Dispatch & Calls

The Dispatch module is the core operational component of Resgrid, handling call creation, dispatch, management, and lifecycle. It is managed by the DispatchController and is one of the most complex areas of the application.

Overview

The dispatch workflow follows this lifecycle:

New Call → Dispatch → Active → Update/Notes → Close → Archive

Call Dashboard

The main dispatch dashboard displays:

• All currently active calls with priority coloring
• Map centered on the department's configured location (GPS coordinates or geocoded address)
• Quick access to create new calls, view archived calls, and call analytics

Creating a New Call

Authorization: Call_Create policy + CanUserCreateCall runtime check

Required and Optional Fields

Field	Required	Description
Call Name	Yes	Short title for the call
Call Nature	Yes	Description of the incident
Call Type	No	Classification type (Fire, EMS, etc.)
Call Priority	No	Urgency level (with custom priorities supported)
Address/Location	No	Incident address, GPS coordinates, or What3Words
Dispatch To	No	Personnel, groups, units, and/or roles to dispatch
Call Notes	No	Initial notes for the call
Protocols	No	Attach dispatch protocols
Linked Calls	No	Reference related calls
Contacts	No	Attach relevant contacts
Form Data	No	Custom form data

Dispatch Targets

Calls can be dispatched to multiple target types simultaneously:

Target Type	Description
Individual Users	Specific personnel by ID
Groups	All members of a station/group
Roles	All personnel with a specific role
Units	Specific units (apparatus/vehicles)

Shift-Based Dispatch

When the department setting "Dispatch Shift Instead of Group" is enabled:

1. Group dispatch targets are intercepted
2. Instead of dispatching all group members, the system looks up who is signed up for the current day's shift
3. Only shift personnel are dispatched
4. If "Auto-Set Status for Shift Dispatch" is enabled, dispatched shift personnel are automatically set to a configurable status (default: RespondingToScene)

Call Broadcast Pipeline

After a call is saved:

1. The call is persisted to the database
2. A CallAddedEvent is fired through the event aggregator
3. The call is enqueued via IQueueService.EnqueueCallBroadcastAsync
4. The queue processor sends push notifications, SMS, and email to all dispatched personnel

Location Handling

The system supports multiple location input methods:

• Direct address — Street address that gets geocoded
• GPS coordinates — Latitude/longitude pairs
• What3Words — Three-word location codes resolved via the W3W API
• Reverse geocoding — If only coordinates are provided, the system can look up the address

Updating a Call

Authorization: Call_Update policy + CanUserEditCall runtime check

Updating a call supports:

• Modifying call details (name, nature, type, priority, location)
• Adding or removing dispatch targets (diff-based — only changes are applied)
• Updating linked calls and contacts
• Updating protocols
• Rebroadcast option — Optionally re-send notifications to all dispatched personnel

Changes fire a CallUpdatedEvent.

Closing a Call

Authorization: Call_Update policy + CanUserCloseCall runtime check

When closing a call:

• Set a close state (Cancelled, Completed, etc.)
• Add closing notes
• A CallClosedEvent is fired

Re-Opening a Call

Previously closed calls can be re-opened, which fires a CallUpdatedEvent.

Deleting a Call

Authorization: Call_Delete policy + CanUserDeleteCall runtime check

Calls are soft-deleted:

• IsDeleted flag set to true
• DeletedOn timestamp recorded
• DeletedByUserId recorded
• DeletedReason stored (optional reason text)

Call Notes

Adding Notes

Any user with Call_View permission can add notes to a call. Notes include:

• Text content
• Source indicator (Web, Mobile, etc.)
• Timestamp
• User location at time of posting

Flagging Notes

Notes can be flagged/unflagged with a reason by users with Call_Update permission.

Viewing Notes

The GetCallNotes endpoint returns all notes for a call with:

• Note text and source
• User's full name
• Timestamp (department timezone-converted)
• Location coordinates
• Flag status and reason

File Attachments

Files can be attached to calls:

Constraint	Value
Maximum file size	10 MB
Supported image types	jpg, jpeg, png, gif, bmp
Supported document types	pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, txt
Supported audio types	mp3, m4a, ogg, wav
Supported video types	mp4, m4v, mov, wmv, avi, mpg

Call Export

Authenticated Export

The CallExport action provides a comprehensive call export including:

• Full call details
• Work logs
• Unit states
• Action logs
• Group information
• Child/linked calls
• Contacts

Anonymous Export

The CallExportEx endpoint supports anonymous access via encrypted Base64 query parameters. This enables:

• External sharing of call information
• Integration with external systems
• Station routing display

PDF Export

The CallExportPdf endpoint generates a PDF document from the call export HTML. It:

1. Fetches the HTML from CallExportEx
2. Strips script tags
3. Converts to PDF via IPdfProvider

Adding Archived Calls

Historical calls can be created retroactively:

• Custom LoggedOn date
• Pre-set call state (already closed)
• Optional call number recalculation for the year
• Useful for importing historical data or logging calls that happened outside the system

Call Audio

Calls with audio attachments (dispatch audio) can be retrieved as audio/mpeg streams.

Analytics & Reporting

Year-to-Date Calls

Groups calls by week and type for the current year.

Calls by Type in Range

Call type distribution within a specified date range.

Calls by State in Range

Call state distribution within a specified date range.

Chat

The dispatch area includes a chat view for real-time communication with department/user identification.

Data Endpoints

Endpoint	Purpose
GetActiveCallsForGrid	Active calls data for grid display
GetAllCallsForGrid	All calls data for grid display
GetActiveCallsList	Active calls with permissions and priority colors
GetArchivedCallsList	Closed calls filtered by year
GetCallById	Single call data
GetPersonnelForCall	Personnel with dispatch status for a call
GetAllDispatchesForCall	All dispatch codes for a call
GetMapDataForCall	Map center and marker data
GetCallTypes	Department call types
GetCallPriorities	Active call priorities
GetCallsForSelectList	Recent calls for dropdown (last 14 days)
GetCoordinatesFromW3W	What3Words to GPS conversion
GetAlertNotesForContact	Alert-flagged contact notes

Interactions with Other Modules

Module	Interaction
Groups	Dispatch to station groups
Units	Dispatch to units, unit state tracking
Personnel	Dispatch to individuals, status tracking
Roles	Dispatch to roles
Shifts	Shift-based dispatch substitution
Protocols	Protocol attachment and matching
Forms	Custom form data attachment
Templates	Quick call templates pre-fill form
Contacts	Link contacts to calls
Custom Statuses	Custom personnel and unit statuses
Mapping	Call location display on maps
Logs	Work logs reference calls
Reports	Call analytics and reports
Queue	Async notification broadcast