How Edgar County Improved Emergency Response with Cloud-Based NG911 Mapping

When it comes to emergency response, geography matters. Especially if your 911 center has limited resources.

Calls come in from residents and visitors alike who don’t know local roads. Landmarks change. Addresses can be confusing.

Edgar County, Illinois understands this more than most. The county covers 650 square miles and serves about 16,000 residents. Even for locals, efficient navigation can be challenging.

“I’ve been living here my whole life. Even for some of the addresses, I still have to double check where I’m going.”
— Adam Webb, Chairman, 911 Board, Edgar County

For an ECC with a limited budget, such as Edgar County, aging infrastructure can also delay emergency response. An outdated CAD system may struggle with location accuracy, downtime, and delays in communication—resulting in slower response times.

Fortunately, Edgar County found a solution with CentralSquare. They migrated to the cloud with Public Safety Suite® Pro and Vertex™ NG911. Keep reading to see how this move improved call handling, dispatch, and field response without stretching the budget.

“Working with CentralSquare helped our budgeting and funding issues.”

— Taylor Ray, 911 Director, Edgar County

A Trusted Partnership with CentralSquare

In emergency response, reliability is a necessity. CAD, RMS, and call handling tools need to be proven in live environments, under real call volume.

Edgar County didn’t move to the cloud on a whim. After using an on-prem version of Public Safety Suite for five years, they decided to make the switch. “We use Public Safety Pro on a daily basis for all our incoming 911 calls,” said 911 Director, Taylor Ray. The cloud version simply improves mapping, security, accessibility, and predictable budget planning.

It allows the county to provide reliable and consistent emergency services. When every second counts, dispatchers and responders need to work from the same information. The call narrative, unit status, and location details need to be aligned as incidents evolve.

“I’ve seen the impact of the software on keeping calls smooth. When there’s multiple calls going on, it’s easy to balance the information on the different units.”

— Johna Todd, 911 Dispatcher, Edgar County

Just as important, first responders need access to mission-critical information in the field, whether it’s criminal history or other incident details. Otherwise, teams arrive on the scene with limited situational awareness.

Accurate Mapping with Vertex™ NG911

In a 911 center, location is everything. Edgar County’s biggest transformation came with Vertex™ NG911. Using GIS-enabled mapping, the solution improved accuracy and made it easier to confirm caller location in real time.

Before Vertex, dispatchers often had to slow down and work closely with callers to identify a location. That process depends on local familiarity, clear directions, and time. When the caller is traveling or stressed, it’s even harder to get accurate information.

With Vertex NG911, real-time location from mobile devices displays directly on county maps. Dispatchers gain instant clarity, and responders start moving with more confidence. For Edgar County, location accuracy eliminates guesswork and delays at the front end of the call.

“Their location is coming from their phone onto my county map, showing me where they are in the county. Now the mapping gets you right to the spot.”
— Johna Todd, 911 Dispatcher, Edgar County

Streamlined Dispatch with Public Safety Suite Pro

Accurate mapping helps you find the emergency. Public Safety Suite Pro, CentralSquare’s public safety dispatch software, helps you manage everything that happens after. It streamlines dispatch workflows and keeps information moving in real time, so responders aren’t operating off partial details or old information.

With Public Safety Suite Pro, call and incident data stays connected as units are assigned, statuses change, and situations evolve. Dispatch can track unit activity, maintain visibility across multiple incidents, and ensure responders see critical information in real time. That consistency matters in a small center, especially when staffing is limited and call volume spikes.

“Using Central Square products helps us dispatch to emergencies faster and track all our responding units so we know where everybody is at all times.”

— Taylor Ray, 911 Director, Edgar County

Moving to the Cloud

For Edgar County, cloud migration started with a simple reality: the current setup was aging out. Hardware needed to be replaced. The center was moving to a new facility. And with limited IT personnel, they couldn’t properly manage everything from servers to updates to maintenance.

Instead of planning around equipment lifecycles and on-site support, the county gained flexibility to respond to urgent requests from anywhere. With Pro in the cloud, authorized staff can access the system when a time-sensitive need comes up, and operations are no longer dependent on local hardware being current or someone being on-site to keep it running.

Not only that, the cloud eliminates the cycle of expensive hardware refreshes. You modernize once, then keep improving without starting over every few years.

Prepared for Any Calls

Edgar County is better positioned for the future of 911—without adding strain to its staff. With Public Safety Suite Pro and Vertex NG911 in the cloud, the county is equipped to respond quickly and effectively, even when resources are limited.

Accurate mapping helps confirm where help is needed. Streamlined dispatch keeps units coordinated and information current. And with a trusted partner like CentralSquare, the center can keep improving without getting pulled back into hardware cycles and maintenance work.

“CentralSquare products help serve our community in a better way every day.”

— Taylor Ray, 911 Director, Edgar County

Schedule a discovery call now to see how CentralSquare can improve call handling, dispatch, and field response for your agency.