Purpose Statement
The purpose of this article is to explain each available settings booleans (toggles) within the Assets module Setup. Enabling a toggle activates the corresponding functionality as defined below, allowing agencies to configure apparatus, equipment, inventory, checklist behavior, and integrations based on operational needs.
Background Information
The Assets module Setup contains system-level configuration toggles that control how apparatus, equipment, inventory, work orders, and checklists function across First Due. These settings are typically managed by administrators during initial system configuration or when operational workflows need adjustment. Changes made here directly impact user experience, data integrity, and automation throughout the Assets module.
Required Permissions
Users must have administrative permissions that allow access to Assets Setup and system configuration. This generally includes Admin or equivalent roles with permission to manage Assets settings.
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Step-by-Step Guide
Navigate to the Assets module Setup
- Click the First Due (FD) logo in the upper left corner.
- Select Assets and then Setup.
- Settings will be the first page that appears.
Info: All settings appear as booleans (toggles) and may show alternate setting fields dependent upon activation. Save all settings before leaving this screen.
Enable Primary/Reserve Toggle (Apparatus)
When enabled, this toggle allows administrators to define an apparatus as either a Primary (frontline) unit or a Reserve unit, providing clearer operational status tracking across the fleet.
Enable Apparatus Reason/Comment for In/Out of Service
When enabled, this toggle allows administrators to require users to submit a reason and comment for taking apparatus in or out of service. This becomes the first page of the apparatus service status change workflow before users can then perform a Swap, Unit Update, Relocate, or simple status change.
Enable Equipment Primary/Reserve Toggle
When enabled, this toggle allows equipment records to be designated as Primary or Reserve, helping agencies distinguish frontline equipment from backup or spare items.
Enable Missed Checks
When enabled, administrators can define the number of days after which incomplete checklists or checklists that were never started will be marked as missed and become inaccessible to users; the timeframe is user-defined in days once the toggle is enabled.
Default Inventory Location
When enabled, all newly entered inventory will automatically be assigned to a selected default location storage unless a different location is specified during inventory entry.
Require Vendor When Receiving Inventory
When enabled, the Vendor field becomes a required selection when receiving inventory, ensuring vendor information is consistently captured for tracking and reporting purposes.
Work Order “Submitted By” Field Defaults to Logged In User
When enabled, the Work Order “Submitted By” field automatically defaults to the currently logged-in user; if a unit user such as an apparatus is logged in, the field may be manually updated to reflect the actual individual submitting the Work Order.
Show New Work Order Modal for Inventory
When enabled, a Work Order modal is triggered when inventory items associated with compartments, storages, or pouches fail during checklist completion, allowing users to immediately create a Work Order; this toggle is enabled by default.
Display Apparatus Secondary ID Field
When enabled, administrators can select a user-defined Apparatus Secondary ID field and optionally enable the display of that Secondary ID field on the Fleet Overview for enhanced apparatus identification.
Once enabled, administrators can select to enable the Display Fleet Overview Secondary ID Field, enabling the visibility of the chosen Secondary ID Field to appear on the Fleet Overview.
Archive Swapover History
When enabled, administrators can define the number of days after which Swap History records automatically transition from Closed to Archived, helping manage long-term swap history visibility and system organization.
Scanner Remove Length Limitations
When enabled, barcode scans with fewer than six characters are allowed, removing character-length restrictions; this setting is always recommended for agencies using the barcode scanning feature.
Warning:
It is highly recommended that any agency seeking to use barcode scanning enable this toggle.
Display Equipment/Inventory Description
When enabled, equipment and inventory descriptions will appear within overview records, allowing users to quickly view descriptive details without opening individual records. If there is no description entered for an Equipment or piece of Inventory this field will be blank.
Set Timeout Timeframe for Checklists
When enabled, agencies can define the number of minutes after which the last user in an active checklist will be automatically timed out if idle, ensuring checklist availability and preventing unauthorized access.
Allow Multiple Associated Dispatch Units
Warning: If duplicate Dispatch Unit IDs exist, the system will display an error indicating multiple units are assigned to the same Dispatch Unit ID.
Enable Samsara Services Integration
Enabling this toggle requires an account upgrade; agencies must contact their Customer Success Manager to activate Samsara Services integration within First Due. If enabled, an API field appears to allow for the entry of an agencies Samsara API number to start the bidirectional flow of fleet communication between First Due and Samsara.
Autogenerate Equipment IDs
When enabled, the system will automatically generate numeric Equipment IDs when equipment is added manually or through the Equipment Import Wizard, with administrators defining the next Equipment ID value up to a maximum of five characters.
Require Unique API Apparatus ID
When enabled, each apparatus must have a unique API Apparatus ID value. This helps prevent duplicate API identifiers across apparatus records and supports cleaner integrations and more reliable apparatus matching when API-based data is used.
Auto-populate Current Price Per Unit
When enabled, the system will automatically display the current price per unit for each inventory item during:
- Receiving inventory into the system
- Inputting or approving Purchase Orders
This value will only populate if a price has already been entered for the inventory item. This helps streamline purchasing workflows and ensures consistency in cost visibility across inventory transactions.
Best Practices
- Review toggle dependencies before enabling settings in production. Some toggles expose additional fields or change record behavior immediately, so it is best to confirm downstream impact before saving.
- Standardize naming and ID conventions before enabling settings tied to apparatus IDs, dispatch IDs, secondary IDs, or autogenerated IDs. This reduces duplicate records, mismatched integrations, and reporting inconsistencies.
- Use Require Vendor When Receiving Inventory when your agency relies on vendor-based reporting, receiving audits, or restocking traceability. If vendor data is not consistently maintained, users may be blocked during receiving.
- Only enable Allow Multiple Associated Dispatch Units when there is a defined operational reason to do so. Shared Dispatch Unit IDs can create confusion during troubleshooting if agencies do not document which apparatus are intentionally linked.
- Enable Require Unique API Apparatus ID before or during integration cleanup, not after inconsistent API IDs are already in use. If duplicate IDs already exist, correct those records first so future integrations and apparatus syncing remain predictable.
- Use Scanner Remove Length Limitations only when the agency actively uses short barcode values or legacy barcode labels. If not needed, leaving validation in place can help catch incomplete scans or data entry mistakes.
- Set checklist timeout and missed-check thresholds around actual operational schedules. Timeframes that are too aggressive can interrupt active users; timeframes that are too loose can leave incomplete checklists open too long and affect compliance tracking.
- Restrict Setup access to trained administrators. These toggles affect system-wide behavior, so changes should be documented and communicated before rollout.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Q: I enabled a toggle, but users do not see the change.
Confirm the setting was saved before leaving the Setup page. Then have the user refresh the application and verify they are working in the correct module area affected by that setting.
Q: A setting appears enabled, but the related field or behavior is still missing.
Some toggles expose additional fields, defaults, or workflow behavior only in specific record types or screens. Re-open the relevant apparatus, equipment, inventory, work order, or checklist workflow to confirm where the setting should appear.
Q: Users are getting blocked when receiving inventory.
If Require Vendor When Receiving Inventory is enabled, the receiving workflow will require a Vendor selection. Confirm the correct vendor records already exist and users understand that vendor selection is now mandatory.
Q: Barcode scans are failing for short labels.
Check whether Scanner Remove Length Limitations is enabled. If your agency uses barcodes shorter than six characters and this setting is off, those scans may not be accepted.
Q: Users are being timed out of checklists too quickly.
Review the configured timeout value under Set Timeout Timeframe for Checklists. If the value is too short for your agency’s workflow, users may be removed while still actively performing checks in the field.
Q: Why are checklists being marked as missed?
Review the number of days configured under Enable Missed Checks. Incomplete or never-started checklists become missed after the defined timeframe and may no longer be accessible.
Q: We enabled multiple associated dispatch units and now see duplicate unit warnings.
This is expected if more than one apparatus shares the same Dispatch Unit ID. Confirm whether the duplication is intentional. If not, update the affected apparatus records so each unit has the correct dispatch mapping.
Q: What should I check if an integration is not matching the correct apparatus?
Review apparatus identifiers, especially API Apparatus ID, Dispatch Unit ID, and any Secondary ID fields being used operationally. Duplicate or inconsistent values are a common source of mismatch between systems.
Q: What happens if duplicate API Apparatus IDs already exist when unique IDs are required?
Records should be reviewed and corrected so each apparatus has its own distinct API Apparatus ID. Before enabling the toggle broadly, audit existing apparatus records and resolve duplicates to avoid validation issues or integration confusion.
Q: Samsara fields are not available.
Confirm the agency has the required account upgrade and that Samsara Services has been activated through the Customer Success Manager. Without activation, the API field and integration workflow may not be available.