Northwest Central Dispatch System

What Northwest Central Dispatch System does

Northwest Central Dispatch System (NWCDS) is an intergovernmental cooperative providing consolidated 9-1-1 call-taking and emergency dispatch for police, fire, and emergency medical services across 13 member communities in northwest suburban Chicago. Established by voluntary intergovernmental agreement in 1971 and operational since 1972, the center serves a combined population of approximately 547,000 across 176.5 square miles spanning Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and McHenry counties. The organization is headquartered at 1975 East Davis Street in Arlington Heights, Illinois, where 87 full-time and 5 part-time staff process an average of 1,677 telephone calls per day and dispatch approximately 246,000 calls for service annually.

The center's core platform is a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system integrated with International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) protocol sets, including Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) scripting used since 1995 and Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD) protocols deployed since 2011. NWCDS is the only center in Illinois holding dual Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) status for both EMD and EFD, and it posts protocol-driven outcomes materially above national benchmarks (70.1% CPR instruction rate versus 49% national average; 97% cardiac arrest classification accuracy). Supplemental capabilities include text-to-9-1-1 service, COVID-19 premise warnings, a CATT triage tool built with Priority Dispatch Inc. and Corti, the Joint Emergency Management System (JEMS) shared-services program across 12 communities, and the Storm Ready designation from the National Weather Service.

The revenue model is member-funded: contributions flow from 13 member municipalities and two contracted fire protection districts (Barrington Countryside and Inverness) under Article VII, Section 10 of the 1970 Illinois Constitution. The combined budget for NWCDS and the separate NWC911 entity is approximately $27.9 million, with no public pricing disclosure and no external capital. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-government under multi-decade institutional commitments; growth occurs through formal municipal transition processes, as illustrated by Barrington joining in June 2022 and Wheeling on January 9, 2025.

Name

Northwest Central Dispatch System

Legal name

Northwest Central Dispatch System

Website

https://nwcds.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Northwest Central Dispatch System is an intergovernmental cooperative providing consolidated 9-1-1 call-taking and emergency dispatch for police, fire, and EMS across 13 member municipalities serving a population of 547,000 in northwest suburban Chicago.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Dispatch Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (922160), Facilities Support Services (561210)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Operations & Dispatch (HLAJAGAC), Public Safety Operations & Command (Incident Command, Special Events) (BPAIAGAG)

Keywords

• Emergency dispatch services
• 9-1-1 call taking
• Computer-aided dispatch
• Emergency medical dispatch
• Public safety communications

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Member Municipality Contributions: Revenue from contributions by member communities based on intergovernmental agreements. NWCDS is a cooperative venture voluntarily established by members in 1971 pursuant to the Northwest Central Dispatch System Intergovernmental Agreement under Illinois law.
2. Contract Fire Protection District Services: Revenue from contracted fire protection districts (Barrington Countryside and Inverness) for dispatch services.
3. Combined Budget with NWC911: Total combined budget for Northwest Central Dispatch System and NWC911 is approximately $27,946,019.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

NWCDS operates a 24/7 consolidated emergency dispatch center that provides 9-1-1 call-taking and dispatching for police, fire, and EMS for 13 member municipalities and 2 contracted fire protection districts in northwest suburban Chicago. The center applies International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) EMD and EFD protocols via a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, delivers text-to-9-1-1 and medical pre-arrival instructions, and extends its capabilities through the Joint Emergency Management System (JEMS) shared service across 12 communities.

Product overview

NWCDS provides a unified emergency communications platform centered on 9-1-1 dispatch services for police, fire, and EMS across 13 northwest suburban Chicago communities. The core offering combines Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) and Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD) protocols with a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system to manage emergency responses. The subsidiary Joint Emergency Management System (JEMS) extends services to regional emergency management, emergency operations planning, and training coordination across member municipalities. Citizen feedback is collected through a satisfaction survey system. The organization handles approximately 246,000 calls for service annually and serves a combined population of 547,000 across 176.5 square miles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatch Services Core emergency communications center providing 9-1-1 call answering and dispatching for police, fire, and EMS across 13 member communities in northwest suburban Chicago, handling approximately 246,000 calls for service annually.
• Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) Protocols Standardized medical dispatch protocols providing scripted questions and pre-arrival instructions (including CPR and bleeding control) when 9-1-1 callers request ambulance services; used since 1995 and a core reason for NWCDS's IAED ACE accreditation for EMD.
• Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD) Protocols Standardized fire dispatch protocols providing scripted questions and instructions for fire department response requests, compliant with International Academies of Emergency Dispatch standards; the basis for NWCDS's ACE accreditation for EFD.
• Joint Emergency Management System (JEMS) Cooperative emergency management platform serving twelve communities with shared Emergency Operations Plan maintenance, Continuity of Operations Plans, EOC maintenance, NIMS training, and incident planning support.
• Text-to-9-1-1 Service Enables residents who cannot make voice calls to send text messages to 9-1-1 for emergency dispatch; bounce-back messages inform senders when texts cannot be received in their location.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70.1% of 9-1-1 callers receive CPR instructions vs 49% national average
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mission Critical PartnersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 17 August 2017Consulting firm engaged for CAD/LRMS/FRMS/Mobile Data RFP process, working with NWCDS RFP Selection Committee to develop and finalize procurement documentation.
• Priority Dispatch, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationNWCDS uses Priority Dispatch Inc. for Emergency Medical and Emergency Fire Dispatch protocols. The COVID-19 Assessment Tracking and Triage (CATT) tool was developed by Priority Dispatch to help dispatch centers handle increased calls due to COVID-19.
• Northwest Community HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical Director Dr. Matthew Jordan from Northwest Community Hospital works with NWCDS on cardiac arrest data entry into CARES system and oversees COVID-19 assessment tool implementation. NWCDS works closely with the hospital under his direction.
• International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccrediting body for Emergency Medical Dispatch and Emergency Fire Dispatch protocols used by NWCDS. NWCDS holds dual ACE (Accredited Center of Excellence) status through IAED.
• Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic safety association that guides 9-1-1 emergency communications centers by issuing performance standards, providing industry expertise, advising on professional development, and helping with advocacy. NWCDS holds APCO Project 33 Training Certification.
• National Emergency Number Association (NENA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic safety association guiding 9-1-1 centers with performance standards and professional development. NWCDS received NENA Partner in Education Recognition (PIER) in 2023.
• MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) Division 1coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNWCDS is the primary dispatch center for MABAS Division 1, providing coordination for mutual aid fire and emergency responses across multiple jurisdictions.
• ILEAS (Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNWCDS serves as primary dispatch center for ILEAS, providing law enforcement mutual aid coordination across Illinois.
• NIPAS (Northern Illinois Police Alarm System)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNWCDS is primary dispatch center for NIPAS, providing regional police emergency response coordination.
• IL-TERT (Illinois Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNWCDS serves as primary dispatch center for IL-TERT, providing emergency response task force coordination.
• CARES (Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational cardiac arrest registry that NWCDS contributes data to through partnership with Illinois Heart Rescue and Northwest Community Hospital Medical Director, enabling outcome tracking and quality improvement.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CentralSquare Technologies: Established public sector software vendor offering CAD, RMS, and PSAP solutions to public safety agencies. Comparable as a long-standing technology provider used by many of the same cooperatives and municipalities NWCDS serves.
• Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC): Municipal 9-1-1 dispatch and emergency management agency for the City of Chicago. While much larger and city-owned, OEMC performs the same core PSAP functions for police, fire, and EMS that NWCDS delivers at the suburban-cooperative scale.
• Motorola Solutions (CommandCentral / NICE): Dominant public safety technology vendor providing command center, CAD, and 9-1-1 call-handling solutions. Represents the broader incumbent ecosystem that NWCDS's CAD and dispatch technology stack interfaces with and depends upon.
• Intrado (formerly West Safety Services): Major commercial provider of 9-1-1 infrastructure, call-routing, GIS, and PSAP software across the U.S. Serves as both an incumbent vendor to dispatch centers like NWCDS and a potential alternative delivery model for municipalities that might otherwise join cooperatives.

Direct peers

• Southwest Central Dispatch: Intergovernmental 9-1-1 dispatch cooperative serving southwest suburban Chicago communities. Functionally analogous to NWCDS with member-funded operations and similar PSAP/EMS dispatch responsibilities.
• Tri-Com Central Dispatch: Consolidated emergency dispatch center serving multiple communities in Kane County, Illinois. Comparable cooperative structure providing 9-1-1 call-taking and police/fire/EMS dispatch for a multi-jurisdictional suburban Chicago footprint.
• LETS 911 (Law Enforcement Technology Services): Illinois-based consolidated dispatch cooperative providing shared 9-1-1 and law enforcement technology services to member agencies. Closely comparable public-sector cooperative model serving municipalities in the Chicago region.
• Du-Comm (DuPage Public Safety Communications): Consolidated intergovernmental PSAP serving police, fire, and EMS in DuPage County, Illinois. Directly comparable to NWCDS as a multi-municipality 9-1-1 cooperative using CAD systems and emergency dispatch protocols in the same regional market.

Others

• Mark43: Cloud-native public safety software vendor providing CAD and records systems to PSAPs and police agencies. Supplies technology infrastructure to dispatch centers and competes indirectly with traditional PSAP operating models when municipalities evaluate new-build dispatch technology.

Emerging players

• RapidSOS: Technology platform that enriches 9-1-1 calls with device-based location, health, and sensor data for PSAPs. Increasingly used by dispatch centers as an add-on layer, positioning it as a complementary or partially overlapping service to traditional dispatch cooperatives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nwcds
• Facebookfacebook.com/NWCDS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northwest-central-dispatch-system
• Instagraminstagram.com/northwestcentraldispatch

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Northwest Central Dispatch System