Many things catch your eye when walking in the newly expanded Weld County Regional Communications Center (WCRCC) — among them, the wider aisles, the increased number of dispatching consoles, and the amount of technology available to the county’s 911 professionals.

It doesn’t take long to realize why such enhancements are necessary. They help save lives.

“I think I’m having a heart attack,” one caller frantically relayed to Madison Worthington, an Emergency Communications Specialist in the WCRCC.  

With urgency and care, she sprang into action, tracking the caller’s location, relaying important information to first responders and providing instruction, and reassurance to the caller until help arrived.

It’s all in a day’s work for Worthington and Weld County’s 911 public safety communications professionals who staff the WCRCC, working 12-hour shifts, ensuring help is available when people need it most. What’s new about their work is the efficiency created, thanks to the expansion of the WCRCC, completed in February, which saw it double in size to 16,000 square feet. The extra space has allowed for more dispatching consoles and an overall greater emphasis on technology to bring ease to a critically important job.

“I love these big screens,” Worthington said, explaining how much easier it is to work with six large monitors as opposed to three before the remodel. “It’s easier for my eyes to see everything at once.”

An increase in the number of screens and their size — one monitor spans 47 inches — may not seem like that much of an upgrade, but for a staff that handles emergency response for 43 agencies throughout Weld County in a variety of different ways — emergency 911 calls, non-emergency administrative calls, and Text-to-911 interactions, to name a few, seeing as much information as possible at one time can make a dispatcher’s job easier and shave critical seconds off the time it takes to help someone in need.

The efficiencies don’t stop there. During the final two hours of her shift, Worthington hopped from call to call, navigating her computer-aided dispatch, or CAD, system with ease all from one mouse — the previous set-up sometimes required using multiple. She was excited about using a large, numbered keypad, which sat in the corner and was utilized to call back those who hung up abruptly or to report power outages to utility companies. Her excitement makes sense, considering she makes several calls throughout a shift.

“It may not seem like much, but it makes dialing so much easier,” she said, before pointing out arguably her favorite feature of the remodel — two large windows on both sides of the room.

“Having natural light on both sides is huge,” she said. "Working 12-hour shifts, it’s nice to be able to see outside. It helps to feel like the day isn’t rolling away.”

Worthington’s comments speak to the fact that working in 911 emergency response is not an easy job. Not every call ends positively or even with a known result. This can lead to burnout or even PTSD — outcomes the WCRCC has long been working to eliminate through regular visits from Zacchaeus, a comfort K-9, the availability of Tim Brown, a Licensed Professional Counselor, and the new features of the WCRCC.

“This well-lit space with windows we can see out of, it helps the day go by faster,” said Emergency Communications Specialist Marsha Vermilye who worked out of a windowless backup center while the WCRCC was under construction. “I’m genuinely excited about this remodel. It’s an amazing investment into our work lives but also in the community so that way we can make sure we assist the community in the most efficient manner we can.”

For Vermilye, who’s been with Weld County for just over two years, her excitement primarily comes from not just what the center provides dispatchers but how those enhancements serve the public. She points to the enhanced design of the WCRCC — having a section of consoles for the day shift and night shift — as a shining example.

“That smooth transition (between shifts) is a big benefit to the public,” she said, mentioning how the extra space eliminates the gaps in time for one dispatcher to take over for another because each person can plug into an open dispatching console rather than waiting for someone to end a call before trading places. That is just one benefit, but Vermilye believes there could be more in the future.

“Should something large happen, we have the space and opportunity to bring more people in to help. That, combined with the new refreshed technology, gives us the tools we need to make sure everyone gets the right help at the right time.”

Teamwork in design

Aside from the new space in the WCRCC, the comradery and teamwork is evident. From covering each other’s breaks to assisting with difficult calls, it’s clear everyone is ready to offer a helping hand.

So, it should come as no surprise that staff worked together in determining the design of the new center. In different phases, they offered feedback on its look, the types of dispatching consoles needed, even the size of the desks they sat at. It’s input one might think would come solely from the WCRCC’s administrative team, but Licia Stedman, Communications Center Manager, said including staff in the decision was key in developing a successful space for 911 personnel to serve the public.

“We wanted them to be comfortable. This is a hard job, and they work long shifts,” Stedman said. “It’s easy from a management perspective to say, ‘yeah, that looks great.’ But making sure they’re comfortable is huge … it allows them to have a better overall perspective of everything that’s happening. That awareness lets them respond more quickly and fluidly, which is beneficial to the public.”

Stedman, who’s been with the county since 2016, can’t hide a smile when she talks about the continued evolution of the WCRCC. Today, it’s helping a dedicated staff be even more efficient. That certainly brings pride, but there’s perhaps more excitement when looking toward the future.

“I can’t even begin to say how lucky we are,” Stedman said, thinking of how the WCRCC has changed over the years and adapted to new needs. “This is exactly what I hoped for when I first started … It’s exciting to see what’s coming, and the possibilities are endless.”

While no one knows exactly what the possibilities are, if the goal was to create a center to better serve the public and those working inside of it, early feedback suggests it’s hit the mark.

“We get to help the public and help save lives,” Worthington said, expressing appreciation to both the Weld County Board of Commissioners and the WCRCC’s administrative team for the expansion. “It makes us feel appreciated because they took into account what we needed.

“It means a lot.”