By EMS1 Staff
GREENFIELD, Ind. — Dispatchers at the Hancock County Emergency Operations Center are tied to their desks for most of their shifts, but office exercise equipment is helping them stay fit and decrease stress.
The agency’s leaders, aware of the stressful and intense quality of calls dispatchers handle, have taken steps to improve their physical and mental health, reported the Greenfield Reporter.
“Anything we can do to encourage a healthy environment is good,” Brad Armstrong, president of the Hancock County Board of Commissioners, said. “[The purchase was] a small investment for healthier and happier employees.”
A recent fund was used to purchase two workstation bikes for dispatchers to keep employees healthy, energized and focused.
Supervisor Ashley Hamilton said she’s able to pedal around seven miles during a workday. The agency’s 20 employees have logged around 400 miles since the bikes were installed three weeks ago.
The bikes fit under the operator’s desk, which they use in between answering calls. The center also has a moveable treadmill for dispatchers to use.