Orbacom hosts cook’s tour for MRT
Scott Dolash, MRT’s art director, and I were treated to a healthy dose of western hospitality today by the staff of the new Las Vegas Henderson County combined communications center. In what started out as a “package” tour organized by Orbacom to show off a beautiful new venue for their new T5 console products, we ended up receiving the “cook’s tour” of this fine new center. Operations at the center include the primary PSAP for regional 9-1-1, dispatch for the combined law enforcement communications system and radio repair/mobile equipment installation.
As curious and eager tourists are prone to do, Scott and I wandered away from the group and latched onto Keith Aurich, the technical person with Bearcom who was responsible for installation and integration of the new 53-position Orbacom system. Bearcom acted as the integrator/installer for the console system, which was selected by competitive bid based on specs drawn up by RCC Consultants.
On our trip to the operations floor, we were delighted to talk with Joy Wolfenbarger, a recent hire at the center, who was operating console position #25. The assignment for Joy’s position was handling incoming wireless 9-1-1 calls, one of which was reporting a drunk driver. By remaining on the phone with the wireless caller, Joy was able to keep the CAD-driven MDT dispatch system updated and directed the police response, which quickly nabbed the errant driver. She handled the call like a pro by taking charge of the conversation and extracting a steady stream of important details and information. Surprisingly, it turned out that this was Joy’s first day to dispatch – you couldn’t tell it by her performance.