Recent Updates to Public Safety Dispatch Consoles
When there’s an emergency – big or small – effect communication and relaying information from one agency to another is essential. Emergency dispatchers and public officials need public safety dispatch consoles that perform flawlessly 24/7, in good weather and in bad. Performance is everything, and it can be a matter of life or death in many emergencies.
Imagine a call comes in. A child is choking and the parent doesn’t know what to do. They’re calling you for expert guidance to save their child’s life. But, that call comes in and the system transfers it to a station where no one answers the call. Or, you get the call but the system sends the wrong address to paramedics. No one wants to experience that level of frustration or learn that an emergency becomes an unnecessary tragedy. Public safety dispatch consoles must be designed, installed, and maintained to be reliable at all times.
FACTORS TO CONSIDER WITH YOUR PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCH SYSTEMS
One of the first considerations is your floor plan. How many dispatchers will you have working at consoles in your dispatch or call center? You cannot just order dispatch systems blindly. It takes thought and careful planning. You may not have the right amount of space, and no one will work efficiently if they have co-workers constantly bumping them, reaching over them, or generally being in the way.
But, while there’s a need for space, your dispatchers also need to have all of their pertinent equipment and computer displays where they can see or reach things. If they’re crossing to another desk to find something during a call, it’s a waste of time. Consoles that optimize performance are essential.
PMC’s design engineers take your building’s layout and analyze the space you have, the coverage you need for consistent signals, and come up with optimal layouts. We’ll discuss the ideal arrangements with you before setting anything in stone. By working together, your dispatch center can handle any call without interference or calls that get dropped due to poor coverage in an area that’s farther from the radio systems or antennas.
That’s only part of your top considerations. You have to have a budget. You can’t make money magically appear, and you may find voters or city officials hesitate to earmark more funding towards your dream system. Let us know your budget and we’ll work with it. We’ve seen it all. You may not have a huge budget when you’re starting out, and that’s okay.
PMC knows the best ways to spend your money on equipment that does what you need it to do at any time of the day and night. We also help guide you on a path so that as more money is available, you can upgrade technology as you can afford it. You have a public safety dispatch system that continues to work well for your needs in the meantime.
WHAT FEATURES ARE MOST IMPORTANT?
When you schedule a consultation with the experts at PMC, one of our first questions will be about your dispatch center. The equipment at a 911 call center may differ from that of a police station’s dispatcher. Important features will vary slightly for that reason.
No matter what components you need, the console has to be sturdy and durable. If it wobbles or jostles as someone rushes by and bumps it, it’s not ideal. People have different comfort levels too. Some workers may prefer brighter lighting, while others find bright lighting to be jarring and work better in dim lighting. A dispatch console needs to be adjustable for individual preferences.
PMC partners with Zetron for our command-and-control dispatch solutions. These dispatch consoles work well for all agencies, whether it’s a 9-1-1 call center, EMS, police, or fire dispatch solutions. The software suite offers exceptional performance and is easy to use. They’re also designed to maximize bandwidth to ensure excessive network traffic doesn’t create unexpected problems.
The Call Management feature offered by Zetron helps categorize calls as they come in. Critical calls won’t sit at the bottom of the list, wasting valuable response time. Dispatch center supervisors can view call activity and increase staffing if more calls are coming in than expected.
Zetron has consoles for all sizes of control rooms and command centers. You can have them customized to fit your needs with paging systems, video cameras, remote monitoring, voice recording systems, and CAD and AVL systems, too. As the user interfaces are configurable to your specifications, your dispatchers won’t have a problem changing over to an updated system. Make it look and feel like your current set-up.
INSTALLATION SHOULDN’T BE THE FINAL STEP
Years ago, the LAFD’s computer-aided dispatch system (CAD) crashed two times and kept dispatchers, fire stations, and paramedics from timely communications. In one of those crashes, two people died in a fire, and it’s believed they may have survived had the response been quicker. A grand jury recommended that the LAFD upgrade its CAD system to match current levels.
That’s only part of it though. In 2019, a California family sued an emergency dispatch center for failure to properly train their dispatchers. A girl was having trouble breathing, and her sister called to get help but was put on hold or never got anyone to answer their call. It took 15 minutes before they got hold of a dispatcher for help.
Modern dispatching technology is important, and it needs to be installed correctly. But, that’s not the only step. Dispatchers need to be trained. The systems need to be tested, repaired, and upgraded as needed.
After your system is installed, make sure you have a PMC Wireless Maintenance Service Level Agreement. We offer customized equipment maintenance plans that meet your specific needs. Or, you can choose one of our standard options:
- 5 days with 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. response
- 7 days with 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. response
- 365 days with 24/7 response
PMC’s warranty maintenance plans include system troubleshooting, system optimization, in-house repairs, and reports.
Working with an expert in dispatch center products is important if you want to ensure dispatch solutions that match your agencies, organizations, or communication center’s needs. PMC is that expert. We bring more than 30 years of expertise in technology that matches our clientele’s needs. Our team is carefully chosen and trained to be the very best at public safety technology.
It all started in 1988 when Philip M. Casciano (PMC) founded a land mobile radio sales firm. While technology has changed a lot, our dedication to exceptional customer service has never changed.
Let us know what you need from your public safety dispatch consoles and we’ll help you design a system that matches your needs. We also install and repair everything we offer, so your experience with our team doesn’t end once we’ve set up your equipment. We’re here for you every step of the way.
Make your investment in public safety dispatch systems a smart choice. Reach out to PMC for a free quote today.
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