With “love” in the air this Valentine’s Day, we thought we could share some ways you can show the “love” to your local 911 dispatchers. Often times, 911 dispatchers are only means of response to a scary and/or life or death situation. A dispatcher’s job means responding promptly and professionally to any emergency throughout the year. (Yes, this includes giving up weekends, holidays and birthdays to work a very demanding and stressful job). Still not convinced of the need to say thanks? Try reading the poem “Dispatcher” by Alan Burton.

The IT team and contractors should always be considered part of the mission-critical team in the 911 center.

The 911 comm center, security monitoring rooms, and command and control rooms are all mission-critical rooms. Cable management within these rooms can affect the people that are counting on 911 centers in a time of critical need. It’s crucial to prevent the CAD screen from dropping or the phone line from going dead because callers could be in a life or death struggle or they’re getting help for someone else.

At Xybix headquarters, our team of engineers are continually improving upon our product with new ideas and options. End users are some of the most important people to use our product. If it weren’t for you, we might not understand the importance of individual heat and air control at a workstation, or even the need for individual lighting.

Over the years, our engineering department has listened to you, your ideas and your concerns. They have taken this feedback and come up with some great ideas to enhance your comfort at your workstation in a communication center. Antimicrobial worksurfaces and bias lighting are just a couple of items that Xybix has introduced over the past two years. This year, we are introducing acrylic shrouds. Now you’re asking, what are acrylic shrouds?

There’s an ancient proverb that reads: “For want of a connector the shelf was lost. For want of a shelf the cabinet was lost. For want of a cabinet the workstation was lost. And all for the want of a shelf connector.” Or something like that.

Our customers who have received new bookshelves, storage or CPU cabinets in the past month may have noticed something a little different about their adjustable shelves. Our venerable locking shelf connector has been discontinued by the manufacturer, so we needed to find a new solution. There are dozens of fasteners we could have used, but we wanted something simple, reliable — and better.

Does the thought of buying dispatch furniture make you want to run screaming and clawing your way out of a nightmare? For some people it does. The thought of talking to a sales person, researching options, submitting an RFP, dealing with quote comparisons, not to mention the stress of getting it all right; no wonder you’re feeling like you’re in a nightmare. Trust me, I get it! What we’ve learned from our customers is that transparency means everything. Therefore, we want to lay all our goods out on the table and let you do the deciding. Unfortunately not all dispatch furniture companies are as open and honest. So put on your detective glasses, you’re going to need them.

When you are looking to purchase a new automobile do you run out and sign papers without seeing or driving the car? No way! You go to the dealership, take a look, and then take that puppy out for a spin. Am I right?

When you want to purchase a new house… Do you send over the offer letter to your agent without seeing the house? No way! Who would do that? You schedule a meeting with your agent to visit the house, take a peek, make sure everything is just right and then once you determine it’s a fit you sign the offer letter.

Ok, now that I have everyone thinking about new purchases, let’s focus on dispatch consoles for your dispatch center. 

We’ve seen a lot of hospitals put radiologists into small, weird-shaped rooms, with no thought of who is actually working in that room and how they’re going to use it. Radiologists don’t just sit (or better yet, stand) at a desk with one computer. Most Radiologists have multiple computers and monitors and they need to be in a dark, quiet room to work. They also need control over the room’s light, climate and noise. Together, these factors present a complicated environment for radiologist to work in.

When you start thinking about your 911 Comm Center and those little things you'd really like, you might start to come up with a wish list. Let's face it, everyone has a wish list! The focus is usually on the basics: height adjustable workstations, monitor mounting, cable management, and CPU storage. You've been good all year, right? So ask yourself - what about those little extras on your wish list? What do you really 'want for Christmas?'

As I was browsing my news feed on Facebook one night, I came across a post from a friend of mine who made a statement about Text to 911 in his area. However, the local radio station had stated that all university campuses in his area were now Text to 911 capable. But the radio station went on to urge people NOT to use this service, rather dial 9-1-1 on their phones. This seemed contradictory to me, with this new service available, why would you not use it? So I decided to find out the facts of Text to 911.

Are you the newly appointed project manager for your center’s new layout and design? If so, take a deep breath. You’re not alone. When these projects land on your already full plate, there’s a way to ensure everyone is happy, the project goes smoothly, and everyone gets what they need. You’re not only going to come out of this project safely, but with an incredible sense of accomplishment under your belt.