eDispatches CAD Messaging Guidelines

Applies To: CAD System Administrators & Dispatch Integration Engineers

When configuring Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) messages for eDispatches, adhere to the formatting guidelines below to ensure accurate parsing and reliable alert delivery to responders.

1. Preferred Message Formats

Send plain text emails whenever possible. While advanced formats (Rich Text, HTML, JSON, or attachments) can be processed, plain text ensures maximum reliability.

• XML is NOT supported: Ensure CAD systems do not output messages in XML format.
• No Character Limits: Send detailed incident information so our system can process comprehensive alerts for responders.

2. Email Structure & Formatting

Emails must follow one of two structured formats for accurate automated parsing:

Key-Value Pairs (Strongly Preferred)

Structure data using explicit key-value pairings.

NATURE: Chest Pains
LOC: 123 Main St
APT:
X-ST: Pine St / Oak Ln
CITY: Anytown
NOTES: 73yo M, chest pains, shortness of breath. History of HTN and CVA x2.

Field Delimiters

Separate values with a unique delimiter that will not appear within the data payload (e.g., use semicolons ; instead of commas ,). The Pipe character (|) is unsupported.

Structure Fire; 123 Main St; ; Pine St / Oak Ln; Anytown; 73yo Male, chest pains, shortness of breath. History of HTN and CVA x2.

Important: Blank placeholders (e.g., ; ; for missing apartment numbers) must be maintained so the system correctly identifies field positions.

Supported Native Data Fields

Data fields not natively categorized below will automatically group into the Narrative section along with dispatcher comments.

General & Incident Fields

• General: Subject, Incident Number, Call ID, Station Assignment, Call Time, Message Time, and Narrative.
• Primary Details: Emergency Nature, Description, Service Call Type (Fire, EMS, Rescue, Law), and Chief Complaint.
• Secondary Details: Severity, Priority, Response Level Code, Contact Address, and Contact Phone.

Location Fields

• Primary Location: Street Address, Intersection, Common Name, City, State, Latitude/Longitude (WGS 84 datum required), Apt/Unit #, Cross Streets, and Venue/Jurisdiction.
• Secondary Location: Area, Beat, District, Grid, Quadrant, Section, and Map Book Page.