As a child, like most, my favorite Holiday was Christmas! I always looked forward to running into my parent’s room Christmas morning to let them know that Santa had arrived. At times, we woke them up so early that my Mom and Dad would tell my sister and I to go back to bed. I guess 3 am was a little early for them. And yes, I do remember sitting in bed from 3 to 7 am wide awake in anticipation and those four hours literally felt like eternity!

Not only is dispatching one tough job on you physically, but during the Holidays it can be especially difficult, when it seems like everyone else has time off, but not you. As dispatchers, you are still stuck working those long shifts and crappy hours no matter if Santa is coming or not. (Quick note, I am not a dispatcher nor could I do your job, but I have heard a lot of good ideas.) 

Here are a few ideas that could help give you a little boost this holiday season: 

Now that we’re in the mid-swing of the holiday season a lot of us are dreading stepping on the scale. But there’s some good news; according to Doctor Deborah Balfanz the average American gains only one pound over the holidays. That averages out to about 100 calories per day over a month long period.

Giving gifts to public safety and 911 this holiday season? Here are some cleaver and fun ideas to get you in the holiday gift-giving mood. Selecting a gift for someone can be tough, so I’ve come up with what I think are four common categories of persons’ in the 911 dispatch world and what he/she might like.

On the first day of Christmas, my Xybix Sales Rep gave to me: a complimentary design consultation! That’s right, friends. If you are looking to upgrade your dispatch center, call your local sales rep, and they will come out to meet with you to collect all of the project details required to submit your project to design. There’s no project too difficult for our trained team to handle. We understand that each communication center is unique in its own way, and that’s why we customize our products to meet your needs.

I had a great opportunity to go to an open house for a newly remodeled dispatch center. This was in Shawnee, Oklahoma, a city of about 30,000 residents.  They dispatch fire and police for the city.  

With Thanksgiving all around us, we are called to be thankful and grateful. We all have things we are grateful for in our personal lives, but what about work? So I started thinking what here at Xybix am I thankful for? Some are the traditional things to be thankful for and others are a bit of a stretch. But either way, I figured I’d share my list with you, in hopes that you too can find something to be grateful for in your lives either at work or at home. As hard as I tried, I can’t rank these in any particular order, here are the things I am thankful for:

You begged and pleaded. You worked hard to fit the treadmill into your budget for three years running and went through all of the red tape. You had all of your dispatchers sign the waivers, and the effort seemed to pay off; the treadmill was a hit! You were the hero, until a couple of months went by, and the popularity started to wain. Of course there are the dedicated few who spend an hour or two every day burning calories, but how do you keep interest high in the rest of the center? FEAR NOT! Here are five fun (and FIT!) ways to keep your treadmill desk or bike in use:

I previously wrote a blog highlighting which companies selling imaging desks will be at RSNA.  If you are shopping for a new desk, the following advice should help get you to the right booth without wasting time.  

Once you get to the booth and start talking to the helpful (pesky?) salesperson, what are some good questions to ask?  If you are like me, you probably think of them after you’ve already walked away. Fortunately, I have put together some questions that will help you make your best decision.  

We all know that funding for even the smallest of items can feel like it takes an act of Congress or the signatures of our Four Fathers. And, we all know that keeping employees motivated and positive is an additional struggle. So when you try and do something to boost morale, such as introduce health accessories (i.e. a treadmill or bike) into the workplace, it can often feel like you’re met with road block after road block. Fortunately, there may be a solution out there that can help curb the funding hurdle.