As Denver grows so are the calls coming into the city's 911 center, and plans are moving forward to relocate the current facility to a new location with more space and updated technology.
This week, Denver City Council approved a $1 million contract with OZ Architecture, Inc. for design and construction services.
Denver7 toured the current location with Denver's 911 Director Athena Butler.
"The other challenge is to add more people to match the growth that we're experiencing and the volume increase that we're experiencing. I don't have the space to add additional work stations right now," said Butler.
Last year 911 call volume was up 16 percent with the center taking in more than 1.1 million calls. The new 911 center will be located in a former call center on the east side of the city.
"We'll be able to add more technology, some more advancements. As far as technology, [we'll] bringing some more equipment, you know, some of the long term planning is to be able to look at situations and see the video and be able to see things and do some analysis and determine where else we need to send units," said Butler.
Butler wants employees to have input on the design plans. She also wants to make sure there is a place for them to take breaks and decompress after a stressful call. The turnover rate for these employees hovered around 15 percent last year, according to Butler.
"We really need to add additional people and that means additional work stations and technology," Butler.
The new 911 Call Center is expected to be complete by the end of 2017 or early 2018.
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