It is that time of the year where the 911 community makes their annual pilgrimage to the APCO conference.  Some of you are going to take classes, others go for fun, but many of you go because you want to do some shopping in the exhibit hall.  More specifically, we know some of you are looking for new dispatch furniture consoles. 

The exhibit hall can feel like hours and hours of listening to Billy Mays's OxiClean pitch on every product. I have been on both sides of the booth. Being "that sales dude" and "being a prospect", I understand just trying to learn a product, what I like and what will work best for my needs. I've found that the best way you can be prepared to handle the semi-dreaded sales pitch and vendor hall, is to have a bit of background knowledge and some questions ready to go. 

Time flies by from year to year and from trade show to trade show. I attend somewhere around 10 trade shows a year as a vendor and a couple as an attendee. As a vendor usually, a few weeks before the show, I start to dread going. This year, AHRA 2018 is in Orlando so I think to myself negative thoughts like 'man, it is going to be HOT in Orlando' or 'that's going to be a long flight, Ugh'. But, once the show is about a week away, for some reason my mindset flips, and I get excited to go. I guess this is because I do like going to the shows, meeting people and showing them all the cool stuff that we do. I will end up enjoying Orlando (mostly inside with the A/C) and I usually will partake in at least one good local restaurant. 

I talk with many public safety professionals at tradeshows, and after showing them how beautiful our new consoles are, they often joke that they don’t deserve nice stuff. I’m not sure why they’d think something like that. Do ugly consoles last longer than nice ones? Why do they feel they aren’t worth the quality option?

A question we get a lot – is where to start if I need a new a new space, a new building or a new 911 Center? I’d like to steer you to a great starting place.

The Seminar by the Center for Public Safety, October 4-5th in Orlando, FL. The Center for Public Safety, Inc. (CPS) is an organization dedicated to research, planning, and assisting first responders, including law enforcement, fire / rescue, emergency managers and dispatch services in the process of obtaining new or expanded facilities. During this seminar, they will walk you through items such as: which political stings to pull, how to get funding, what your building needs to look like, how many square feet you'll need as well as small things, like how many parking places you'll need. Basically, they will prepare you with all the information you’ll need for your new space.

When it comes to sitting at a desk all day,
nothing matters more than comfort and functionality. In order to make consumers happy, furniture manufacturers strive to make comfortable products that meet the latest ergonomic standards. This is an obvious goal of any furniture company, but where do these standards come from?

In modern 911 dispatch centers, most dispatchers are blessed with sit-to-stand desks. But, I can remember when the first generation of height-adjustable consoles could not raise up to a standing position. But hey, it was a start. Technology and vendor competition have transformed the consoles we know today, so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of a sit-to-stand desk. 

Raymond Loewy was a French born industrial designer who made it to America during the 1930s and put his stamp on American culture with iconic designs that are still around today, including the paint scheme on Air Force One and the logo on Shell gas stations. Companies hired him to create successful designs for their businesses, something that would create a lasting symbol of their individual brands.

You may hear the term “slatwall” being used to describe part of your furniture, but what exactly is slatwall? What does it do for your dispatch furniture?

The slatwall panel was originally designed to serve as shelving in a retail store so that retail workers could hook merchandise onto the wall. Slatwall panels are made up of rows of dovetail-shaped slots, and they are designed so that items can be hooked into the slots and hung from the slatwall. The most common use of slatwall in the 911 Public Safety industry is to hang monitors. A panel is usually mounted at the back of the monitor surface, and it moves up and down with the height adjustment of that surface.

Slatwall has also been adapted to be used on dispatch consoles due to Xybix creating and patenting RollerVision, which is a monitor mount with focal depth adjustment.

Growing up in the ‘70s, “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas became one of my favorite songs of all time. Now that I have a house and teenagers, I don’t like actual dust at all. It seems to come from everywhere, and I know this is even more true in your 911 Comm Center. With 24/7 staffing and the constant action in the room, there is a ton of dust. So, how do you get rid of it?

The famous pumpkin spice flavor has made its way onto the store shelves, announcing that fall is officially here. Many people are absolutely obsessed with pumpkin spice, so this is a special time for many fall-loving folks. As a child from the ‘70s, it was Count Chocula gracing my supermarket aisles that got me excited. To this day, I still love Count Chocula.  

Speaking of pumpkin spice, recently, I read about how an entire high school was evacuated due to a plug-in pumpkin spice air freshener. I’m not sure how bad it actually smelled, but the story made me think about the many scents that lurk around a 911 dispatch center. When you work in close proximity with others for long periods of time, you’re bound to run into some strange ones.