How to Create a Call for Service in Cadmus Dispatch
Step-by-step guide to creating a new Call for Service (CFS) in Cadmus Dispatch CAD, from pressing F1 or New CFS through first dispatch.
A Call for Service (CFS) is the primary record for any incident your agency receives — from a traffic stop to a major emergency. Every dispatch action, unit assignment, narrative, and closure is attached to a CFS. Creating one accurately and quickly ensures field units get the right information and your agency maintains a complete audit trail.
Before creating calls in a live environment, confirm your workstation is connected to the Live system and not the Sandbox. Calls created in Sandbox are isolated from active dispatch operations.
When a RapidSOS pin appears on the map, click it and choose Create New CFS. Cadmus opens Import RapidSOS Alert — a slim CFS form with location, caller, and supplemental notes already filled from the alert. You still must pick an Incident Type before Create Call is enabled.
Import RapidSOS CFS
Full walkthrough with screenshots: map tooltip, import form sections, and sandbox demo supplemental notes.
Dispatch header in sandbox — New CFS (F1) opens the create dialog. Confirm SANDBOX MODE or LIVE MODE before every session.
The Create New Call for Service dialog is organized into numbered sections — Incident Detail, Incident Location, Reporting Person (optional), and optional callers, vehicles, and persons. Use the section pills at the top (Type, Location, Nature, RP (opt), Notes (opt)) or keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Alt+1 through Ctrl+Alt+5 to jump between sections. The Incident snapshot sidebar on the right summarizes what you have entered and shows when the form is ready to submit.Required fields show a red arrow and * (theme accent). You only need Incident Type, Location, and Incident Details (nature) before Create Call enables — reporting party is never required to create the call.
1
Open the New CFS form
Press F1 on your keyboard, or click New CFS in the application header. The Create New Call for Service dialog opens.
New CFS dialog on section 1 — Incident Detail. Required fields must be completed before Create Call is enabled.
2
Select an Incident Type
Click the Incident Type * field and type 2–4 letters to filter the list, then select the matching type. Incident type drives tags, priority defaults, and downstream workflows — always select from the list rather than relying on free text alone.
Type a few letters to filter incident types, then pick from the dropdown (e.g. Structure Fire).
Type the first letters of a common abbreviation (e.g., BURG for Burglary) to narrow the list quickly.
3
Enter a Location
In 2 — Incident Location, choose a location mode from the dropdown and fill the field:
Address — type a street number and name; address suggestions appear as you type. A Geo verified badge confirms GIS validation.
Cross St — use two intersecting street names when no exact address is known (e.g., Main St & Ash St).
Place — select from your agency’s configured common-place list (schools, stores, landmarks).
Street address
Cross street
Common place
Address mode with suggestions and Geo verified badge after GIS confirms the location.
Cross St mode — enter the intersection in the location field.
Place mode — pick a pre-configured common place from the dropdown.
Unvalidated addresses may geocode incorrectly and drop the map pin in the wrong location. After creating the call, verify the map pin in call detail and correct the address if needed.
If you only have a cross street, enter it now and update to a full address once field units confirm the scene location.
4
Fill in Incident Details
Enter a concise summary in the Incident Details * field. Include who, what, where, and any immediate risks to responders or the public. This narrative appears on the dispatch board and in all downstream reports.
Incident Details with a sample narrative. Keep it factual and actionable for responding units.
5
Add Reporting Party information (optional)
Scroll to 3 — Reporting Person (optional) and add caller details when you have them. You can create the call without this section and update the caller later in call detail.
Toggle Caller address same as incident location when the caller is at the scene.
Click + Add Phone Number to record additional callback numbers.
Click + Add Caller under Additional Callers for a secondary reporting party.
Optional reporting party name, address, and notes for the primary caller.
6
Set the Priority Level
Choose a Priority Level * that matches agency protocol:
Priority
Label
Typical use
1
Emergency
Immediate life safety threat
2
Urgent
Prompt response required
3
Routine
Standard response
4
Low
Non-urgent
5
Informational
Informational only
Priority dropdown — color-coded P1 through P5. P1 shows a warning icon for emergency incidents.
7
Review optional fields and click Create Call
Optionally expand + Add units (optional) to assign units at create time (click outside that section or the header again to collapse it), toggle Disable Timer if agency policy permits, or add vehicles and involved persons further down the form. When required sections (Type, Location, Nature) are complete — reporting party can stay empty — and the Incident snapshot looks correct, click Create Call.
Completed form — section pills show green checkmarks, Incident snapshot lists type, priority, and geo-verified location, and Create Call is enabled.
The dialog closes and Cadmus opens the new call in Call Detail. The call is now live on the dispatch board and ready for unit assignment.
Once the CFS is created, the call detail view opens automatically.
Call detail after Create Call — incident type, location, narrative, and Assign Unit quick actions.
From call detail you can:
Assign available units using the AVAILABLE UNITS quick-assign row or Assign Unit.
Add log entries with Add Log Entry or the quick note field.
Add images in the History & Logs section using the gallery, upload, or clipboard icons (JPEG/PNG/GIF).
Edit call information using Edit Call Details in the call summary block.
Images cannot be added during the initial create dialog. Open the call in Call Detail and use the gallery, upload, or clipboard icons under History & Logs to attach photos (JPEG/PNG/GIF).
