At Berrien County 911, dispatchers strive every day to make their community a better and safer place to live. The county in the southwestern corner of Michigan’s lower peninsula is home to nearly 153,000 people, who are served by 50 different police, fire, and EMS agencies.

The 911 center is staffed by 34 call takers and dispatchers with 5 to 10 on shift at a time. The employees exhibit incredible pride in the rewarding job, especially the sense of purpose it brings and the opportunity to help the community.

The Autauga County 911 dispatchers in central Alabama serve the 60,000+ residents of the City of Prattville and unincorporated Autauga County through voice calls and texts. The dispatchers work 12-hour shifts and manage thousands of calls, including 9,200 calls for the county sheriff’s office alone. Recently, the center replaced their old desks with modern Xybix consoles equipped with all the latest bells and whistles—personal fans, heaters, LED lighting, and more. The consensus: The customization options make their long shifts just a little bit better.

The Xybix Radiology Desk recently earned an Innovative Technology Contract with the Vizient healthcare purchasing organization. Healthcare organizations that purchase through Vizient have assurances that the products passed rigorous research and hands-on reviews while providing the best value.

“6 hours of sedentary behavior a day linked to neck pain”

I saw this headline, “Why ‘Unbalanced’ Muscles Can Cause You Pain,” and had to dig deeper. What are unbalanced muscles? Do I have them? Do our customers? At Xybix, our values include creating healthier workspaces and caring for those who serve others. I wanted to know more—and make sure our desks help prevent muscle imbalances for 911 dispatchers, healthcare workers, radiologists, and other professionals.

Inside Xybix’s Innovative Redesign of Air Methods’ Mission-Critical Comms Center

When longtime Xybix customer Air Methods sought to transform its aeromedical communications center, the project managers shopped around. They shared their unique vision with various dispatch furniture vendors only to find that “Xybix was the only one who took on the challenge.”

Building or remodeling a center for 911 dispatch, utilities, transportation, or security is not something you do every day. Control room projects are critical but not common. In fact, given that technical furniture consoles generally are made to last 10 to 20 years, you may be involved in only 1 or 2 console purchases in your entire career. As a result, we know you have questions. To help, I’ve rounded up the most common questions we encounter and provided quick answers along with sources for more information. As always, feel free to reach out to Xybix with any questions.

How Panels Improve Productivity and Morale in 911 Dispatch Operation Centers

Acoustic divider panels in a 911 dispatch or operations center can you help walk that fine line between a cubicle farm and an open office. Most employees hate both options—and yet they crave the privacy and relative quiet of a cubicle along with the easy access to their neighbors in an open space. You can get the best of both worlds with a panel system designed specifically for your consoles, your floor layout, and your PSAP’s specific communications style. Here’s an example of panels with glass tiles.

Why Ergonomics? The Importance of Ergonomics and Pain

Nothing induces a yawn like the word “ergonomics.” You may know it’s important for health and productivity, but the second you hear all the numbers and jargon involved—like 20” focal depth, 15° viewing angle, and neutral wrist—all you can think is “I just…can’t.”

I get it, and I’m here to help with a clear link between preventing pain and ergonomics. (By which I mean, if something hurts, you can likely tweak your workspace to fix it.) First, let’s take a quick look at how ergonomics can help you.

Building or remodeling the space for the lifeblood of an organization is a serious investment in material goods and services along with employee health and morale. Critical functions take place around the clock at 911 dispatch centers, radiology imaging rooms, telemetry labs, utilities and transportation control centers, and the like. The professionals who work there need spaces and desks designed for their specialized equipment and 24/7 operations.