NEGAUNEE, Mich. (WZMQ) – A new dispatch communication center in Negaunee aims to ease the stress on first responders. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Wednesday, unveiling the new facility.
When officers, paramedics, or any other first responders are helping to rescue people throughout the U.P. most of those calls come from the Negaunee Michigan State Police Post. The new communication center gives dispatchers more space to handle calls and to hire more people, all around improving the way first responders can help.
“This was a parking lot at one point…the old dispatch center where this used to be was just down the hallway here, very small, maybe one-tenth of this size,” commented Lt. Mark Giannunzio.
“We have room for people to just take 911 calls which gives us an easier time to work the radios and navigate situations that were in,” commented MSP Dispatcher Myles Moncalieri. The $4 million dollar state-funded project provides all MSP services and contracts with 6 other counties in the UP. Dispatchers have up-to-date technology, a wall-to-wall display screen, and even a quiet office called “a huddle room” for dispatchers who are dealing with high-stress situations every day.
“They can close the door, there’s a couch in there, they can just relax and destress for a little bit to get back to work,” continued Giannunzio.
“It’s good to know that we have somewhere that we can get away and decompress,” continued Moncalieri. Moncalieri, who previously worked in the old center, commented that dispatchers never know what type of situation they are responding to on the other end of the phone, and having a private space to deal with those overwhelming factors of the job can keep everyone involved that much calmer.
“You might pick the phone up and it’s something minuscule you might pick it up that’s something major that’s affecting a whole area and you’re the first one that has to figure out you know how do we deal with the situation how do we get the right resources to them to help them,” explained Moncalieri.
“We always see the stress that a police officer because they’re on TV all the time fighting the fire but we don’t realize there’s somebody taking that call before they even get there,” continued Giannunzio.
Officers noted that the latest and greatest technology keeps first responders ahead of the curve and can be crucial in cutting down response times.
