Lone Worker Protection (Man Down)

Lone Worker Protection (Man Down)

The man down feature in SOVA provides an additional measure of protection for mobile officers working alone, as the system is designed to detect falls in the device¹, which could be a signal that the officer is in trouble and needs assistance.

There are a few configuration steps that are required before the fall detection system can be activated.
  • From a mobile device, open the admin dashboard
  • Tap "Settings"
  • In the screen below, enter three 10-digit phone numbers that will be auto-dialed if the man down alert is triggered in a device. You must also include the country code. For example, in the USA, you would enter a number like 16195551234 in the three gray boxes below. It is important to just enter numbers, entering dashes or parenthesis will prevent the system from making calls to these numbers The numbers you enter in one device will sync to all other devices at your location. The colors represent an escalation ladder - once a fall alert is triggered, the first call will be to Emergency Number 3, then Emergency Number 2, then Emergency Number 1. The captions "Emergency Number 1", etc. shown below can be changed by clicking the pencil icon.


  • After you have entered the numbers, click the save icon at the top right. Perform a "check updates" in your other mobile devices to sync these changes
  • Next, open the user context menu and choose "Settings":


  • In the Settings screen below, scroll down to "Man Down Settings" and activate the man down feature in each of your mobile devices by setting the "System Activated" toggle to "ON". Changes are automatically saved. Changes in the user settings menu are device specific and do not sync with other devices. So for example you could have the man down feature activated in one device but have it inactive in another.


  • Other settings in the screen above that you may want to change:
  • Select from different alarms to sound when the man down trigger is activated in this device. Each device can have a different alarm tone
  • Set a time range when the man down feature will be available when an officer begins a tour. Officers starting a tour within this time range will have the option to activate or deactivate the man down fall detection feature
  • Small variations in the fall detection sensitivity will exist in each device, even between devices of the same manufacturer. It is important therefore to try the default settings by dropping the device from a height of 3 feet to simulate a fall. Avoid damage in the device by dropping it on something soft. Adjust the Threshold and Max Acceleration values to detect the type of fall that you want to be notified about. Here is what these values mean:
  • Threshold (sound) - The fall detection system uses the device microphone in helping to determine if a fall has occurred in the device. Increasing the value here increases the sensitivity
  • Max Acceleration - Uses the device accelerometer to detect movement in the device. Movement in the device followed by an abrupt end of that movement can be useful in determining if a fall has occurred. Increasing the value here increases the sensitivity
  • Finally, add recipients in the communication screen, "man-down" tab. If you are unsure how to do this, click the link to the left and follow those directions.

Using the Lone Worker Protection / Man Down Feature in SOVA:

Please note - You will not see the screens below unless you begin a tour within the time range you set in the screen above! You can always set a temporary time range for testing, then after testing, change the time range back to when you want the system to be activated

  • From the main user screen below, tap the "Begin/Resume Tour" button


  • Select any tour from the list that you have setup previously
  • After your select a tour to begin, you will see a popup asking you if you want to turn fall detection off for every tour that you start within the time range you set for fall detection to be active, using the instructions above. By default, fall detection will be turned on for all tours started during this time range.


  • For this example, we will choose to leave fall detection on. Tap the "Leave On" button above
  • To test the fall detection sensitivity in the device, drop it on something soft from a height of approximately 3 feet. This will simulate a fall, where the mobile device is being held in an officers' hand.
  • When a fall is detected in the device, SOVA begins alerting the officer  with a series of vibrations and the alert below is shown on the device screen. At this point, the officer can suppress the alert without any alarms sounding by tapping the green "Cancel" button. This can be useful in the case of a false alarm:


  • After the countdown timer above reaches zero or the red "Send Help" button above is pressed, the fall alert progression below begins automatically:
  1. An audible alarm sounds repeatedly,
  2. Emails and SMS messages are sent to all recipients with validated communication details in the Man-Down tab of the Communication screen. The emails and text messages would give details regarding the officers name, their estimated location (accuracy is dependent on quality of GPS signal), and their last recorded activity,
  3. Calls are placed to the 3 quick dial numbers setup earlier in SOVA mobile, using a cellular network (preferred, if available) or Voice Over IP (not preferred since it relies on an active WiFi connection). Calls are made beginning with the "green" entry first (Emergency Number 3, discussed above) then progressing automatically if any of the previous calls go unanswered to Emergency Number 2 and finally to Emergency Number 1. The speakerphone is activated for these calls, in the event the officer is injured and the phone is not near them as a result of a fall. Between calls being placed, a spoken message in English plays over the speakerphone to the officer, letting them know that help is on the way.
  4. The device continues emitting an audible alarm tone periodically throughout this progression, followed by a series of short blasts of the flashlight to assist EMS providers in locating the victim if they happen to be in an area with low light. The audible alarm and flashlight blasts continue until the battery is extinguished, or EMS arrives and cancels the alert, whichever comes first
TIP: Like any other life safety alert, proper planning is crucial to ensure the system is setup and deployed properly. Test exercises including mock falls should be done regularly to ensure the system is functioning properly, from being able to detect different types of falls effectively, to ensuring the rescue personnel are being alerted successfully if a fall is detected. Do not wait until the system is needed to test it! 


¹ The SOVA fall detection is able to detect falls where there is an abrupt change in velocity coupled with a sound detected from the device microphone of a certain tonal quality. These two sensors combined should be able to detect up to 80% of the falls that an officer might experience while conducting property tours. Undetectable falls are possible and can include a gradual slide from a seated position which may not register as a fall. We cannot guarantee that all falls will be detected. Further, we do not assume any responsibility for monitoring centers, EMS, equipment misuse, weather disturbances, phone networks of any kind, cell phone towers or coverage, or other events or processes beyond our control. The fall detection system built into SOVA should not be used as the sole means of worker protection.

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