Question 1

API Docs

Accepted Answer

Watchtower Public API Documentation

Overview

The Watchtower Public API allows you to programmatically access your incident data. This REST API provides secure access to submission and dispatch information with flexible filtering and pagination options.

Base URL

https://api.yourwatchtower.com/api

Authentication

The API uses client credentials authentication. You'll need to generate API credentials from your Watchtower account.

Generating API Credentials

Log into your Watchtower account
Navigate to Account Settings
Go to the Security section
Click Generate New API Credentials
Provide a descriptive name (e.g., "Mobile App Integration")
Important: Copy and save the Client Secret immediately - it won't be shown again!

Authentication Headers

Include these headers in all API requests:

X-Client-Id: your_client_id_here
X-Client-Secret: your_client_secret_here

Endpoints

GET /incidents

Retrieves incident data with optional filtering and pagination.

Request Headers

| Header | Required | Description | | ---- | | X-Client-Id | Yes | Your API client ID | | X-Client-Secret | Yes | Your API client secret |

Query Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description | | ---- | | startDate | string | No | | Filter incidents from this date (ISO 8601 format) | | endDate | string | No | | Filter incidents to this date (ISO 8601 format) | | categoryLabel | string | No |

Question 2

Introduction

Accepted Answer

Platform Introduction

👋 Welcome to the Watchtower documentation. Here you will find everything you need to set up and use Watchtower. There will also be some extra help and tips for some of the common hang-ups we hear from our users.

Need help?

If you need any extra help or think there is something we missed in the documentation, please contact us at help@yourwatchtower.com.

Adobe Acrobat Pro Guide

Use Adobe Acrobat Pro to manage your PDF Template Design

Adobe Acrobat Pro is typically the best tool to create and edit PDF templates, although Adobe requires a subscription and can be somewhat challenging to learn.

||| 🚨 The PDF files can be notoriously hard to edit and manage. Although Adobe owns and maintains the PDF file format, even their own PDF editing tool (Adobe Acrobat Pro) has many known quirks and bugs, which can be extremely frustrating at times. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Watchtower support if you get stuck during this process. support@yourwatchtower.com 714-316-973

Getting started with Adobe Acrobat

Open your PDF template in Adobe Acrobat File > Open > [Select Your PDF]

Use the “Prepare a Form” tool, which is where new form inputs are created and edited.
From the All Tools list, select “Prepare a Form”.
Notice form inputs are now clickable and editable. If the PDF template does not already have inputs, add them using a Text Field Form Component. Make sure

Question 4

Step 4: Submit and Download the Mapped Form to Test

Accepted Answer

Step 4: Submit and Download the Mapped Form to Test

Upload the PDF Template into the Watchtower Form

After the initial mapping process is complete, it’s a good idea to test everything is working as intended. Submit the Watchtower form a few times with sample data, and download the mapped pdf to make sure the fields are connected correctly.
Navigate to Forms and Docs, and select the “Responses” button for the correct form.

When the list of responses appears, find the test submissions and select the “Report” button to download the mapped PDF.

Hopefully the PDF fields are mapped correctly. If not, it may be necessary to repeat the process a few times.
Congratulations! Your Watchtower fields are mapped!

PDF Mapping Tool Guide:

Step 1: Evaluate or Design your PDF Template Layout

Step 2: Preparing Your Watchtower Operational Form

Step 3: Mapping Watchtower Form into the Custom PDF Template

[_

Question 5

Pulse

Accepted Answer

Pulse

| 💡 Pulse is a BETA feature. You receive access to the this feature free of charge. However, we may change, remove, or improve this feature at any time.

Pulse is a tool built for viewing and maintaining real-time status of your Locations, Resources, Personnel and Asset statuses. Think of it as "Asset Tracking" but more flexible and across your entire organization.

Video Tutorials 🚀

1. Introduction of the Pulse Tab

https://www.loom.com/share/8acf797fa15e4b6a8502283a4818856

Who uses it?

Administrators will access this tab when viewing and maintaining status information. Staff members are not able to access Pulse

Question 6

Broadcasts

Accepted Answer

Broadcasts

| 💡 Broadcasts are a powerful feature that allows your agency to post timely safety-related notifications as an update to your Safe Beach Day site's "Beach Report".

## Posting a Broadcast

To post a broadcast, click the "New Broadcast +" button, which will open a modal that will allow you to configure your message and choose where to send it.

After clicking the "New Broadcast +" button, you should see the following user interface:

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/e/e/8/c/ee8c717f4fba7800/fireshot-capture-081-watchtowe_1rh4yus.png =543xauto)

Channel Selection and the "Where to show this broadcast?" Fields:

The SMS /Text function has been sunset for general use. If your agency is interested in this ability contact your support specialist.

### Safe Beach Day

The Safe Beach Day channel will publish a message directly to your Safe Beach Day homepage. You will be able to see the "Headline", "Details", and "Video URL" fields on your Safe Beach Day homepage. Returning to the example above in which we had selected both Text and Safe Beach Day as broadcast channels, the corresponding Safe Beach Day broadcast would look like this (highlighted in red):

## The Broadcast Input Fields

Aside from the channel selection fields, which we discussed above, there are 3 fields that determine

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