You’re a Comm Center manager or supervisor and you’ve been tasked with buying new dispatch furniture. HOLY (insert choice four letter word) ! You probably feel like you are just not ready to tackle this monstrosity of project, or maybe you feel rather intimidated like buying a new car. Hey, we get it, this task is not an easy one. Infact, while reading this, you might already be thinking of the best way to secretly exit the building (never to return). Whoa-nelly! Take a minute and remember the beloved childhood icon, Thomas the Train. I want you to try whispering quietly to yourself “I think I can…I think I can…” and DON’T panic! Here are three tips to buying dispatch furniture that can help:

Purchasing capital equipment is always a fun and exciting endeavor (insert sideways glance). It always proves to be a politically driven, a molehill-out-of-an-anthill struggle that can make even the most seasoned professionals wave the white flag. So, how do you make nice with the powers that be in the ivory tower? You present strategic and economical solutions, that’s how!

Being new at something is equally exciting and terrifying. On one hand, you’re in uncharted territory and you are constantly in awe – think Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz stepping into Technicolor. You are a sponge, absorbing as much as you can to learn about the new challenge. On the other hand, you don’t know what you don’t know and there is an overload of information to retain.

I grew up just south of Denver and have spent a lot of time in the city. Denver is a great host city for NENA 2015, as it’s easy to find great restaurants, bars, and entertainment within walking distance of the Colorado Convention Center. If you can pull some extra time off, it would be well worth the sightseeing to head into the mountains.

Many consumers want to know how much weight can a dispatch console can handle? (As well as, will be able to hold their dispatchers’ when they ride up and down on it?)

In reality, it boils down to whether or not the dispatch console will hold up for 24/7 use. There are a few philosophies on how to achieve this durability. As with everything in life, there is give and take with the way each manufacturer designs their furniture.

Typically, a radiologist’s work environment is a very dark room with the exception of the light coming from the monitors the goal being to interpret the digital imaging on the screen. Because the rooms are very dark and the screens are very bright, eyes can become fatigued. This increases the likelihood of headaches, and overall discomfort.

Thinking of re-modeling your imaging center? Maybe even replacing a few desks? Purchasing new furniture? Here are a few questions you should ask your next imaging desks provider:

1. Is it possible to have custom sizes that meet our environmental constraints without paying custom up charges? It is possible. Look for manufacturers who build their own product. What does this mean? Doesn't every manufacturer build their own stuff? No. Some companies just buy parts from other manufacturers and sell them as their product. This limits them to supply only what they have available, not what you need. Ask if they manufacture their entire product?
   
   

If you are in the public safety industry and are familiar with Xybix, you may have noticed a few articles, emails and blogs from Xybix about imaging desks. Are you scratching your head and wondering what that is all about…? I realize most of associate Xybix as only selling height adjustable furniture to 911 dispatch, security and utility agencies. But, in fact, there are several other industries in which the ergonomic sit to stand furniture we provide can be beneficial.

A question frequently asked is, "why do I need divider panels in my comm center?" and “what’s the value of having fabric on them?”  Well, I'd like to help clarify what exactly a divider panel is and give a fun example of how sound can influence your conversations and why it should be important to you.

Divider panels in an office environment are primarily designed to help dampen noise as it is reflected around a room. When people use the radios, phones or talk they project noise which can be a distraction to you if you are quietly working away at your position or workstation. Often times, you'll not even notice acoustic sound barriers, yet they play in import role.

There is a growing body of research that suggests your physical state affects your mental state. Dr. Erik Pepper at San Francisco State University has researched the relationship between posture and mood and has found significant results between posture and subjective energy. He found that “when people experience a lower subjective energy, they feel less capable of performing a task”.