1. Why are acoustics important in a communications center?

No one likes to unintentionally eavesdrop on colleagues’ conversations — whether it’s work-related or personal. But in some office environments, noise travel fast, allowing you to hear other employees’ voices and movements from across the room, whether you want to or not. These undesirable sounds not only affect employees’ productivity, but also decrease privacy.

A room that is considered “loud”, “reverberant”, or “echoey” generally needs additional sound-absorption solutions. Workplaces designed with acoustics in mind will help absorb, block and cover sound by utilizing a combination of products. While successful acoustical design won’t eliminate noise completely, it will lessen it, allowing comm center employees to work more efficiently and effectively.

One of the most confusing aspects of the custom workplace furniture industry is explaining, clarifying and differentiating between technical/systems furniture and run-of-the-mill office furniture. In truth, they only have one thing in common: providing a place to hold the tools necessary to perform one’s work duties and get the job done. Other than that, they couldn’t be more different. Read on for three traits that distinguish technical furniture from your everyday office furniture.

What is the one thing that public safety employees always seem to disagree about in a communications center? Well, there may be more than a few different things on your radar, such as lighting or even a code 7 — can we all agree on a place to eat? 

However, working as a 911 Dispatcher in California, the biggest argument I hear again and again in my center is over the thermostat! Can we turn the heat up? Can we turn it down? There never seems to be a perfect setting to suit all workers.

I recently ran into a registered nurse who now works a desk job and sells services nationwide. When I was explaining to him that I worked for a company called Xybix Systems, Inc. that makes height adjustable ergonomic furniture, his eyes lit up and he said, “No way! I just built a homemade, height-adjustable desk myself and even added a treadmill! Here, I have a picture…” Needless to say what I saw, while impressive in a DIY kind of way, it was wrong on multiple levels. As an RN working the ER floor, he gained 60 pounds and struggled with eating right in a nonstop, emotionally taxing environment. He managed to lose the weight and keep it off and has certainly benefited from integrating consistent activity into his new workspace.

When Should I start looking for new 911 Dispatch Console Furniture?

This is a loaded and tricky question for most people! And, with the ever-changing world of dispatch furniture products, starting your search for new 911 dispatch console furniture can often lead to “a kid in the candy shop” mentality, which can lead to wishful thinking and ultimately, frustration about your current situation. This blog will walk you through the initial purchasing steps, typical time lines and processes before, during and after you start your search for new 911 dispatch console furniture.

First things first, What Is Interior Design?

The history of interior design dates back thousands of years. Evidence shows that cave walls were painted with detailed representations of animals and plants. Egyptians decorated their homes with painted vases and handmade sculptures. And the Greeks used mosaic floors and wall paintings to embellish their interiors, even establishing strict guidelines for building construction.

Interior design is the art of planning and overseeing the design and execution of architectural interiors. This may sound simple, however, there are countless details to consider when designing interior spaces, such as adjacency requirements, environmental impacts, furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E), and finish selections, along with the fundamental principles of design: balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion and scale, harmony and unity. The way these details and principles are combined and interact create the overall design of a space.

Did you know that people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors? Did you know the air inside your 911 Comm Center can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air outside? YIKES! Indoor air quality(IAQ) affects your health and that is why improving the air quality in your facility is so important.  

Let’s face it, when you sit at a desk all day, it is hard to stay healthy and active. In most office jobs, people are afforded the opportunity to get up for a multitude of reasons - to take a bathroom break, refresh coffee, chat with a coworker about the weekend, head to lunch, or to just simply to stretch their legs.

Unfortunately, in the world of 911 dispatch, security monitoring, utility monitoring or in any call center, employees are tied to their desks. Want to get up and walk around the office? What if an emergency call comes in? The truth is, in these 24/7 industries, it is just not that easy!

The type of workstation lighting you choose can have a dramatic impact on your work environment as well as the overall costs associated with maintaining your workstation into the future. There are a variety of lighting elements to consider when you are looking at updating or replacing your lighting. To begin, we need to briefly discuss the most widely used types of lighting available in today's market. 

By now, most of you have heard about the health risks of sitting for extended periods of time. A height adjustable workstation or desk will give you the most flexibility, because it allows you to move easily between sitting and standing. So, the next logical question you might ask is 'how do you know what height to adjust your desk to?' A standing desk won’t do a whole lot of good, if you’re hunched over the keyboard to type or craning your neck to read your email. When setting up a height adjustable workstation, there are two positions you want to consider; seated and standing. Both are specific to each individual who uses the workstation.