Russ Bassett Welcomes NENA 2025—Right in Our Southern California Backyard 🌴

The room was small and already “felt” maxed out. It would take some creative space planning to accommodate the additional positions. CCES also desires improved traffic flow for a cleaner, more modern and professional office space.
CCES consulted multiple vendors that provided consoles, and in the end, selected Russ Bassett as their preferred vendor. When other manufacturers said “it couldn’t be done,” Russ Bassett delivered well-appointed, high quality consoles with a plan that maximized the small space of their communication center.
Due to the county’s growth, CCES needed to expand the number of dispatching positions within an existing space. Additionally, they wanted all dispatching positions to be fully outfitted with ergonomic adjustment, comfort controls and improved technology integration capabilities. CCES also needed to create an environment that would aid with social distancing to assist with health concerns such as COVID-19, the seasonal flu, and other potential pandemics.
Executive Director, Becky Bacon, set out to expand the agency’s dispatching capabilities because she knew it was time to replace aging consoles and add positions to the already full space. Bacon is a dispatching veteran and has led two previous console renovations, and therefore knew this would not be an easy task. “As you see, we are a small center and small spaces can be challenging,” Bacon said. However, she was confident that it could happen with the support of the right vendor, along with a cooperative and very creative design team.
CCES raised the bar for what a small agency can pursue and achieve. In accomplishing their goals, the newly redesigned space provided the following improvements:
With this remodel, Bacon’s vision was to have the team positioned in such a way that supported collaboration. She no longer wanted the team to feel “cramped” within their workspace. Russ Bassett’s design team proposed a solution which placed all active positions in a central island, which ultimately created a clean traffic flow within a modern and professional space that Director Bacon was challenged to overcome.
“They squeezed every inch out of the floor space,” said Bacon of the Russ Bassett Design Team. The new floor plan improved the work experience in four specific ways:
“Russ Bassett was able to take a small space and improve it. It is more professional,” “A change like this builds morale and standards go up. This is now a room that my team and our community can be proud of.”
Blue Earth was seeking a more efficient, quieter, user-controlled heating and cooling solution. Dispatchers appreciated having cool air, but the old console fans were too noisy to use regularly. The dispatchers also needed localized heating in the cold winter months. However, the old consoles had ineffective radiant heating panels.
The Russ Bassett integrated Comfort Control System gives Blue Earth operators localized forced air heating and cooling from energy-efficient, ultra-quiet appliances. The desktop fans and under-surface heaters power on with a single touch. Both cooling fans can be placed anywhere on the desktop and directional air flow adjustment allows dispatchers to focus cool air where they need it. Both under-surface heaters tilt up or down to focus warm air where it is most beneficial. Both the fans and heaters move with the dispatcher when they change position from sitting to standing. As an additional safety measure, the system has an occupancy sensor that turns off the appliances when no movement is detected at the console; the appliances re-engage when the operator returns.
A priority for the CCES team was to ensure each dispatching position was fully appointed so any operator could work from any position at any given time, and once again, Russ Bassett delivered on that element of the project. “Everything is cohesive and set up the same,” shared Bacon. “This has improved efficiency by 33%.” Each new work station contains features that help operators remain comfortable, while also remaining focused and healthy. Examples of these features are:
In addition to the improved ergonomic adjustment, the new consoles are capable of expanding technology-based service duties as needed. “The consoles meet IT needs and provide the infrastructure we need to be thinking about,” shared Bacon. Everyone recognizes that Public Safety technology and communications equipment changes frequently, and the CCES consoles can accommodate change in multiple ways:
“Russ Bassett listens. They shot straight. They created a professional partnership. They looked at how things fit and were confident they could make it work. And you can’t beat the 10-year bumper-to-bumper warranty. Everything about the Russ Bassett experience was over and above what other vendors could provide.”