Man Down is an automatic alarm that can alert other users when a radio moves beyond a defined angle from vertical.
It is typically used to protect staff working beyond the sight of others or in a dangerous environment, detecting when a user has fallen and is unable to manually trigger an alarm.
Even if a radio has the necessary 'Man Down' sensor built-in, it is not usually configured unless specified. This avoids false alarms and confusion. Make sure that you request this feature if it's required.
As with all emergency features, user confidence is essential. Since every user and situation is different, we can configure a number of parameters to ensure the feature operates exactly as required and false alarms are avoided. If required, these can all be set-up for individual radios within a larger fleet.
We will always try and guide you through the requirements and suggest default parameters based on our experience. However, the following information gives you an explanation of the common parameters and how they affect operation so that you can make informed choices. Since most radio systems with these features are now digital, these relate to the configuration in digital mode.
Man Down On/Off: This setting can be made available to radio user via the radio menu (for devices with a display). User access to disable the Man Down alarm is usually restricted to ensure that the radio operator is always protected. We can also configure the Man Down so that is only operated on specific channels.
Trigger Angle: There are usually two options, 45° and 60° (from vertical). When a radio tilts beyond this angle the Man Down condition is activated. Our default setting is 60°.
Entry Delay Time: It may be commonplace for a radio to move beyond the trigger angle (activating the Man Down condition) for short periods in normal use. This timer delays the subsequent emergency process for the specified time. A typical delay would be 60 seconds, but it can be set anywhere between immediate (0) and 255 seconds.
Exit Delay Time: This is the reverse of the Entry Delay Time. If the radio is returned to the upright position the Man Down condition is cancelled and the emergency process will cease. However, since this may not be desirable in some environments, a delay can be added. The timeframe here is usually quite short, but can be up to 4 minutes.
Pre-alert Time: To avoid false alarms, it's good practice to alert the radio user (with alert beeps) when the Man Down condition is activated, but before the emergency process starts. This allows them to stand the radio upright, cancelling the Man Down condition. Anything less than the Entry Delay Time can be chosen and 20 seconds is common.
The emergency process mentioned above is a separate process to Man Down. Please refer to our blog article for details of how this can be configured.
We have provided several examples to explain how the Man Down feature will work in 'real life' situations.
Example 1: A radio user lays their radio on it's side. The Man Down condition is detected and the Entry Delay Timer starts. When the timer reaches the Pre-Alert threshold the radio starts emitting Alert Beeps. The radio user realises their error and stands the radio upright. The Man Down condition is cancelled and the radio stops emitting beeps.
Example 2: A radio user trips and falls. They are rendered unconscious. The radio was in their hand and is now laying on the floor close to the user. The Man Down condition is detected and the Entry Delay Timer starts. When the timer reaches the Pre-Alert threshold the radio starts emitting Alert Beeps. The Entry Delay Timer expires and the radio enters the emergency process, emitting Alert Beeps and sending an alert to others radio users.