Expiring Items

This guide explains how StationOne automatically tracks expiring items from inspections and manages them through the Inspection Dashboard.

Overview

When you conduct inspections and record items with expiry dates (like first aid supplies, fire extinguishers, BA cylinders, etc.), StationOne automatically:

• Tracks when items will expire
• Creates actions for items requiring attention
• Displays them on the Inspection Dashboard
• Allows you to manage and dismiss notifications

How Expiring Items Work

Item Types That Expire

Two inspection item types support expiry tracking:

Expiry Date

• Simple expiry date field
• Examples: BA Cylinder test date, Fire Extinguisher service date

Quantity with Expiry

• Combines quantity check with expiry date
• Examples: First aid supplies, medications, consumables
• Tracks both stock levels and expiry

Automatic Action Creation

When you complete an inspection, StationOne automatically checks expiry dates:

Actions Created Automatically (≤30 days):

• Items expiring within 30 days
• Items already expired
• Status: “Action Required”
• Automatically assigned to inspection conductor
• Cannot be dismissed (must resolve the action)

Notification Only (31-90 days):

• Items expiring within 31-90 days
• Status: “Notification Only”
• No automatic action created
• Can be manually promoted to action
• Can be dismissed by admins

Not Displayed (>90 days):

• Items expiring more than 90 days away
• Not shown on dashboard
• Will appear as they approach expiry

Inspection Dashboard Display

Accessing Expiring Items

1. Navigate to Inspections → Dashboard
2. Scroll to Items Expiring Soon section
3. View all items expiring within 90 days

Item Categories

Items are color-coded by urgency:

Expired (Red)

• Already past expiry date
• Requires immediate attention
• Action automatically created
• Shows “X days ago”

Critical (Red) - ≤7 days

• Expiring within 7 days
• Urgent attention needed
• Action automatically created
• Shows “X days left”

Warning (Yellow) - 8-30 days

• Expiring within 8-30 days
• Action automatically created
• Shows “X days left”

Upcoming (Blue) - 31-90 days

• Expiring within 31-90 days
• Notification only
• No automatic action
• Shows “X days left”

Summary Statistics

The dashboard footer shows counts:

• Expired: Past expiry date
• Critical (≤7 days): Expiring very soon
• Warning (8-30 days): Expiring soon
• Upcoming (31-90 days): Future expiry

Managing Expiring Items

Items with Actions (≤30 days or Expired)

What You See:

• “Action Required” label
• “View Action” button

What to Do:

1. Click View Action to see details
2. Replace or service the expired item
3. Record completion in the action
4. Optionally add resolution notes and photos
5. Mark action as Resolved
6. Once resolved, item disappears from dashboard

Item Removal:

• Item remains visible until action is closed or resolved
• Resolving action removes item from expiring list
• Closing action also removes item

Notification Items (31-90 days)

What You See:

• “Notification Only” label
• Two buttons: “Create Action” and “Dismiss”

Option 1: Create Action (Proactive)

Use when you want to order replacement before it expires:

1. Click Create Action
2. Action created immediately
3. Item moves to “Action Required” status
4. Can no longer be dismissed
5. Must resolve action to clear

When to Create Action Early:

• Long lead time for replacement
• Special order items
• Planning ahead for replacements
• Coordinating bulk orders

Option 2: Dismiss (Not Concerned)

Use when replacement is already ordered or not urgent:

1. Click Dismiss
2. Confirm dismissal
3. Item removed from dashboard
4. Still tracked in inspection record
5. Only admins can dismiss

When to Dismiss:

• Replacement already ordered
• Item recently replaced (old inspection data)
• Not critical to operations
• Will handle closer to expiry

Note: If you dismiss an item but later want to track it, you can manually create an action by viewing the inspection.

Admin Actions

Who Can Manage?

Only users with admin roles can:

• Create actions for notification items
• Dismiss notification items
• View management buttons

Admin roles include:

• Brigade Admin
• Group Admin
• District Admin
• Region Admin
• Organisation Admin
• Super Admin

Handling Orphaned Items

Sometimes items may appear without actions (legacy data or system issues).

What You’ll See:

• Item showing ≤30 days but no action linked
• Red “Create Action” button
• “View Inspection” link

How to Fix:

1. Click red Create Action button
2. Action created retroactively
3. Item moves to normal “Action Required” status
4. Can now be resolved normally

Prevention: Run the rake task to fix all orphaned items:

bin/rails expiring_items:create_missing_actions

Item Lifecycle Examples

Example 1: First Aid Supplies

Day 1 - Inspection:

• Record bandages expiry: 45 days from now
• Dashboard shows as “Upcoming (31-90 days)”
• Labeled “Notification Only”

Day 16 (29 days until expiry):

• Item automatically moves to “Warning”
• Action auto-created
• Labeled “Action Required”
• Shows “29 days left”

Day 25 (20 days until expiry):

• Click “View Action”
• Order replacement bandages
• Add action note: “Ordered from supplier, ETA 5 days”

Day 30 (15 days until expiry):

• Replacement arrives
• Conduct new inspection with new expiry date
• Resolve old action: “Replaced with new stock, expiry 12 months”
• Old item disappears from dashboard
• New item shows with 12 months until expiry

Example 2: Fire Extinguisher Service

Day 1 - Inspection:

• Record service due date: 75 days from now
• Shows as “Upcoming (31-90 days)”

Day 10:

• Brigade admin decides to be proactive
• Clicks Create Action
• Action created immediately
• Assigns to equipment officer
• Sets due date: 30 days from now

Day 25:

• Service booked
• Action note added: “Booked for service on Day 40”

Day 40:

• Extinguisher serviced
• New inspection conducted with new service date
• Old action resolved with notes
• Item cleared from dashboard

Example 3: Dismissed Item

Day 1 - Inspection:

• Record medication expiry: 60 days
• Shows as “Upcoming (31-90 days)”

Day 5:

• Brigade admin knows replacement ordered
• Clicks Dismiss
• Item removed from dashboard
• No action created

Day 35:

• New medication arrives
• New inspection conducted
• New expiry date recorded (12 months)
• Dashboard shows new item with 12 months

Best Practices

Conducting Inspections

Always Record Expiry Dates:

• Don’t skip expiry date fields
• Record accurate dates from items
• Helps automatic tracking work

Re-inspect After Replacement:

• Conduct new inspection when items replaced
• Record new expiry dates
• Clears old items from dashboard
• Creates fresh tracking

Managing Actions

Address Critical Items First:

• Focus on expired and critical (≤7 days)
• These are safety-critical
• May affect operational readiness

Plan for Warnings:

• Items with 8-30 days give planning time
• Order replacements
• Schedule maintenance
• Coordinate with suppliers

Use Notifications Wisely:

• Create actions early if long lead times
• Dismiss if already handled
• Don’t ignore completely

Dashboard Monitoring

Regular Reviews:

• Check dashboard weekly
• Review overdue items
• Address critical items immediately

Action Resolution:

• Resolve actions promptly after replacement
• Add detailed resolution notes
• Upload photos of new items
• Helps audit trail

Team Communication:

• Assign actions to appropriate people
• Use action notes for updates
• Set realistic due dates
• Follow up on overdue

Common Questions

Why is an old item still showing?

Cause: The old inspection hasn’t been superseded by a new one.

Solution:

• Conduct new inspection after replacing item
• Record new expiry date
• Resolve old action
• Old item will disappear

Can I delete expiring items?

No, items are part of inspection records and cannot be deleted.

Instead:

• Resolve the associated action
• Dismiss if notification-only
• Re-inspect with updated data

What happens when item expires?

Automatically:

• Status changes from “Warning” to “Expired”
• Still shows on dashboard
• Action remains open

You Must:

• Replace or service the item
• Conduct new inspection
• Resolve the action
• Record new expiry

Why don’t I see dismiss button?

Possible Reasons:

1. You’re not an admin user
2. Item has an action (≤30 days)
3. Item already dismissed

Only notification-only items (31-90 days) can be dismissed, and only by admins.

Can I un-dismiss an item?

Yes, create an action:

1. View the original inspection
2. Find the item
3. Manually create action for it

Or wait until it reaches 30 days, and an action will auto-create.

What if I create action by mistake?

You cannot delete actions, but you can:

1. Resolve immediately with note: “Created in error”
2. Close the action
3. Item will disappear from dashboard

How do I fix multiple orphaned items?

Run the maintenance rake task:

bin/rails expiring_items:create_missing_actions

This scans all inspections and creates missing actions for items ≤30 days.

Troubleshooting

Item shows but shouldn’t

Check:

1. Is this from an old inspection?
2. Has new inspection been conducted?
3. Has action been resolved?

Fix:

• Conduct new inspection if item replaced
• Resolve action if work completed
• Dismiss if notification-only and not needed

Action not created automatically

Possible Causes:

1. Item expiry >30 days (working as designed)
2. System issue during inspection completion

Fix:

• For orphaned items ≤30 days: Use red “Create Action” button
• For notification items: Use green “Create Action” button

Can’t dismiss item

Check:

1. Are you logged in as admin?
2. Is item ≤30 days (cannot dismiss, has action)?
3. Is item already dismissed?

Remember:

• Only admins can dismiss
• Only notification items (31-90 days) can be dismissed
• Items with actions cannot be dismissed

Item reappears after dismissal

Cause: Likely a duplicate inspection record or data issue.

Solution:

1. Check for multiple inspections of same asset
2. Resolve actions on all duplicates
3. Conduct fresh inspection
4. Contact support if persists

Related Guides

• Manage Actions - How to work with actions
• Conduct an Inspection - Recording expiry dates
• Inspection Dashboard - Dashboard overview
• Create Template - Adding expiry date fields