The Challenge: Managing Elkhart’s Transition
The Challenge: Managing Elkhart’s TransitionThe Plan: Rigorous Training and IT Collaboration
911 Director, Egbert Dijkstra states, “The training made all the difference. Because our supervisors went through the system twice, we knew exactly how to handle live calls on Day One. There was no guessing, just doing our jobs and serving the community.”
Software is only part of the equation in a 911 center. The physical workspace matters just as much, and Elkhart County’s IT leadership was deeply involved in the setup process. During implementation, the IT manager made a highly effective adjustment to the dispatch workstations. Instead of the traditional 2-horizontal 27-inch monitor setup, the screens were rotated vertically. So, the dispatchers are now using 3 vertical monitors to allow for more application real estate. Because Caliber’s interface is clean and adaptable, this vertical orientation significantly increased the amount of call data dispatchers could see at a glance without needing to scroll. The dispatchers immediately embraced this setup, finding it much easier to manage active incidents.
“We wanted the technology to fit the way our dispatchers actually work. Rotating the monitors vertically allowed the Caliber interface to display more critical incident data at once. The dispatchers love it, and the system has been incredibly stable since launch.”, stated Dijkstra
The Execution: Three Months of Reliable Operations
Three months after the initial launch, the Caliber team returned to Elkhart County for an in-person visit. The goal was to check operations, gather feedback, and see if any adjustments were needed. The response from the floor was overwhelmingly positive.
Because of the rigorous pre-launch training and the careful IT setup, the county experienced no major hiccups or operational delays. The dispatchers report that they love the product, and the agencies are operating with a connected, reliable system. Data entered into CAD populates automatically in the field and within the records system, giving every member of the team a consistent picture of operations from dispatch through case closure.