Purpose Statement

This article explains how to locate, start, complete, resume, and submit Asset Checklists in First Due.

Asset Checklists help agencies document inspections, operational readiness, equipment verification, inventory checks, and maintenance activities for Apparatus, Equipment, Locations, and Kits. Depending on your agency's configuration, completing a checklist may also update asset records, initiate inventory workflows, generate Work Orders, or require nested checklists and signatures before submission.

Background Information

Asset Checklists are scheduled inspections or operational checks assigned to department assets. Checklists may appear as Due Today, Overdue, On Demand, In Progress, Incomplete, or Completed, depending on their current status and department configuration.

Users can access checklists in two primary ways:

• Assets Dashboard for department-wide visibility
• Specific Asset Overview for an individual Apparatus, Equipment, Location, or Kit

Some checklist features are optional and only appear if enabled by your agency. Examples include:

• Equipment & Kit Audits
• Nested Checklists
• Inventory Restock workflows
• Work Order creation
• Signature requirements
• Field Update validation thresholds

Understanding the different checklist statuses and access methods helps ensure inspections are completed accurately and on time.

Required Permissions

Access to Asset Checklists is role-based.

End users should have, at minimum:

• Apparatus Overview
• Equipment Overview
• Kit Overview
• Location Overview
• View Dashboard
• See Available Checks
• Start Checks
• Remove Join Check Users
• Restock Lists – Read, Update, Create
• Inventory Request List – Read, Update, Create
• Modify Inventory Expiration Date

Depending on your agency's configuration, users participating in an Equipment & Kit Audit may also require permissions to:

• Update Equipment Placement
• Update Equipment records
• Update Kit Placement
• Update Kit records

Managers and Administrators typically require the same permissions or greater.

If users cannot locate, start, resume, or interact with a checklist, verify the assigned role permissions within the Admin module.

Video

 

Start Check

 

Join Check

 

Resume Check

 

From a Specific Asset Overview

• Navigate to the appropriate Asset Overview:
  • Apparatus
  • Equipment
  • Location
  • Kit
• Locate the desired asset.
• Select the Checklist section.
• Select Start Check beside the appropriate checklist.

 

 

 

Using the Fleet Overview (Apparatus)

From the Apparatus Fleet Overview, the Checks Due column provides a quick visual indicator of checklist status.

• Yellow hyperlink — Checklist is due today.
• Red hyperlink — Checklist is overdue.
• Dash (-) — No scheduled checklist is currently due.

Selecting the hyperlink immediately starts the associated checklist.

 

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Working with On-Demand Checklists

Some checklists are configured as On Demand rather than scheduled.

On-Demand checklists:

• Can be started at any time.
• Do not appear in the Due Today panel.
• Display an On Demand status within the Checklist list.
• May be completed as often as needed.

Completing an Asset Checklist

Once a checklist is started or resumed, complete all required items before submitting.

1. Equipment & Kit Audit Workflow (If Applicable)

For Equipment and Kit assets, some checklists may initiate an Equipment or Kit Audit workflow before the main checklist begins.

The purpose of this audit is to confirm that the correct Equipment IDs or Kit IDs are associated for checklist tracking. This ensures the system assigns and records the appropriate checklists for accurate documentation.

During the audit:

• Verify the listed Equipment or Kit IDs.

• Confirm the correct items are present.

  • Use the Thumbs Up to approve

  • Use the Trash Can to remove and follow the removal workflow

• Mark each item as complete within the audit workflow.

There are no inventory restock or request actions tied to this audit. This process is strictly for equipment and kit identification verification to ensure proper checklist assignment and record tracking.

Depending on configuration, the audit may be:

• Required – All audit items must be marked complete before the checklist can be started or submitted.

• Optional – Users may skip the audit and proceed directly into the checklist.

2. Nested Checklists

Some checklist items may contain nested checklists (sub-checks within a parent item). These may be required depending on system configuration. All nested checklists can be found at the top of the checklist or listed in the specified compartment further down the checklist. Users will receive an error message when trying to submit a checklist before completing and required nested checklists.

• Select the nested checklist dropdown to expand it.

• Start the appropriate nested checklist. Users will not have to navigate back and forth, the system will move users into the appropriate checklist.

• Submit the nested checklist to resume the parent item.

Option A: Nested Checklist dropdown

Option B: Within a compartment

3. Navigating the Checklist

Checklists may include:

• Instructions at the top of the checklist or section which open in a new tab

• Multiple sections

• A Pass All option (if enabled)

• The number of required questions per section

Users can navigate between sections as needed. Ensure all required fields are completed before submission.

4. Work Order Triggers (System-Configured)

Work Orders are not manually created from within a checklist.

Instead, Work Orders may be automatically triggered based on system-configured metrics tied to specific checklist responses.

Depending on configuration:

• Selecting Fail on a Pass/Fail question may prompt a Work Order workflow.

• Selecting a specific option within a Single Select or Multi Select question may trigger a Work Order requirement.

  • The Work Order Summary section will pre-fill with the question and answer generated from the checklist.

If triggered:

• You may be prompted to enter additional required information (such as description or priority).

• The Work Order will be generated and linked to the asset and checklist record.

If no Work Order prompt appears, then the selected response does not meet the configured criteria for automatic Work Order creation.

Work Order behavior is fully dependent on department configuration settings.

5. Adding Remarks or Images

Users may document findings by:

• Adding written remarks

• Uploading images

Remarks and attachments become part of the permanent checklist record.

6. Inventory Verification & Restock Lists

Some checklist responses may trigger inventory-related workflows.

Depending on configuration, users may:

• Verify inventory quantities

• Add items to a Restock List

• Update expiration dates

These actions are initiated within the checklist but are not finalized during checklist submission.

After submitting the checklist, users must navigate to the Inventory Usage & Restock section for that asset to complete the associated inventory workflows.

Refer to the Inventory workflow articles for full instructions on finalizing those actions.

7. Removing Joined Check Users

• The system allows for multiple users to join and input information into one checklist. 

• Hover over the Eye icon next to the Joined Users item.

• The logged in user will appear with a blue dot left of their name, the other users will have an X icon to the right of their name. 

• Select the X icon to remove other users until only you remain.

• Confirm Submit button now appears.

8. Submitting and Signature Process

• Review all checklist responses.

• Confirm all required items and nested sections are complete.

• Click Submit.

• If any Field Update questions (such as Current Odometer or Current Engine Hours) contain values that exceed the department's configured validation thresholds, the system will display a warning for the affected question.

• Review the entered value and:

  • Correct the value if it was entered incorrectly.
  • Leave the value unchanged if it is accurate and intentionally exceeds the configured threshold (for example, the apparatus has accumulated significantly more mileage or engine hours since the previous inspection).

If you attempt to submit the checklist while threshold warnings remain, a Review before submitting confirmation dialog will appear listing each question that exceeded its configured threshold along with the previous and entered values.

Select:

• Cancel to return to the checklist and make corrections.
• Confirm & Submit to acknowledge the warnings and submit the checklist with the entered values.

Signature Required

If a signature step is required, complete the signature process as configured by your department.

Users may sign manually or Fill a saved signature from their user profile.

Signature requirements (such as required roles or number of approvals) are department-specific and vary based on checklist configuration.

Submission Confirmation

Once submitted:

• The checklist status updates to Completed.
• Any field updates (such as mileage, engine hours, or quantity updates) are applied.
• Related Work Orders are linked and tracked.
• Inventory actions must be finalized separately in the Inventory Usage & Restock section.
• A checklist cannot be edited after submission unless administrative action is taken.

Best Practices

• Complete checklists in real time to maintain compliance. 

• Use clear remarks when documenting deficiencies. 

• Only create Work Orders when corrective action is required. 

• Verify Field Update values (such as odometer and engine hours) before submitting to avoid unnecessary threshold warnings. If a threshold warning appears, review the value carefully. 

• Submit only if you have confirmed the entered value is correct. 

• Always confirm submission to ensure the checklist status updates properly. 

• Complete any associated Inventory Usage & Restock workflows promptly after submission.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Why don’t I see the Start button?
The checklist may not yet be due, or early start is not enabled.

Why is my checklist still Incomplete?
You must click Submit and complete any required signature steps.

Why can’t I resume a checklist?
Verify you are viewing the Incomplete tab and have proper permissions.

Why am I receiving a "Thresholds exceeded" warning when submitting my checklist?

One or more Field Update values exceeded the validation thresholds configured by your department. This commonly occurs for values such as odometer or engine hours that differ significantly from the previous recorded value.

Review the highlighted values to ensure they were entered correctly. If the values are accurate, you may select Confirm & Submit to continue. Threshold validations are warnings only and do not prevent checklist submission.