Tri Com Central Dispatch

What Tri Com Central Dispatch does

Tri-Com Central Dispatch is a multi-jurisdictional 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) headquartered in St. Charles, Illinois, operating as a governmental cooperative formed in 1976 under an Intergovernmental Agreement among the cities of Batavia, Geneva, and St. Charles pursuant to Article VII, Section 1 of the Illinois Constitution and the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act (5 ILCS 220). The organization provides consolidated emergency dispatch services to 13 contracted member agencies, including 7 police departments and 6 fire/EMS departments, covering portions of Kane, DuPage, and Kendall Counties. Tri-Com's mission is to deliver the right resources to the right location to protect lives, property, and the safety of its communities and first responders, with staff handling over 130,000 inbound/outbound calls and approximately 98,000 dispatches annually.

The core technology stack is built on the West Safety Services VIPER 9-1-1 phone system (providing Wireless Phase II GPS location tracking accurate to 50-1,000 feet, ANI/ALI services, and Text-to-911 capability launched in 2016) integrated with Central Square Technologies OneSolution Computer-Aided Dispatch and Mobile system for real-time coordination across police, fire, and EMS units. Radio communications operate on UHF/VHF public safety bands and the Starcom21 statewide digital trunking system, with FCC-authorized interagency frequencies. The 10,400 square foot PSAP facility, completed May 1, 2005, houses six primary console positions plus two training/backup positions. Tri-Com also serves as MABAS Division XIII headquarters, enabling mutual-aid coordination with 48 divisions in Illinois and 4 in Wisconsin, and holds APCO International Agency Training Program Certification (2017) and P33 Training Certification (2012).

Tri-Com's revenue model is non-commercial and governmental in nature, assembled from five streams: operational funding from the three founding member cities, dispatch fees from contracted member agencies, wireless surcharge receipts, tower lease fees, and Kane County Emergency Telephone System Board grant support (including a $461,610.17 NG9-1-1 Expenses Grant received in 2019). The annual operating budget is approximately $2.5 million, with no equity funding, venture capital, or private ownership disclosed. All employees are classified as municipal employees under the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. As a unit of local government, Tri-Com does not publish commercial pricing; its FOIA request fees are standardized at $0.15 per black-and-white page after the first 50 free pages, $0.10 per color page, and $0.50 per CD-R after two free discs.

Name

Tri Com Central Dispatch

Legal name

Tri-Com Central Dispatch

Website

https://tricom911.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tri-Com Central Dispatch is a multi-jurisdictional 9-1-1 PSAP cooperative in St. Charles, Illinois, providing consolidated police, fire, and EMS dispatch for 13 contracted municipal agencies across Kane, DuPage, and Kendall Counties using West Safety VIPER and Central Square CAD systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Dispatch Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Telephone Answering Services (561421), Telephone Call Centers (56142)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Radiotelephone Communications (4812), Telegraph & Other Message Communications (4822)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Communications & Dispatch (911/112/999, PSAP) (BPAIAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Emergency Dispatch Center Services (PSAP/911 Support, Private Dispatch) (BPAKAFAJ)

Keywords

• Emergency dispatch services
• Public safety communications
• 9-1-1 PSAP operations
• Computer-aided dispatch
• Intergovernmental public safety

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Charles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Municipal Funding: Primary operational funding comes from the Cities of Geneva, Batavia and St. Charles through the intergovernmental agreement
2. Dispatch Fees: Dispatch fees collected from contracted agencies including Elburn Police, Elburn Fire, South Elgin Police, Sugar Grove Police, Sugar Grove Fire, North Aurora Fire, Waubonsee Campus Police, and Tri-City Ambulance (non-voting members)
3. Wireless Surcharge Revenue: Revenue from wireless surcharges supporting 911 operations and NG9-1-1 technology upgrades
4. Tower Lease Fees: Lease fees from agencies that lease space on Tri-Com's tower infrastructure
5. Kane County ETSB Support: Support from the Kane County Emergency Telephone System Board including grant funding such as the $461,610.17 NG9-1-1 Expenses Grant received in 2019

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tri-Com Central Dispatch operates a 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) providing integrated emergency communications and dispatch services for police, fire, and EMS agencies across Kane County, Illinois. The organization receives inbound 9-1-1 calls, performs computer-aided dispatch using the West Safety Services VIPER phone system and Central Square Technologies OneSolution CAD platform, and transmits field instructions via UHF/VHF radio systems and the Starcom21 statewide trunked radio network. It serves 13 contracted member agencies handling over 130,000 calls and approximately 98,000 dispatches per year.

Product overview

Tri-Com Central Dispatch operates as a unified 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) established in 1976, providing integrated emergency communications services. The core offering combines the West Safety Services VIPER 9-1-1 phone system with Central Square Technologies OneSolution Computer-Aided Dispatch to deliver end-to-end emergency response coordination. Services include 9-1-1 call handling with wireless GPS location (Phase II compliant), Text to 911 capabilities, police and fire dispatch for 13 member agencies, radio communications via UHF/VHF systems, and a Public Education Program. FOIA request processing is also provided. The organization handles over 130,000 inbound/outbound calls annually and dispatches approximately 98,000 calls per year across Kane County, Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 9-1-1 Emergency Call Handling Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) service that receives 9-1-1 calls, identifies caller location via Wireless Phase II GPS, and dispatches appropriate police, fire, or EMS resources across 13 contracted member agencies.
• Police and Fire Dispatch Services Computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and mobile field unit management using Central Square Technologies OneSolution, providing real-time coordination for 7 police agencies and 6 fire agencies with approximately 98,000 dispatches annually.
• Text to 911 Emergency SMS service allowing citizens to contact 9-1-1 via text message when voice communication is not possible, positioned as a last-resort option.
• Radio Communications Services UHF and VHF public safety radio dispatch operating on the Starcom21 statewide digital trunking system and interagency VHF frequencies authorized by the FCC, enabling field communications with police and fire units.
• Public Education Program (PubEd) Community outreach program educating children and adults on proper use of 9-1-1, emergency definitions, safety issues, and consequences of hang-up calls, including 9-1-1 center tours for community groups.
• FOIA Request Processing Freedom of Information Act request handling for public records including phone records, CAD data, email correspondence, and audio recordings of 9-1-1 calls and radio communications, with standardized pricing.

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2012Partnership to coordinate emergency 9-1-1 responses for missing and sexually exploited children cases. When 9-1-1 calls are received regarding missing children, Tri-Com can immediately connect callers with NCMEC resources to help save children in the community.
• MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) Division XIIIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTri-Com serves as the Division XIII headquarters of MABAS, which began in 1968. There are currently 48 divisions throughout Illinois and 4 divisions in Wisconsin. MABAS allows Tri-Com to communicate with and receive assistance from many non-Tri-Com fire agencies during major incidents.
• West Safety ServicescoreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of the VIPER 9-1-1 phone system used at Tri-Com's PSAP facility for emergency call handling and dispatch.
• Central Square TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of OneSolution Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Mobile system used by Tri-Com for dispatch operations and mobile terminal networks.
• APCO InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational association for public safety communications officials. Tri-Com has received Agency Training Program Certification and P33 Training Certification from APCO, demonstrating compliance with industry training standards.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• DuPage Public Safety Communications (DU-COMM): Multi-jurisdictional PSAP serving DuPage County municipalities with consolidated police, fire, and EMS dispatch — the same cooperative PSAP model as Tri-Com, in an immediately adjacent Illinois county.
• SEECOM (Southeast Emergency Communications Authority): Multi-jurisdictional PSAP serving south suburban Chicago communities with police, fire, and EMS dispatch — same intergovernmental-cooperative structure and call-volume profile as Tri-Com.
• Northwest Central Dispatch System (NWCDS): Consolidated multi-agency PSAP serving northwest suburban Chicago municipalities with 9-1-1 call-taking and CAD-based police/fire dispatch — directly comparable cooperative model to Tri-Com.

Emerging players

• Carbyne: Cloud-native 9-1-1 call-handling and rich-media (video, text, IoT) platform for PSAPs — an emerging technology player competing for the same NG9-1-1 upgrade budgets that Tri-Com's partners are funding.
• RapidSOS: Emergency-response data platform that enriches 9-1-1 calls with device-based location and sensor data — an emerging complement/threat to traditional PSAP infrastructure like Tri-Com's VIPER/CAD stack.

Broad incumbents

• Motorola Solutions: Owner of West Safety Services (Tri-Com's VIPER 9-1-1 phone system) and a broad public-safety technology incumbent — a vendor rather than direct competitor, but shapes Tri-Com's technology roadmap and pricing power.

Regional players

• Aurora 911 Communications Center: City-operated PSAP for Aurora, Illinois — the largest Kane County municipality that runs its own dispatch rather than contracting with Tri-Com, illustrating the in-house alternative.
• Elgin 911 Communications Center: Municipally-operated PSAP in neighboring Kane County city of Elgin providing police/fire/EMS dispatch — a regional comparable that has chosen to insource rather than join a cooperative like Tri-Com.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TCom911

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tri Com Central Dispatch