New Air Methods Dispatch Center

[littona]

I thought you guys might find this interesting. This is Air Methods Communications (AirCom) new dispatch center in Omaha NE and one of our wonderful dispatchers, technically "Communications Specialists".

Dispatch Center
It took a lot of long days to move an entire dispatch center while also having no downtime.

AirCom dispatches for around 27 states? I've lost track... They control approximately 200 radios across the country. The flight programs may all have different names, but they all fall under Air Methods. It's amusing when a 911 center calls the wrong number, so they call back to the "right number" and get the same person!

 

[RescueRandy]

That’s pretty neat. Were you involved in the new dispatch center? In my previous job I did several 911 PSAPs and EOC build outs. This looks somewhat similar. Definitely not a small feat to pull off seamlessly.

 

[littona]

That’s pretty neat. Were you involved in the new dispatch center? In my previous job I did several 911 PSAPs and EOC build outs. This looks somewhat similar. Definitely not a small feat to pull off seamlessly.

Oh yeah... quite a bit. The furniture is all Xybix. Dispatch consoles are OpenScape Xpert. The building has 2 demarcation points, so every computer has 2 network connections as well as WiFi. You can't really run dual power to a PC, but there are 2 UPS and 2 generators that provide backup power.

 

[RescueRandy]

I have used Xybix consoles before. I thought they were pretty well built. You can definitely underestimate the number of cable extensions needed for the rise/lower desk installs though (not that it has ever happened to me).
If you are allowed to share info, I’d be interested in what radio system you all are using? 27 states is a pretty wide area of responsibility. I would assume it’s not a typical radio system but perhaps a widely distributed setup of remote radio/consolettes?

 

[littona]

The new Xybix stuff is pretty nice. They made a few improvements based on our experiences and added a lot more bells and whistles. The controls for the lights/fans/heat are no longer a box at the end of a cable. They're now controlled by either a tablet or PC via Bluetooth. Kinda squirrely, but those boxes got broke A LOT.

For radio systems, we use whatever is available in the coverage area or build out our own. If there's a trunked system we can hop on - great. Otherwise we might install a repeater. We rely on the local radio shops for support. There's no way we could do it all ourselves.

We typically just plop a control station at one of our bases and connect to it using a Vocality/Cubic radio over IP interface. Each Vocality is a SIP extension on our PBX. It's all magic after that!

 

[INDY72]

Not to mention you can use PoC radio, and apps for the business side as seamlessly as the EMS/Medevac side. Modern dispatch centers are almost like magic once set up. Especially huge companies like yours. You can sit at a console in NYC and flawlessly run units in LA!

 

[waynedc]

The new Xybix stuff is pretty nice. They made a few improvements based on our experiences and added a lot more bells and whistles. The controls for the lights/fans/heat are no longer a box at the end of a cable. They're now controlled by either a tablet or PC via Bluetooth. Kinda squirrely, but those boxes got broke A LOT.

For radio systems, we use whatever is available in the coverage area or build out our own. If there's a trunked system we can hop on - great. Otherwise we might install a repeater. We rely on the local radio shops for support. There's no way we could do it all ourselves.

We typically just plop a control station at one of our bases and connect to it using a Vocality/Cubic radio over IP interface. Each Vocality is a SIP extension on our PBX. It's all magic after that!

What radio consoles or console software are you using to talk over these SIP connections?

 

[littona]

What radio consoles or console software are you using to talk over these SIP connections?

OpenScape Xpert. Here's a video from our "Grand Opening" earlier this week: Video

 

[morganAL]

The new Xybix stuff is pretty nice. They made a few improvements based on our experiences and added a lot more bells and whistles. The controls for the lights/fans/heat are no longer a box at the end of a cable. They're now controlled by either a tablet or PC via Bluetooth. Kinda squirrely, but those boxes got broke A LOT.

For radio systems, we use whatever is available in the coverage area or build out our own. If there's a trunked system we can hop on - great. Otherwise we might install a repeater. We rely on the local radio shops for support. There's no way we could do it all ourselves.

We typically just plop a control station at one of our bases and connect to it using a Vocality/Cubic radio over IP interface. Each Vocality is a SIP extension on our PBX. It's all magic after that!

I was part of a dispatch center renovation in late 2020 - early 2021 and we went with the Xybix consoles. LOTS of time spent under those getting the positions setup. And as someone said, LOTS of extensions to get everything connected. I retired in from there in 2022 but still keep in touch and provide occasional consulting. After 4 years, the biggest complaint is the USB connectors on the back of the work surface. When we went live in the remodeled center, Covid was still on everyone's mind. Each dispatcher was issued a keyboard and they swapped keyboards as each person rotated through. They are still doing that and the USB jacks are starting to fail. Other than that, they still look great and everything else still works as it should.

 

[littona]

I was part of a dispatch center renovation in late 2020 - early 2021 and we went with the Xybix consoles. LOTS of time spent under those getting the positions setup. And as someone said, LOTS of extensions to get everything connected. I retired in from there in 2022 but still keep in touch and provide occasional consulting. After 4 years, the biggest complaint is the USB connectors on the back of the work surface. When we went live in the remodeled center, Covid was still on everyone's mind. Each dispatcher was issued a keyboard and they swapped keyboards as each person rotated through. They are still doing that and the USB jacks are starting to fail. Other than that, they still look great and everything else still works as it should.

We haven't had too many issues with USB ports, other than your luck varies if you try to plug a thumb drive into one. They did get rid of the wired control box for the desk lights and fans. Those boxes were constantly getting broken. The new desks used a Bluetooth connection to an Android tablet application. Within a couple of months, the tablets were ditched in favor of doing it directly on the PC.

 

[dispatchgeek]

The new Xybix stuff is pretty nice. They made a few improvements based on our experiences and added a lot more bells and whistles. The controls for the lights/fans/heat are no longer a box at the end of a cable. They're now controlled by either a tablet or PC via Bluetooth. Kinda squirrely, but those boxes got broke A LOT.

For radio systems, we use whatever is available in the coverage area or build out our own. If there's a trunked system we can hop on - great. Otherwise we might install a repeater. We rely on the local radio shops for support. There's no way we could do it all ourselves.

We typically just plop a control station at one of our bases and connect to it using a Vocality/Cubic radio over IP interface. Each Vocality is a SIP extension on our PBX. It's all magic after that!

I'd be curious to learn more about how you are doing the Vocality units over PBX. I am working on a warm backup dispatch facility and this seems like a nice option. Mind if I DM you off the thread?

 

[littona]

I'd be curious to learn more about how you are doing the Vocality units over PBX. I am working on a warm backup dispatch facility and this seems like a nice option. Mind if I DM you off the thread?

Be my guest!