Licensed and screened
Every operator is licensed to monitor under Victoria's private security regime, holds the nationally recognised Certificate II in Security Operations, and is background-checked on hire.
Real humans. Trained. Graded. Always on.
When a Duress alert fires, an accredited operator is on the line within seven seconds. They have your worker's audio, video and live location before they say a word.
7s — Average operator pickup
7s
Average operator pickup
ASIAL A1
Monitoring grade
100%
Operators based in Australia
24/7
Continuous operation
20,000+
Teams monitored
Every event, on the record.
The same eight steps run on every alert from every device, in every region. The timeline below is what an operator and a customer see — in real time, then in Pathfinder forever after.
- 01
Emergency started
Worker holds the SOS on Falcon, Phoenix or Eagle, or slides to alert on the Duress App. Audio and video begin streaming.
- 02
Admins notified
Push, SMS and email cascade to the customer's nominated responders. The group call opens.
- 03
Duress operators online
An accredited operator joins within seven seconds on average. They see live location, hear two-way audio, and watch video before they speak.
- 04
000 requested
Operator triages and dials 000. The worker's location is read directly off the device GPS — no spelling out a street name under stress.
- 05
Operator called user
Two-way voice opens. If the worker cannot talk, the operator listens to ambient audio and watches video to assess.
- 06
User cancelled or confirmed safe
Worker confirms safety, or admin cancels after an on-site check. Operator logs reason on the timeline.
- 07
Emergency services cancelled
If escalation isn't needed, the operator stands services down and captures the reference number.
- 08
Monitoring closed
Full timeline, audio, video and operator notes post to Pathfinder. The audit trail is immutable.
ASIAL A1 explained.
Grade A1 is the highest certification an Australian monitoring centre can hold. It's the benchmark for back-to-base monitoring under Australian Standard AS 2201.2:2022 and audited by an ASIAL-appointed third party every twelve months.
The 2022 update added ISO 27001-aligned cyber-security controls, stricter physical-security construction requirements, formal staff-training records and documented risk management. To keep an A1, a centre has to prove redundant communications paths, uninterrupted backup power, accredited operators on every shift and documented response protocols.
- A1 Highest grade · Duress
- A2
- B1
- B2
- C1
Trained for the worst minute of someone's day.
Trained on Duress incidents
Operators train on Duress-specific incident drills before they go live on the desk. Scenario rehearsals run regularly so new alert patterns are familiar before they're real.
The same person across the shift
Operators work twelve-hour shifts in pairs. The person who answers your alert at 3am has been on the desk long enough to know your account.
Sources: CPP20218 Certificate II in Security Operations · Victoria Police private-security eligibility
The standard is the floor.
-
Dual-carrier internet
Primary fibre, secondary on a separate carrier. Automatic failover with no operator intervention.
-
Backup power
UPS rides the gap. A diesel generator carries the centre indefinitely on a full tank.
-
Hardened building
Construction tested against the physical-security clauses of AS 2201.2:2022. Reinforced perimeter, monitored access, no single point of forced entry.
-
Cyber controls
IT environment built to ISO/IEC 27001:2022. Duress holds the certification separately at the platform level.
What you see in Pathfinder.
Every interaction the operator has with your worker is logged in the admin app. Useful for incident review, SafeWork investigations, and insurance claims.
- Exact timestamps for each of the eight steps above
- Two-way audio recording, downloadable
- Video feed playback if the device captured it
- Live location track from alert through to close
- Operator notes and decision reasons
- 000 reference number
- Police, ambulance or fire dispatched, if any
Where alerts land.
RegionCentreStandard
Australia Melbourne (Duress) ASIAL Grade A1 · AS 2201.2:2022
New Zealand Melbourne (Duress) · NZ Police interface AS/NZS 2201.2 joint standard
United Kingdom NSI-graded partner ARC BS 8484:2022 · BS 5979 Cat II · BS EN 50518
NZ alerts are handled by the same Melbourne operators under the joint AS/NZS 2201.2 standard, with direct lines into NZ Police communications. UK alerts route to a partnered Alarm Receiving Centre certified to BS 8484, the UK lone-worker standard, with operators screened under BS 7858.
Safe Work Australia + state WHS regulators.
Under the WHS Act and its state equivalents, a PCBU must eliminate or minimise the risk to workers in isolation as far as reasonably practicable. Safe Work Australia + state WHS regulators lists electronic monitoring as a control for higher-risk lone-worker scenarios.
A monitored alarm closes the loop between the worker pressing the button and a response actually happening. Without it, the duty of care reads as a paper policy.
For the gatekeeper.
What happens if the worker's device loses signal mid-alert?
Pathfinder retains the last known location and the operator stays on standby. The device retries on every available bearer — 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, SMS. If the channel restores, the alert resumes mid-conversation.
What if the operator misses the alert?
Alerts cascade. If no operator picks up within the SLA, the alert escalates to a second operator and an on-call supervisor. Any SLA breach is logged and surfaced in the monthly report.
Can we audit the operator's notes after the fact?
Yes. Every note, timestamp and audio/video recording is in Pathfinder under the incident. Records are tamper-evident and exportable.
What's your data retention policy?
Customer-configurable. Default is 7 years for incidents involving emergency services, otherwise per your contracted retention period. Data residency: AWS Sydney by default.
What happens if the Melbourne centre goes offline?
The centre has dual-carrier internet, UPS plus diesel generator backup, and a hardened physical build that meets the AS 2201.2:2022 floor. For deeper failover, we partner with a second A1-graded centre so alerts continue uninterrupted.
Can we connect our existing monitoring centre instead?
Yes. Duress supports bring-your-own ARC for customers with established monitoring contracts. Alerts route to your nominated provider, and Pathfinder still captures the audit trail end-to-end.