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Split a Unit

Name the new unit you are creating when you break members off an existing unit.

This is the final, naming step of splitting a unit. After you choose which members move out in Unit Overview, this small popup asks for the new unit's name before it is created. It opens pre-filled with the original unit's name and the keyboard already up, so you can adjust it in a couple of taps, for example by adding a B or a -2.

Split Unit name popup

Overview​

ControlWhat it doesDefault
HeaderStates what is being namedFixed text
Name fieldThe name for the new unitPre-filled with the original unit's name, with the cursor in it
Save buttonCreates the new unit with this name and the members you picked—
Back buttonCloses the popup without creating anything—
info

The keyboard opens and the field takes focus as soon as the popup appears, so you can start typing immediately. The card lifts up the screen while the keyboard is showing so the field and both buttons stay in view.

Getting Here​

  1. Open an incident and switch to the Command view.
  2. Tap a unit on the board and choose Split.
  3. In Unit Overview, check the members who should move to the new unit, leaving at least one unchecked, and tap Done.
  4. This naming popup appears with the suggested name in the field.
note

You only reach this screen if the previous step succeeded. Checking every member shows Please leave at least one personnel unchecked and keeps you on the roster, and checking nobody simply closes without splitting.

Name and Create the New Unit​

  1. Review the Name field. It starts as the source unit's name, which you will almost always want to change so the two units can be told apart on the board.
  2. Edit the text. Clear it and retype, or append a suffix so the relationship stays obvious.
  3. Tap Save. The keyboard closes, the new unit is created with your name and the members you checked, and it appears on the board beside the original.
What the new unit getsWhere it comes from
NameWhat you type here
MembersThe people you checked in the previous step
Unit codeCopied from the original unit
NoteCopied from the original unit
Link back to the originalSet automatically, so the two stay recognizable as a pair
tip

Keep the naming convention consistent across the agency. Engine 1-A and Engine 1-B, or Engine 1 and Engine 1 Split, read far better over the radio than two units with the same name and different crews.

Cancel the Split​

  1. Tap Back to dismiss the popup.
  2. Nothing is created. The members you had checked stay on the original unit and the board is unchanged.

Validation​

What you doWhat the app does
Tap Save with a name in the fieldCreates the new unit and closes
Tap Save with the field emptyShows an alert reading Enter unit name and keeps the popup open
Tap BackCloses without creating anything
caution

The name cannot be empty. A blank field produces the Enter unit name message, and the popup stays open until you type something. A name made only of spaces is accepted, so type a real name rather than a space.

How This Connects​

This popup is the last step of a two-part action that changes the incident's command board.

  • The members you moved were taken off the original unit in Unit Overview. Tapping Save here is what puts the second unit on the board, so until you save, the split is incomplete.
  • Both units then appear everywhere units are listed: on the board in the Command view, in Command Resources with their own board positions, in the unit picker in Tasks & Units with their own head counts, and in Certifications Data.
  • Because the note is copied from the original unit, both halves start with the same note. Review them in Command Notes so neither carries a stale status.
  • A split unit can itself be split again. Later splits are tied back to the same original unit, which keeps the family of units recognizable.
  • Splitting does not carry over task assignments. Assign the new unit to whatever task it is working in Tasks & Units.

Offline, the split is recorded on your device and goes out with the rest of your board changes when the connection returns. Until then other responders still see one unit, so announce the split on the radio if crews need to know straight away.

Troubleshooting​

If this happensWhat to do
Enter unit name keeps appearingThe field is empty. Type a name, then tap Save.
Two units on the board share a nameThe field starts pre-filled with the original name and you saved it unchanged. Rename one of them.
The new unit has the original's noteThe note is copied on purpose. Edit it in Command Notes.
You never reached this popupThe previous step blocks a split where every member is checked, or where none are. Check some but not all of the members.
The new unit is not on a taskTask assignments are not carried over. Assign it in Tasks & Units.
You tapped Back by mistakeNothing was created. Start again from Split on the original unit.
Other responders cannot see the new unitBoard changes made offline stay on your device until it reaches the server.

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