General tips > User Permissions

We will be examining how User Permissions work in the FP2 system and why you might consider utilizing them.

Note: In this tutorial, a user is defined as a unique login to FP2.

4 Reasons to Set-Up User Permissions

1.	Different users require access to different resources.

2.	Privacy protection for confidential information.

3.	As a security option to safeguard the integrity of reports and information.

4.	To track accountability in the system

User permissions grant or deny access to the different modules and menus on a per user basis. You can set up user permissions by choosing Set Up> User Options (Passwords) in the Menu Options Bar found on the top of FP2. When we click this menu option, a list window opens with two tabs: Users and Roles.

Users: allows you to configure access on a per person basis.

Roles: is an option for quicker configuration; similar persons are grouped together by their roles within the station, and then are assigned permissions for access accordingly. Larger departments may choose to organize personnel by their roles and create a template which can be used to organize access and permissions for many people at once. The roles must first be created of course, to add personnel to them.

To create Roles:

1.	In the Roles tab click ‘Add to List’ and create a Name for the role.

2.	Tabs in this window include the available modules- we can assign for the role appropriate permissions by checking the boxes they should have access to. Moving your cursor over the boxes will give a description of the permission.

3.	Once the View permission has been granted, more permission options become available, such as Edit permissions, Officer Status (which gives the user the ability to open closed records and view more sensitive reports), and Management Reports access.

4.	Save Changes of the Role template.

A new role has been created in which you can easily add new users to, and save re-entering identical permissions. As well, if you have set up an individual’s user permissions, you can create a Role template from this set of permissions, see Figure 1.

Figure 1

User Information Window

Selecting someone from the list window will open their user information window. The top area of this window identifies the user by name, password, and role. Checkbox options here are the self- explanatory ‘Show Password’ option, and an option to set a user as a ‘Priority User’.

Priority user (ex. a Fire Chief) is a licensing option for users that require access to a greater degree than other users. Licensing will dictate how many users can be simultaneously logged into the software. A priority user, the Fire Chief for example, is granted access from a different pool than other users.

Dividing the Licensing Pool:

Setting priority users will automatically divide the pool of licenses.

Jay explains a hypothetical situation, “We have 8 licenses. 3 of them are reserved for the Fire Inspectors. We set this in Custom Settings -> Other -> Settings A. We must flag who those people are in User Options (Passwords). 5 remaining licenses are reserved for everyone else. Those users are not flagged.”

The bottom area of the user information window is where you can set what the user views. It is organized by the Tabs: Station and Squad and by Modules, Web, and Other.

Station Tab

Figure 2

This is the first tab to work with when you are setting User Permissions. There are two windows here, Station and Squad (note- these names may be changed.) Data in the FP2 modules will be station specific (except for in the Properties module, where Stations share data). The Primary station flag sets the user’s default station- any new records created by a user will be assigned to the correct station.

Primary: Choose the default Station or Squad that this User is working with

View: Select the Station(s) and Squad(s) the selected User is allowed to View data on

Modules Tabs

Tabs in this window include the available modules- we can assign for the role appropriate permissions by checking the boxes a user should have access to. Moving your cursor over the boxes will give a description of the permission.

Once View permission has been granted, more permission options become available, such as Edit permissions, Officer Status, and Management Reports access. We recommend exercising due prudence when assigning these user permissions to avoid potential mistakes that could affect, for example, legal documents or modified lists.

Edit Lists: Give this permission to a user if you want them to be able to edit the blue drop-down lists in FP2 using the ellipses buttons (if you don’t have this permission, you won’t see those buttons at all). Remember, you can make a huge mess very quickly by modifying lists, so make sure you assign this permission to users you trust with it.

Export: This permission is handy because it allows you to export the raw data from FP2 into a spreadsheet. Handy for users who have to do advanced/complex reporting.

Officer Status: This permission allows users to unlock records that have been locked or closed. It is usually paired with the “Control Access” custom settings in each module. Since many records (especially Inspections) are legal documents, they should not generally be changed. Only very specific users should have access to this setting.

Mngmnt Reports: The higher-level reporting options in FP2 are normally only useful for users who need to generate advanced reports.

Other Tab

Figure 3

This tab will enable permissions for areas in FP2 not Module Specific, such as the Set-Up Menu and the Maintenance Menu in the Menu Options Bar. Moving your mouse over the checkboxes will provide an explanation of the access permission you may chose to grant.

Remember Spiderman: with great power comes great responsibility. Be cautious of who is granted these permissions that could affect how FP2 functions.