The rats nest of cables. The constant unplugging of monitors. Speakers, keyboards and mice getting dragged off your desk every time your raise your console up so you can stand... Sound familiar? All of these issues are usually a result of poor cable management. (Unless you have a ghost in your dispatch center, if you do, please email me.) Cable management is more than correcting that bundle of cables hidden under your desk it also should include making sure that you have the appropriate length of cable extensions so that you can actually use your console to "stand" without the fear of unplugging. 

I wrote a previous blog about the weight capacity of your dispatch consoles where I discussed that you don't need to be able to lift the weight of a car for your console to work. 

This blog will review what lift columns don't like and how with a little care you can keep them running longer and have less problems.

The struggle is real to eat healthy! This is especially true now that I've made my 2016 New Year's Resolutions, and intend on keeping them. I like comfort food that will not land on my rump! So I started to think of a few healthy ways that I am eating right for the new year. Being a foodie at heart and coming from the food industry prior to Xybix, I thought I could share a few dishes I enjoy and hope you will too:

So you have a "Meet and Measure" scheduled with a local dispatch furniture territory rep. You figure- hey, they'll come out, measure a couple walls, badabing badaboom! Not quite. Imagine your Comm Center has been selected for the HGTV show where they come and remodel your house or kitchen. You know, where a designer comes and talks to you about how you want things to look and function, then they team up with the architects to make your dream come true.

When choosing an imaging desk in the modern day era of 2016, it is important to keep in mind the evolution of equipment you'll need on your desk. You want your imaging desk to evolve as your needs change and your equipment advances. After all, it is 2016 and those monitors aren't the same as they used to be!

With the 2016 New Year upon us, many of us are thinking of ways to get healthier, be a better person, and achieve all those New Year’s Resolutions. For me, after the Holidays are over and the hustle and bustle has left, all the family has gone home, the decorations come down and I settle back into work, I can’t help but feel a bit…well, blue! I’m sure I’m not the only one. So, I started thinking what could a 911 dispatcher do to combat the “winter blues”? Here are a few ideas to motivate, inspire and kick “old man winter’s” butt into spring time:

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.