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Ravalli County 911

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The Ravalli County 911 Center team has seen its share of change, with three remodels in just over 15 years. With the needs of the community changing, the Center prepared this time with a solution designed to meet their needs today and tomorrow.

The Ravalli County 911 Center is a division of the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office and is staffed by 13 Communications Specialists who answer emergency and non-emergency phone calls throughout the county, dispatching first responders when needed. The small but mighty Ravalli Dispatching team is the central point of communication for 12 fire districts, five law enforcement agencies, three ambulance services and numerous state and federal agencies.

Smart planning anticipates change

As the population grows, more is required of the team. To support near-term growth, provide space for disaster response teams, and to improve effective communication between dispatchers, the Ravalli County 911 Center upgraded their console workstations. This time, the team moved away from the conventional corner workstation. Instead they chose Mercury, an in-line console workstation known for space planning efficiency, expanded work areas and a design that keeps sight lines open.

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In these excerpts from Kevin Maki's 2018 interview with the Ravalli County 911 team, you learn about Amy Cianflon's take on the new space:

Dispatcher Amy Cianflon, a 17 year Ravalli County 911 veteran, has been through three remodels and reports liking this one best. She said it allows for better communication between operators. Under the old system, for instance, Cianflone couldn't see her co-worker Kevin Oberhofer. So if she needed to talk to him she either had to yell at him or leave her station and cross the room to talk to him. ...[T]he new setup reduces stress in what can be an extremely stressful job.

Dana Shaw

Efficient use of space is key for small centers

The six-pack of Mercury workstations neatly plans against the perimeter of the room. Outboard technology cabinets are easily accessible to operators and IT techs.

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A centralized bank of storage cabinets rounds out the bullpen and serves as landing for a printer, analogue tools, and secure, concealed storage for shared resources and equipment.

Each dispatcher enjoys a suite of focus and comfort controls including monitor adjustment, temperature and lighting adjustment, and the ability to sit or stand while working. Shared screens are positioned atop pallets between workstations and provide dispatchers an extra resource.

It's far more efficient than the old system we had.

Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton*

*CREDIT

Excerpts taken from a Kevin Maki interview with the Ravalli County 911 team