InstaAlert Engine™ — API Value Guide

Why Vendors Choose InstaAlert Engine™

InstaAlert Engine is a unified safety infrastructure platform that eliminates months of development work. Vendors integrate our APIs to instantly gain location-aware alerting, compliance workflows, and safety content delivery—without building it themselves.

Unified Alerts API

/api/v1/unified • /api/v1/alerts

Problem Solved

Vendors need to send alerts to specific buildings or floors but don't have a routing engine. Building location-aware alert routing from scratch takes months.

Value Delivered

Instantly route alerts to the correct building, floor, or room
No custom mapping logic required—we handle the hierarchy
Works with any device or system (fire panels, PA, IoT, signage)
Campus-wide, building, or floor-specific targeting built in

Campus Graph API

/api/v1/graph • Location Hierarchy Engine

Problem Solved

Vendors don't want to rebuild a full campus → building → floor → room → zone hierarchy. Every campus has unique structures that require flexible modeling.

Value Delivered

Ready-to-use location model with multi-tenant isolation
Save 3–6 months of development time
Consistent data structure across all campuses
Device registration with automatic location binding

BEAP & DCP APIs

/api/v1/beap • /api/v1/dcp • Safety Content

Problem Solved

RFPs require Building Emergency Action Plans (BEAPs) and Department Continuity Plans (DCPs). Vendors don't have compliance workflows or content management for these.

Value Delivered

12-section BEAP template with approval workflows
8-section DCP template for department continuity
Draft → Submit for Review → Approve lifecycle built in
Immediate RFP compliance for BEAP/DCP requirements
Annual review tracking and status indicators

Maps API

/api/v1/maps • Evacuation Map Management

Problem Solved

Evacuation maps need correct routing per building, floor, and alert type. The right map must display during the right emergency—vendors don't have this organization layer.

Value Delivered

Organized map storage by location and emergency type
Automatic delivery of the correct map during alerts
Location-aware and alert-type-aware retrieval
Upload once, serve everywhere across vendor systems

Procedures API

/api/v1/procedures • Runtime Content Bundling

Problem Solved

During emergencies, vendors need to display the right instructions based on location + alert type. Manually assembling content for each scenario is error-prone and slow.

Value Delivered

Auto-bundles BEAP sections, maps, and emergency contacts
Precise to building and floor—hierarchy fallback built in
Template-driven: define once, apply everywhere
Eliminates manual content assembly during emergencies

Device Integration & Automations

/api/v1/devices • /api/v1/webhooks

Problem Solved

Legacy hardware (fire panels, PA systems, access control) can't send modern digital alerts. Vendors need a bridge between physical systems and digital notification.

Value Delivered

Fire panels can trigger visual alerts on digital signage
PA systems can auto-activate screens campus-wide
IoT devices can send alerts without custom coding
Pairing codes for easy device-to-location mapping

Compliance & Reporting APIs

/api/v1/compliance • Audit Logging

Problem Solved

Vendors need compliance logs for regulatory reporting but don't want to build audit features. Campuses require proof of drills, plan updates, and alert history.

Value Delivered

Automatic timestamped event logging
Export-ready logs for state and district reporting
Alert history with targeting and response data
BEAP/DCP approval audit trail

The Bottom Line

3-6 mo

Development Time Saved

APIs Included

100%

RFP Compliance Ready

API Key for Everything

Quick Start Reference

Technical documentation for your integration team. These are the same endpoints our own application uses—proven and production-ready.

POST /api/v1/alerts

Send an alert to all screens or target specific buildings/floors.

Authentication

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Required Fields

`schoolCode`	string	Campus identifier (e.g., "AIRPORT-LAX")
`alertType`	string	"fire", "lockdown", "shelter", "evacuation", "medical", "allclear", "custom"

Optional Fields

`message`	string	Custom message to display
`buildingCode`	string \| array	Target specific building(s)
`floor`	integer	Target specific floor
`imageUrl`	string	Custom image URL

Request Example

{
  "schoolCode": "AIRPORT-LAX",
  "alertType": "fire",
  "message": "Fire alarm activated - Terminal B Gate 15",
  "buildingCode": "TERMINAL-B"
}

Response (200 OK)

{
  "success": true,
  "alert": {
    "alertId": "alert-1701234567890",
    "schoolCode": "AIRPORT-LAX",
    "alertType": "fire",
    "message": "Fire alarm activated - Terminal B Gate 15",
    "targeting": {
      "type": "building",
      "buildingCodes": ["TERMINAL-B"],
      "floor": null
    },
    "timestamp": "2024-11-29T10:15:30.000Z",
    "recipientCount": 24
  }
}

POST /api/v1/alerts/clear

Clear all active alerts and return screens to standby mode.

Authentication

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Required Fields

schoolCode string Campus identifier

Request Example

{
  "schoolCode": "AIRPORT-LAX"
}

Response (200 OK)

{
  "success": true,
  "alert": {
    "alertId": "clear-1701234600000",
    "schoolCode": "AIRPORT-LAX",
    "alertType": "allclear",
    "timestamp": "2024-11-29T10:16:00.000Z",
    "recipientCount": 48
  }
}

GET /api/v1/maps/screen/{schoolCode}/{screenId}

Retrieve the evacuation map for a specific display screen. Public endpoint for screen devices.

Authentication

None required (public endpoint for display screens)

Path Parameters

`schoolCode`	string	Campus identifier
`screenId`	string	Unique screen identifier

Request Example

GET /api/v1/maps/screen/AIRPORT-LAX/screen-terminal-b-gate-15

Response (200 OK)

{
  "plan": {
    "id": 42,
    "fileUrl": "/uploads/evacuation/terminal-b-floor-1.png",
    "title": "Terminal B Level 1 Evacuation",
    "floor": 1,
    "buildingCode": "TERMINAL-B"
  },
  "source": "api/v1/maps/screen"
}

GET /api/v1/alerts/history/{schoolCode}

Retrieve alert history for compliance reporting and audit logs.

Authentication

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Path Parameters

schoolCode string Campus identifier

Query Parameters

limit integer Max records to return (default: 50)

Response (200 OK)

{
  "schoolCode": "AIRPORT-LAX",
  "totalRecords": 3,
  "alerts": [
    {
      "alertType": "fire",
      "message": "Fire alarm - Terminal B",
      "timestamp": "2024-11-29T10:15:30.000Z",
      "clearedAt": "2024-11-29T10:16:00.000Z"
    }
  ]
}

Integration Notes

Base URL: https://your-instance.instaalert.app
Rate Limits: Based on your subscription tier (tracked per API key)
Errors: Standard HTTP codes (400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 403 Forbidden, 500 Server Error)
Subscription Required: alerts subscription for alert endpoints; maps for authenticated map endpoints