Resident: Use Emergency SOS

Resident: use Emergency SOS

Emergency SOS alerts your society's guards, committee and your registered emergency contacts in one tap, with your flat number attached.

It does not call an ambulance or the police. In a real emergency, call 112 (or 108 for an ambulance where it operates) as well. Treat the two as parallel, not alternatives — SOS gets help from inside the building while the emergency services are on their way.

Before you start

• Signed in with a claimed flat in your society
• Your society is on the Community tier or above
• Notifications enabled on your phone, so you can see responses

Raising an SOS

1. Open /me/sos.
2. Choose a category:
   • Medical — illness, injury, collapse
   • Fire — fire, smoke, gas smell
   • Security — intruder, threat, break-in
   • Other — anything else urgent
3. Add a short note if you can (up to 500 characters). "Father collapsed, conscious, need help carrying downstairs" tells a responder far more than the category alone.
4. Allow location if you are prompted and you are not in your own flat. It is optional, and only captured with your permission.
5. Confirm.

The alert goes out immediately. Choosing a category matters because the right responder differs — a fire alert should reach everyone in the wing, a medical alert should reach the nearest neighbour and the guard with lift access.

What happens next

Acknowledged is the important one. It tells you a specific person is on their way, not just that the message was delivered. If nothing is acknowledged within a couple of minutes, call 112 and the gate directly — do not wait.

Cancelling a false alarm

Tap Cancel on the incident. Do this if you raised it by accident or the situation resolved itself.

Cancelling is recorded, and that is fine — it is not something to be embarrassed about. A society that treats accidental taps as a problem ends up with residents who hesitate in a real emergency.

Setting your emergency contacts

Emergency contacts are stored against your flat. When an SOS is raised from your flat, responders see them without searching the directory.

Add one or two — a family member nearby, or an adult child who lives twenty minutes away. A label and a phone number is enough.

This matters most if you or a family member lives alone. Ask your committee admin to add them if you cannot, and re-confirm them once a year.

If you cannot raise an SOS

• No internet. The app needs a connection. Use the intercom, the gate phone, or call 112 directly. This is the honest limitation of every app-based panic button.
• Not signed in, or flat not claimed. Complete your flat claim first, or ask your committee admin.
• Feature not visible. Your society may not be on a tier that includes SOS. Ask your committee.

Privacy

Incidents are visible only within your society — to guards on duty and committee members with the safety role. Your location is only captured if you allow it, and only on the incident you raised. Your data stays within your society; Plinth does not sell resident data.

Frequently asked questions

Does raising an SOS call an ambulance? No. It alerts your society's guards, committee and your flat's emergency contacts. Call 112 or 108 as well.

What if I press it by mistake? Cancel it from the same screen. The cancellation is recorded and nothing further happens.

Will everyone in the society see that I raised an alert? No. Guards on duty and committee members with the safety role see it, plus your registered emergency contacts. It is not broadcast to all residents.

Does it track my location all the time? No. Location is captured only on an incident you raise, only if you grant permission at that moment.

Can I raise an SOS for a neighbour? Yes. Raise it and use the note to say which flat and what is happening, so responders go to the right door.

What if my society has not enabled it? Ask your committee. It is available on the Community tier and above.

Related: Admin: set up Emergency SOS · Emergency SOS explained · Resident: use safety alerts