How to relay incident info:

If you're hearing a major incident not listed on the CAD please type as much info as you have about it onto the CAD Chat. We prefer you post what you are hearing firsthand and we assume everyone is listening in real time. However, if you hear of an incident from another source please make sure to cite that source along with your info. If there’s a time delay in forwarding the info that should also be divulged. We’re only interested in creating a new incident entry for incidents that are still active. However, we are still interested seeing items that we may have missed posted on to the CAD Chat along with reference to their approximate time of occurrence.

FD dispatchers in Chicago often leave off the N,S,E,W portion of the address when dispatching a call. Please include the proper street direction when providing an address (1060 W Addison St). For intersections, it isn’t necessary to include the N,S,E,W (Addison St and Clark St). Please use Google to confirm the street name spelling and N,S,E,W direction and also the type of roadway (St, Rd, Ave) and structure type if possible. As an incident unfolds, you're encouraged to add major developments and progress reports directly into the Incidents Notes. Secondary info (color commentary) can be posted to the CAD Chat.

Incident Notes:

An Incident Note can only be attached to an incident after the incident has been created, however it can be typed into the Incident Notes entry box ahead of time. Once the incident appears, click the blue 4-digit # at the beginning of the incident line. You'll then see that Incident # populate in blue above both the Incident Notes area and entry box. Once your note is complete, click "Submit" to attach it to that incident. Incident Notes remain attached to incidents within the CAD Archive and may be republished as a timeline synopsis for major incidents.

Everyone is welcome to add notes to an existing incident. No one on our system has any ownership or "claim" to an incident or will have their feelings hurt if you add your contribution. Items such as background information that you may have personal knowledge of might be more appropriate in the CAD Chat, but often-times would be great additions to the Incident Notes as well. The cross-posting of very important information by copy and pasting to both CAD Chat and Incident Notes is encouraged. When an alarm level is upgraded by a RM911 dispatcher, an incident note about that upgrade is automatically generated in the Incident Notes. So it isn’t necessary to manually post alarm level upgrades to the Incident Notes.

Posting Dos and Don'ts:

Do use the built-in Firefox spell check on both the CAD Chat and Incident Notes. (red lines appear beneath questionable words, right clicking produces alternatives)

Do know or learn the difference between their, there, and they’re. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

Don't use information heard on RM911 elsewhere without assisting our site. (Our only terms of service on signup) Don't share names of patients or criminal suspects unless publicly released by a law enforcement agency.