When we design a communications center or upgrade our current, are we really putting in the time to look at what we can do to give our center the best acoustical advantage or is this more of an afterthought?

A 911 emergency call center is the "center of the universe" when a high profile call comes in. The caller and the dispatcher will be forever linked in their conversation. This conversation might be played over and over for many years to come. Criminal cases can be won or lost based on the clarity of a 911 tape. Family members and friends longing for closure are able to recieve this with a clear 911 recording of a call. The 911 dispatch team can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they did their job to the best of their abilities and it is available for the world to hear with a clear 911 recording.

A friend at a communication center in San Diego recently told Xybix that he’s been working with monitors he cannot move. I asked if I could take pictures of a gentleman’s “system” and he was kind enough to let me. I mean hey, it’s not his fault; if you don’t have the tools at your disposal to be able to see what’s on the monitor, what are you supposed to do?

Focal depth is how far your monitor is from your eyes. The adjustment of that depth  or focal depth adjustment, allows you to move those monitors nearer or farther from your eyes to better see the screens. It is not a fancy add-on for your workstation. It’s not a luxury. Really, it’s about being able to see what your screen projects. If you have to look at those screens for 10 to 12 hours, doesn’t it make sense that you find a way to do so without stressing your eyes?

I was listening to a Podcast interview with Robert Downey Jr. the other day, and the interviewer asked him how he goes about choosing his roles and knowing he’s going the right direction with what he does choose to do. Downey responded by saying that people who have 30 choices when choosing a fabric, for example, will never be 100 percent confident in their choice and will always think they could have done better. When given only three choices, people tend to be completely confident in what they chose, why they chose it and at the end of the day, feeling like they got the best bang for their buck. He’s picky! Downey’s response is so applicable in many arenas, but for the topic of this blog, I thought it was especially poignant — and not just because he looks awesome in that Iron Man suit.

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.

Earthquakes Facts:

• Occur without warning
• Can be deadly and extremely destructive
• Can occur at any time
• The major threats posed by earthquakes are bodily injuries and property damage, which can be considerable and even catastrophic.

Earthquakes, especially major ones, are dangerous, inevitable, and a fact of life in a number of states. Being prepared in a 911 dispatch center means the seismic anchoring of your workstations. Properly anchoring your workstations can help ensure that when the public calls your dispatch center, you'll be ready! 

Proper earthquake preparation of your Dispatch Center can:

• Save lives
• Reduce injuries
• Reduce property damage
• Avoid prolonged disruptions of functions

Have you noticed that screens on your iPad and phone are much sharper and have a higher resolutionthan your computer monitor? Notice how you can read smaller text more easily? Images are clearer? Your eyes aren’t as tired after using these devices (compared to how you feel after a day of staring at the computer)? Soon, all the benefits of high-resolution screens will be available in your computer monitors, forever changing how you work—and, more importantly, how your eyes feel at the end of a long day.

I’m always shocked by the number of dispatchers I talk to who have never heard of bias lighting. Typically, when I demo this feature on a workstation, I tend to get quite a few “oohhs” and “aahhs” (a similar reaction to watching a fireworks display). But, not everyone has the opportunity to see this feature live during a product demo, and so for those individuals, this blog is for you.

Bias lighting is, in the simplest terms, backlighting. Backlighting emits a soft white glow behind your computer monitor(s). You might have seen similar techniques deployed on furniture displays at your local IKEA. Yes, it seems as though backlighting is catching on in many industries — and for good reason. So why am I bias about bias lighting and why should some such as a 911 dispatcher care? Two very important answers come to mind:

As Xybix’s West Coast Territory Manager, I’m very fortunate to be able to visit various comm centers when I’m traveling on business. The opportunity to drop by these centers, meet new people and learn about their needs is something I can personally relate to — I also work as a communications supervisor for a police department.

Many times, when I’m speaking with a dispatch manager, we not only talk about the center’s need for reliable workstations, but also its computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and phone systems. I’m always interested to hear what works for them. But the one thing I notice time and again is that many dispatchers still use multiple computer mice at their workstations. When I see this, I don’t hesitate to ask, "Do you utilize a KVM switch in your dispatch center?" Believe it or not, some agencies have never even heard of them!

With that in mind, let me explain what a KVM switch is and how it can help organize your workstations while enhancing the performance of the dispatchers in your center.

Dustmites. Influenza. Common cold. Montezuma’s Revenge (OK, maybe that one’s a little dramatic). If you’ve ever been inside a dispatch center or spoken with dispatchers, you know one of their biggest complaints is that they work in a "petri dish". And in some ways, they do. The reality is that anywhere you find groups of humans working, eating and sneezing, you’ll find extra supplies of germs, viruses and more.

So how can Comm Center Managers combat the swarm of bacteria that constantly invade office environments? Believe it or not, outfitting your dispatch center with certain workstation materials can play an essential role in keeping these pesky goobers at bay.