Xybix recently helped Brown County Public Safety Communications team replace its decades-old furniture with modern ergonomic consoles sporting innovative features such as app-controlled personalized lighting and climate controls along with under-desk exercise equipment.

At Xybix, we’re happy to share with you all the cool features of our ergonomic sit-to-stand dispatch consoles. Our consoles are packed with tried-and-true basics plus innovative new options designed specifically for the long hours and stressful shifts that dispatchers typically experience. But we know it’s better for you to hear it straight from other dispatchers, so we talked to a few employees at Aurora 911 after a significant remodel that included new Xybix consoles, a new layout from a Xybix designer, and new paint and carpeting.

Think about how edgy you feel when you leave your phone in the car or plug it in a few feet away at, say, a coffee shop. Imagine if your belongings were always out of your possession like this, while you’re busy taking critical dispatch calls. This is where personal lockers come in—and they offer plenty of other benefits as well.

(NOTE: This article was originally written for 911training.net)

We all understand that 9-1-1 dispatch centers serve as the vital bridge connecting individuals in distress with the timely aid of first responders. However, the often-overlooked factor of the culture within these centers can profoundly influence the morale and job satisfaction of staff, ultimately impacting the ability to provide effective emergency services.

Computer monitors cause all kinds of headaches. Finance may not like the price, IT may hate the installation process, visitors may trip over all the cords, and, most importantly, monitors may literally give computer users headaches. And that is too bad because dispatchers rely on computer monitors—lots of computer monitors—to help people. Aside from the misery for the person with the headache, consider this statistic: Migraines alone cost $11 billion in medical spending and another $11 billion in lost productivity. That’s per year.

Internet search engines—and people, for that matter—love lists. Top 5 Happy Hours! Top 10 Places to Live! So, I wanted to write Top 5 Dispatch Center Layouts! Then, I quickly self-corrected because the only Top Layout is the one that works for the unique needs of your center and helps you serve your community.

To achieve a goal—like launching, expanding, or remodeling a control center or dispatch center—you need to start with a realistic completion date. Without this target date and supporting milestones, you have nothing to aim for and nothing to hold you accountable. The timeline will be as custom as your project, and can range anywhere from 4 months to 4 years. The typical timeframes here can help you get started.

People who work in dispatch centers are experts in all kinds of emergency and non-emergency situations that I’ll never understand. They are not likely, however, to be experts in remodeling and selecting dispatch center consoles. So once funds are approved for a remodel or expansion, who is assigned to manage the project?

It’s easy to say that creating a nicer workspace improves morale—but can you prove it? Tina Buneta can.

Most of us think that interior designers make spaces beautiful with paint, furniture and artwork choices. In the dispatch world, however, I would say that the No. 1 function of an interior designer is to solve space problems. Unless we’re talking about new construction, most centers have space challenges, whether it’s the size or shape of the room or the placement of columns and electrical boxes.