No one likes it when you can hear “Susan” giggling into her phone in the corner. Especially when you are a 911 dispatcher on the phone and the person on the other end is in a potential life or death situation. Those giggles are the absolute last thing you need breaking your concentration and adding to an already stressful situation. When you are in a high stress job such as Dispatching, background noise and distractions are the last thing you want to hear. You need to stay focused and alert to the situation at hand.

Acoustical panel systems are one of the ways that you can keep the noises of a 911 Communications Center at bay. Standard "cubical" panels usually have a .55 NRC rating and the panels that offer a .75 NRC rating would be considered a "premium" acoustical solution. Now, you are probably scratching your head wondering what those numbers actually mean.

What is a VOC?

There is more than one definition of the term “VOC”. The first, less commonly known acronym is referred to as the “Voice Of the Customer” and the second, more familiar “Volatile Organic Compounds”, which refers to the toxic gases that we can encounter in some indoor office environments. The former is demanding action on the latter.

The Importance

The EPA has estimated that indoor air pollution kills 11,400 people each year. Estimates vary on the amount of sickness and lost productivity this creates, but it is almost certainly significant. As would be expected, every year, more attention is being placed on long term worker safety and indoor air quality. It is in everyone’s interest to be mindful of the choices we make as it may affect our health, welfare, and productivity.

Have you ever heard noise in your headset while you are trying to talk on the phone or talk on the radio?

If you answered yes to these questions, you have a grounding issue in your dispatch center.

There are a number of acceptable methods to correctly bond and ground a building, electrical cabling and equipment. The most common misconception about grounding is that, what you currently have for grounding, is good enough. But, there is no such thing as too much grounding. 

We know how it goes; you are in desperate need of new dispatch furniture. Your furniture might look like it belongs in the Titanic museum. You have had it forever. It is literally falling apart. You cannot get new parts for it, and it does not fit the new technology that you are putting on it. So, you have a monitor here, a monitor there, or maybe even a computer in your leg space. Heck, even the fire department has gone through four new rigs since the last time your center got new furniture! It is time! 

For those that sit in front of a computer screen all day, using a treadmill desk while at work can be an easy way to add movement to your day. Being able to stand and walk can also relieve some of the stress that’s associated with being a 911 dispatcher, as well as, relieving some of the pain points that result from too much sitting. One of the biggest questions people have when they are considering adding a treadmill to their workstation is “how noisy is a treadmill desk?” If you are also wondering this, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn the answer.

With so many cleaning products available for cleaning your dispatch workstation and consoles, a question we are commonly asked is "what cleaning product(s) will kill the most germs and help to prevent sickness in our 911 Comm Center?"

This can be a rather loaded question and can answer it in a few different ways. Assuming that most, if not all of you, want to clean your shared workstation to prevent against the common cold, flu, and various other bacteria and viruses that can make you sick. I’ll be discussing cleaners that are disinfectants/sanitizers. I find it best to mention the United States Environmental Protection Agency or EPA’s website as a good reference. Here you can find many products that have been evaluated for efficacy to make sure the public health label claims are accurate. (As with all cleaning products, be sure to read the label for proper usage and safety instructions.) I in no way promote these products and the purpose of this blog post was to explore what options are available for use in cleaning a your workstation and the pro’s and con’s of each.

As we know, a 911 dispatch center can have many distractions for dispatchers. Noise often carries and reflects throughout a room and is audible in even the furthest reaching corner of the room. It can start with a casual disruption like “hey, what are we getting for lunch?”, to a full blown “calm down sir, help is on the way!” Often times, dispatchers raise their voice so that they can be heard with clarity by the caller and sometimes side conversations tend carry when they are even whispered.

The technology involved with public safety has changed dramatically in recent years. So has our understanding of how workplace design and practices can influence the performance of our dispatchers.

If you're reading this blog, chances are you're considering consolidating your call center into a modern, high-functioning PSAP. And it's also likely that you're finding the task somewhat daunting. Don't worry - you're not alone. There are many factors to be considered, from broad questions about your particular needs to the minute details involved in furniture choice and placement, but there's no need for you to plan your PSAP consolidation alone. 

1. Your Investment

Before you invest in all new dispatch center furniture, there are a few things you should know about the company you consider purchasing from. The furniture in your operations center most definitely deserves a lot of attention. After all, it is where your staff spends about a third of their lives while fulfilling a stressful role. 

With each new bundle of research released about ergonomics at the workplace, we all get a little closer to the ideal physical and mental experience. The tasks of work might not change—let’s face it, the 911 calls keep coming in and you aren’t going anywhere—but NOW your work no longer has to feel so much like…work.