Question:

When does Visual Command Center (VCC) auto acknowledge an alert?

Answer:

Under most conditions, an Alert in VCC is auto-acknowledged one hour after its Alert End Time, unless a user takes an action on it. Actions are:

• Snooze
• Acknowledge and reinstate
• Launch an Incident Communication (IC) or Critical Event

If an Action occurs, then the Alert expires one hour after the last Action.

The Alert End Time can be set in several ways:

• If the risk source sets an Event End Time for the event (typical of NWS events), this becomes the Alert End Time.
• For Mobile SOS events from the Everbridge Mobile app, VCC sets the Alert End Time to one hour after the SOS time.
• For other events where the source does not set an end time, VCC sets the Alert End Time to 24 hours after the start time.

The Alert End Time can change:

• If the risk source updates the event to have a new end time, the Alert End Time is similarly adjusted. The Alert then follows the rule and is auto acknowledged one hour after the Alert End Time, unless a user acts on it.

Exception:

• If the risk source CANCELS the event (e.g., NWS cancels a tornado watch), the Alert is auto acknowledged immediately.
• It is common for the NWS (National Weather Service) to cancel a watch/warning, either in whole, or for specific counties. When this happens, VCC will acknowledge the Alert immediately, so it does not clutter the map and make it harder to see new Alerts and events.

Note: Acknowledged Alerts may be displayed on the map at any time by selecting Context then checking the box for Acknowledged Alerts.