From August 2021 to August 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration funded a research team from the University of South Carolina, in partnership with the city of Columbia, South Carolina, and CSX to develop an optimized dispatching strategy to assist 911 dispatch centers in identifying optimal routes for emergency responders. In this research, the team specifically studied potential delays caused by railroad grade crossing blockages. To address these challenges, the research team developed a shortest-path optimization model designed to minimize overall response times for emergency dispatch operations. This model incorporates a dynamic framework that predicts grade crossing blockages by estimating train arrival and departure times, and creating time windows to account for expected closure periods. Additionally, the model integrates real-time traffic information to improve dispatch accuracy.