara-based BAS platforms)
- Go to the AlarmService for the Niagara station
- Double click the applicable Alarm Class to open its Property Sheet
- Next to the “Ack Required” property, uncheck all of the checkboxes (toOffnormal, toFault, toNormal, and toAlert).
- Click Save