Purpose Statement

This article explains how to manage pre-plan unit types in First Due, including searching, enabling/disabling, and creating custom unit types. This functionality allows administrators to control which pre-plan unit types are available to end users when creating pre-plans, ensuring consistency in pre-plan documentation across the department and streamlining the pre-planning creation process.

Background Information

First Due provides nearly 200 pre-plan unit types by default, covering a comprehensive range of fire and EMS resources. However, most departments only utilize a subset of these unit types based on their specific standard operating procedures (SOPs), standard operating guidelines (SOGs), or departmental policies. Managing pre-plan unit types allows administrators to curate the available options, reducing clutter and confusion for field personnel while maintaining standardized documentation practices. Custom pre-plan unit types can also be created to address department-specific resources not covered by the default options. Additionally, pre-plan units can be configured as alert tiles on the dashboard for enhanced visibility.

Required Permissions

To manage pre-plan unit types, users need the following permission:

• Manage Pre-Plans Manage : need Allows Users to activate and inactivate First Due provided Pre-Plan Unit Types. Also allows Users to Create, Edit and Delete Custom Pre-Plan Unit Types.

Best Practices

Do's

• Review and pare down the list of available pre-plan unit types in accordance with your department's SOPs, SOGs, or policies to maintain consistency across pre-plans
• Use clear, descriptive names for custom pre-plan unit types that will be easily recognized by field personnel
• Choose high-quality, recognizable icons for custom unit types that clearly represent the resource
• Regularly audit enabled pre-plan unit types to ensure they align with current departmental resources and practices
• Test new custom pre-plan unit types after creation to verify they appear correctly in the pre-plan editor
• Document any custom pre-plan unit types and their intended uses for training and reference purposes
• Enable pre-plan units as dashboard alert tiles when enhanced visibility is needed for specific resource types

Don'ts

• Don't leave all default pre-plan unit types enabled if your department only uses a fraction of them, as this creates unnecessary clutter
• Don't create duplicate custom unit types when an existing default unit type would suffice
• Don't use ambiguous or unclear names for custom unit types that could confuse end users
• Don't upload icon files that exceed the 64 MB size limit or use unsupported file formats
• Don't delete custom pre-plan unit types that are actively being used in existing pre-plans without first checking for dependencies
• Don't make frequent changes to enabled/disabled unit types without communicating updates to field personnel

Tips & Recommendations

• Start with a minimal set of enabled unit types based on your department's most commonly deployed resources, then add more as needed
• Consider organizing a review meeting with field personnel to determine which unit types should be enabled for your department
• Use background colors strategically to create visual distinction between different categories of unit types
• When creating custom units for specialized resources, include department-specific identifiers in the name for clarity
• Export the current list of unit types before making significant changes to maintain a backup reference
• Create custom pre-plan units for apparatus, equipment, or resources unique to your department that aren't covered by default options

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: Why can't I find a specific pre-plan unit type when creating a pre-plan?
A: The unit type may be disabled. Navigate to the Pre-Plan Unit Types section and use the search function to locate the unit type. If it's disabled, select the checkmark icon in the action column to enable it.

Q: What happens to existing pre-plans if I disable a unit type that's currently in use?
A: Disabling a unit type does not remove it from existing pre-plans where it's already being used. It only prevents the unit type from being selected in new pre-plans or added to existing pre-plans going forward.

Q: Can I change the icon or name of a default pre-plan unit type?
A: You can edit custom pre-plan unit types you've created, but default First Due unit types cannot be modified. If you need a variation of a default unit type, create a new custom unit type instead.

Q: Why isn't my custom icon displaying correctly after upload?
A: Verify that your icon file is in PNG, JPEG, or GIF format and does not exceed 64 MB in size. If the file meets these requirements but still doesn't display, try converting the image to PNG format and reducing its resolution before re-uploading.

Q: How do I know which pre-plan units are currently enabled versus disabled?
A: In the Pre-Plan Unit Types section, the action column indicates the current status. If the action shows an "X" icon, the unit is currently enabled. If the action shows a checkmark icon, the unit is currently disabled. You can also use the search and sort functions to organize the list.

Q: Can I make a custom pre-plan unit type appear as an alert tile after I've already created it?
A: Yes, select the edit option for the custom unit type and check the box to enable it as an alert tile on the dashboard, then save your changes.

Related Articles

1. Pre-Plans: Units
   
2. Pre-Plan: Expiring Items