ESCANABA - Delta County Central Dispatch Center will soon have a new place to call home. Although the new office is only a few feet away, the upgrades to technology, equipment and work space that accompany the move will be a big change.
The current Delta County Central Dispatch Center is located in the office straight ahead of the entrance in the front lobby of the Escanaba Public Safety Department. Once work is completed, the dispatch center will be moved to the office next door on the left-hand side of the lobby.
The project is being funded and managed by the Delta County Dispatch Authority.
"The city of Escanaba has also been very helpful with the project," said Capt. Ken Vanderlinden. "This project has been necessary for many years."
The reason for the move is to provide dispatchers with up-to-date equipment and a more comfortable work environment.
According to Vanderlinden, the equipment and technology dispatchers use right now are antiquated and out-of-date. Also, the current office, which has a lot of foot traffic, isn't the ideal location for a dispatch center.
The new work space will include several features to improve dispatchers' ability to work, including brand-new, ergonomically-designed furniture and acoustically-sound ceiling tiles which will provide optimum audio, said Vanderlinden.
"The dispatchers will be allowed to work in an ergonomically-friendly, acoustically-sound environment which will enhance their abilities to do their job on a daily basis," he said. "They'll also be utilizing up-to-date equipment, as far as radio, paging and mapping systems go."
The new office will consist of three separate consoles - each will have Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) accessibility and each will be outfitted with its own 32-inch monitor, enabling dispatchers to view a larger area of the county map. Each dispatcher will also be able to adjust their keyboard and monitor for a personalized work space.
The current dispatch center has only two consoles, and only one is LEIN accessible. Having three consoles will allow two dispatchers to be on staff at a time, with the third available for training and special events, for example, during a time of excessive phone traffic.
Vanderlinden said the new dispatch center won't open until all 10 dispatchers are trained on the new equipment and a seamless transfer is assured.
The new office is expected to open in May.
