Alert message templates for Canadian SCADA, IT and building alarms

Q: Should the all-clear message use the same template?

Give it its own short line, such as [Tank 1] Level back to NORMAL at 6:52 AM. Most teams keep these in email so phones only buzz for problems. If you do text them, a rule on words like NORMAL can send them to one person only.

These alert message templates give you short, clear wording for the alarms teams text most. Each one says where, what, how bad and when, and fits in a single text. Copy a line, swap the parts in angle brackets for your own names and metric values, and paste it into your system's alert email.

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Published: October 6, 2026

What these templates are for

Most alarm systems let you edit the subject or message of their alert email. That wording is what ends up on the on-call phone. A few minutes spent on it saves a confused call at night. It sits alongside the on-call sheet in our SMS alert templates.

Each line below is shown as the finished text. The part between Welco: and the opt-out line is what your system should send. Keep that middle part under about 130 plain characters so the whole text fits in one 160-character segment.

How each template is built

Every line follows the same order. First comes a short tag in square brackets, then the fault in a few words, a value if there is one, and the time. The tag shows first on a lock screen, so the reader knows where to go before opening the text.

Square brackets are worth their cost, but they are not free. Each bracket counts as two characters in a plain text, so a tag like [Lift 4] uses ten. Upper case words like FAIL or HIGH HIGH mark the state without any symbols.

SCADA and water alarm templates

For pump stations, tanks, wells and treatment plants. Put the site first, because that's where the operator drives.

SCADA and water

Welco: [<Site>] <Pump> FAIL TO START at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<Site>] <Tank> level HIGH HIGH, <value> m at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<Site>] Wet well LOW LOW, pumps off at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<Site>] Chlorine residual LOW, <value> mg/L at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<Site>] Comm FAIL to RTU <name>, no data since <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.

Try a template on your own phone

Paste one into your alarm email, point it at Welco and read the text in test mode first.

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IT monitoring alert templates

For server, network and service checks. Name the host the way your team says it out loud.

IT monitoring

Welco: [<host>] Host DOWN, no ping reply at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<host>] <service> CRITICAL, <detail> at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<host>] Disk <drive> <percent>% full at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<site>] Internet link DOWN, on backup at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.

Batch job and backup templates

For overnight jobs, file transfers and backups. Text the failures and let successes stay in email.

Jobs and backups

Welco: [<system>] Job <name> FAILED at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<system>] <job> finished with errors at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<server>] Backup <name> did not run, last good <date>. Reply STOP to opt out.

Building and HVAC alarm templates

For building automation points, from Delta Controls to Distech Controls systems. Add the room or floor so nobody has to look up a point name.

Building and HVAC

Welco: [<Building>] <AHU> supply air <value> C, off setpoint at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<Building>] Boiler <n> LOCKOUT at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<Building>] Door <name> FORCED OPEN at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<Building>] Door <name> HELD OPEN over <n> min at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.

Temperature and power templates

For freezers, cold rooms, server rooms, generators and UPS units. Give the reading and the limit.

Temperature and power

Welco: [<Room>] Freezer <value> C, above <limit> C at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<Room>] Server room <value> C, high temp at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<Site>] Generator RUNNING, hydro power lost at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.
Welco: [<Site>] UPS ON BATTERY, <n> min left at <time>. Reply STOP to opt out.

Voicemail alert template

Most phone systems fix their own email wording, so this is what Welco keeps from it. The link plays the recording.

Voicemail

Welco: Voicemail on <line> from <caller>, <length>. Listen: <link> Reply STOP to opt out.

Fill the placeholders from your system's own fields

Most monitoring tools have variables that drop live values into the alert email. Map each placeholder to the matching field, then put the result in the subject line.

Check the names against your own version before you save. SCADA and building systems use their own field names for area, tag, value and time.

<host> or <Site>

Nagios macro: $HOSTNAME$
Zabbix macro: {HOST.NAME}
PRTG placeholder: %device

<service> or the fault

Nagios macro: $SERVICEDESC$
Zabbix macro: {TRIGGER.NAME}
PRTG placeholder: %sensor

State, such as DOWN or CRITICAL

Nagios macro: $HOSTSTATE$ or $SERVICESTATE$
Zabbix macro: {TRIGGER.SEVERITY}
PRTG placeholder: %status

<value> or detail

Nagios macro: $SERVICEOUTPUT$
Zabbix macro: {ITEM.LASTVALUE}
PRTG placeholder: %lastvalue

<time>

Nagios macro: $SHORTDATETIME$
Zabbix macro: {EVENT.TIME}
PRTG placeholder: %datetime

Check the names against your own version before you save. SCADA and building systems use their own field names for area, tag, value and time.

`<host>` or `<Site>`	$HOSTNAME$	`{HOST.NAME}`	`%device`
`<service>` or the fault	$SERVICEDESC$	`{TRIGGER.NAME}`	`%sensor`
State, such as DOWN or CRITICAL	$HOSTSTATE$ or $SERVICESTATE$	`{TRIGGER.SEVERITY}`	`%status`
`<value>` or detail	$SERVICEOUTPUT$	`{ITEM.LASTVALUE}`	`%lastvalue`
`<time>`	$SHORTDATETIME$	`{EVENT.TIME}`	`%datetime`

Sources: Nagios Core 4 standard macros (read October 6, 2026); Zabbix manual: macros supported by location (read October 6, 2026); PRTG manual: placeholders for notifications (read October 6, 2026)

How to use a template

Find the alert field in your system
Look for the alarm email's subject or message setting. Many systems let you insert values like the site, tag, value and time.
Swap the placeholders
Replace each part in angle brackets with a field or a fixed name. Use short names your crew already uses on the radio.
Check the length
Count the middle part. If it runs past about 130 characters, cut words, not facts. The guide to short alert texts has more ways to trim.
Test before you rely on it
Turn on test mode, trigger the alarm and read the result in the Welco feed. Then switch test mode off.

Mistakes that make a template fail

A template can look fine on a desk screen and still read badly on a phone. Watch for these before you save it.

Leaving a placeholder empty. Some systems send a blank where a field has no value, so the text reads [ ] FAIL at 3:10 AM.
Pasting from a word processor. It swaps straight quotes for curly ones, and one curly quote shrinks the whole text to 70 characters.
Putting the time zone and seconds in. 03:10:44 EDT adds nine characters the on-call person does not need.
Using one template for alarm and all-clear. Give the return to normal its own wording, or keep it in email.
Writing the tag only in code. Pair LT301 with a word like Tank 1 so a new hire can read it too.

Frequently asked questions

What should an alert message template include?

Four things, in this order: where the problem is, what failed, how bad it is and when it happened. A value with its limit, like 8 C, above 4 C, beats a word like HIGH when you have it. Anything else can stay in the email.

Can I add instructions such as who to call to the template?

Only if they are very short, because every word counts toward the 160-character limit. A better place for the steps is the on-call basics guide or a printed run sheet. Let the text say what happened, and let the team's plan say what to do.

Do the templates work if my alerts are in French?

Yes, with one catch. French é and è are in the plain character set, but ê, â and ô are not. One of those shrinks a text to 70 characters. Keep the wording short, or test it in test mode to see the credit count.

Should the all-clear message use the same template?

Give it its own short line, such as [Tank 1] Level back to NORMAL at 6:52 AM. Most teams keep these in email so phones only buzz for problems. If you do text them, a rule on words like NORMAL can send them to one person only.

How do I know a template fits in one text?

Count the part your system sends and keep it near 130 plain characters, since Welco: and the STOP line take about 30 more. Then send it once in test mode. The Welco feed shows the finished text and how many message credits it would use.

Put your first template on the on-call phone

Copy a line, paste it into your alarm email and send it to Welco.

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