Cherokee County 911

How

used Synergy to

make their Alabama community safer

The background

Cherokee County 911 is a critical emergency communications center in Alabama that serves a combined population of over 40,000 people. The center receives an average of 36,000 calls per year, and public safety telecommunicators must be able to quickly and accurately input information into a variety of systems across multiple different platforms. Each dispatcher has between three and six computers at their desk, some with up to six keyboards and six mice. This took up valuable desk space and made it difficult to keep track of multiple devices.

Before using Synergy: a typical Cherokee County 911 workstation featuring multiple keyboards and mice

Synergy has been a valuable asset to Cherokee County 911, helping us to improve efficiency and effectiveness. The center is now able to handle a higher call volume with greater accuracy and speed without overwhelming dispatchers. This has made the community safer and has improved the quality of life for its residents.

Shawn Rogers, Director at Cherokee County Emergency Management Agency

The challenge

The Cherokee County 911 center was facing a number of challenges, including:

Limited desk space: The center’s desks were cramped, and there was not enough space for each dispatcher to have their own keyboard and mouse.
Inaccuracy: Dispatchers were often having to switch between multiple devices and use different keyboards, which led to errors in data entry.
Slower response times: The time it took to navigate from computer to computer was significant as the user would have to switch to a different keyboard and mouse in each scenario.

Each position has six computers. Two of the computers have dual monitors for a total of eight monitors at each position.

The solution

The Cherokee County 911 center implemented Synergy, a virtual KVM-like app from Symless. Synergy allows dispatchers to use a single keyboard and mouse to control multiple computers including computer aided dispatch, radio, phone systems and office work. This has freed up desk space, improved accuracy, and reduced response times.

Benefits

Since implementing Synergy, the Cherokee County 911 center has seen a number of benefits, including:

Increased desk space: The center’s desks are now much more spacious, and dispatchers have more room to work.
Improved accuracy: The number of errors in data entry has decreased, which has improved the accuracy of the information that is entered into the center’s systems.
Reduced response times: The time it takes to answer calls has decreased, which has improved the safety of the community.

Conclusion

Synergy has been a valuable asset to Cherokee County 911, helping it to improve efficiency and effectiveness. The center is now able to handle a higher call volume with greater accuracy and speed without overwhelming dispatchers. This has made the community safer and has improved the quality of life for its residents.

Overall, Synergy has been a valuable investment for Cherokee County 911. It has improved efficiency, accuracy, and collaboration, and it has helped to make the community safer.

How