Cant Stand and Work

[1stLtstans]

I work in a ems comm center...we work rotating 12hr shifts and do not have work stations that allow us to stand and dispatch/call take. I am relatively new here (6+months)/ Any advice on how to raise a little awareness???

Im tired of sitting for 12hrs!

[MrJim911]

Awareness probably isn't the problem, it's the cost associated with getting hydraulic consoles. We have them at our center and they are great...but very expensive.

[McCone911]

I wouldn't say they are always expensive. I don't know where you are located, but we just bought new consoles from K R Office interior our of Butte Montana for approx $6,000.00 delivered and installed. Of course they weren't called "Dispatch" consoles. That is what raises the price up there. Check with a local office furniture store. They might be able to build you some!

[Lifeguard911]

Check out this link right here at 911Dispatch -

http://www.911dispatch.com/info/ergonomics/index.html

Some of the links on this page are a little old and may not work. The OSHA guidelines may be your best way to argue for ergonomic consoles. Also look into getting grants for the consoles.
If you do get consoles in the future, let me offer a tip about installing them. Make sure that when you install all the computers, monitors, etc that you do it with the console raised to it's highest position. This way, all of the cables will be long enough to raise them. After ours where installed, there were some consoles that could not be raised all of the way because the cabling was too short. That defeated the purpose of spending money on the ergonomic consoles.

[dispatchincode3]

First off, hello everyone! I am new here. But, we have hydraulic consoles at our 911 center and I absolutely love them. If I need to stretch or just want to walk around and not have to keep sitting down and standing up I will raise my desk. Definitely a GREAT investment.

[Dave]

Perhaps I dont understand the complexity of your situation. We do not have consoles that can be raised, but that doesnt stop me from standing, stretching, walking a little bit. I can reach the keyboard from the standing position, I can click a mouse from the standing position. I dont understand why you "have" to have a console that will raise and lower.

[MrJim911]

It would depend on their set up. At our old building, before we moved and get the hydraulic consoles, I would have had to stoop over to type and my back probaly would not have appreciated that. Sitting was the only option.