# On call

> Being the person responsible for responding when a production system breaks during a set period, including outside working hours.

URL: https://pagerless.dev/glossary/on-call
Updated: 2026-10-22

## In Pagerless

Each app has an escalation order. Wake alerts go to the first person, then the next after 5 minutes without an answer.

## Related terms

- [Escalation policy](https://pagerless.dev/glossary/escalation-policy): The rules for who is alerted, in what order, and how long to wait before moving to the next person when nobody acknowledges.
- [Acknowledgement](https://pagerless.dev/glossary/acknowledgement): A responder's signal that they have seen an alert and are handling it, which stops further escalation.
- [Alert fatigue](https://pagerless.dev/glossary/alert-fatigue): When responders receive so many alerts, many not actionable, that they start ignoring or muting them and miss the ones that matter.