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911 supervisor Landis honored
By MICHELLE GANASSI
Daily American Staff Writer

Somerset County 911 Supervisor Joel Landis received the 2009 Paul R. Beatty Award for Excellence during the state SSI Knowledge Center conference.

SSI Knowledge Center produces a Web-based emergency management tool for large-scale emergencies to help record information, manage resources and manage incidents. Center director John Degory said two-thirds of state emergency management organizations are using the software. It is also used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and was utilized by the City of Pittsburgh during September’s G-20 summit.

The Berlin resident was presented with the award during the annual conference Tuesday.

“He is a fine young man and Somerset County should be pleased to have him as a resource in your emergency management community,” Degory said.

Each year the award is given to an individual in Region 13, which includes 13 counties in the southwestern part of the state and the City of Pittsburgh. Degory said Landis was an obvious choice because of his use of the program.

“This award really distinguishes his performance,” he said.

Landis did not know he was receiving the award until his name was called at the end of the conference.

“Of course I was surprised and honored,” Landis said.

Landis attends the conference each year. The award shows that Somerset County is ready to assist agencies in other counties in the event of a large-scale emergency.

“It’s a pretty big honor,” he said. “Somerset County has a smaller population compared to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and we were chosen for the award.”

Landis has been employed as a 911 telecommunicator since 1999 and is certified as a hazmat first responder and emergency medical dispatcher.

Who's Who at the city
By Karen Rifkin
Updated: 10/29/2009 12:00:12 AM PDT

Chris Dewey
Director of Public Safety
Chris Dewey received a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice, was first in his class in the California Command College Program in 2004, and graduated from the FBI National Academy. He became a police officer in Ukiah in 1990, was promoted to police chief in 2007 and in 2008 became Director of Public Safety, supervising both police and fire departments. He is in charge of budget, personnel, hiring, and long-term strategic planning. He also oversees all paramedic services.
His highest priority is to manage his limited budget and be as innovative as possible in stretching the dollar. Forensic services may soon be eliminated by the state, and alternative means to fund this work must be found. The city was forced to eliminate four open officer positions and one firefighter position. In 1990, the police force was the same size as it is today. Then they had 12,000 calls for service per year; today there are more than 30,000 calls. Working to develop a partnership with the Ukiah Valley Fire District, the city recently purchased a ladder truck and the UVFD purchased a wild land engine that both agencies will use, resulting in shared costs for both.
He supervises 40 employees in the police department that include 27 officers, dispatchers, record clerks, evidence technicians, front office personnel and a mechanic. In the fire department, he supervises 15 firefighters, three division chiefs, a front office person, a mechanic and 15 volunteer firefighters. The annual salary for his position ranges from $114,000 to $144,000.
He feels very optimistic about the youth programs established for high school students: the fire explorer program and the police cadet program. They serve about 25 to 30 young people and help them get engaged in an early start in their careers and with community intervention.
He is excited about the new $500,000 dispatch center that was fully funded by a grant. All officers and firefighters will now have access to laptops in their cars, giving them greater access to information on their way to fires, health emergencies and other critical situations. Using a new GPS system, the location of all emergency vehicles will be known, creating a much more efficient operation.

By RANDY KEY
Published: November 4, 2009

Augusta, GA—He was called “The Golden Voice.“  Now the late Bob Wylds Sr. will forever be immortalized in an annual honor celebrating the area’s dispatchers.
Wasson received the Bob Wylds Senior Beacon Award for dispatcher of the year.
The honor came about after Mr. Wylds’ death, a few weeks ago.
Wylds was not only a dispatcher, but a deputy and mobile reporter, over his long career.
The award is given in his name to those who work to make public information available in a timely manner to the media and, of course, you.
Phil Wasson, Richmond County 911 Director: “Bob exemplified what public service is…and that’s caring about the public you serve and providing a quality of service that we all try to achieve, but sometimes fall short of.“
The award’s founding members include local legendary radio voices Lee Miller and Wayne Roberts, Columbia County EMA Director Pam Tucker,  and WJBF News Director Mark Rosen.

'You have to manage your emotions'
At dispatch school, students are taught to stay calm, cool and focused when chaos breaks out
BY ELISE STOLTE, EDMONTON JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 4, 2009 8:20 AM

Doug Johnson teaches students to think like emergency dispatchers-- calm, rational, dispassionate--even if the house on fire is their own.

It sounds like an urban myth, but it has happened, said the instructor of Grant MacEwan University's emergency communications and response program.

Johnson, also the city's chief of emergency communications, was on shift a couple years ago when a dispatcher finished a call, then stood up and said he had to go.

"That's my house on fire," he told baffled colleagues.

"You have to manage your emotions," Johnson said. "If you know how to manage yourself, you're in a much better position to help."

Johnson and his colleagues will be able to train students to handle their emotions even better now, with the addition of professional-standard communications software, he said.

They held an open house on Tuesday to show off the new Intergraph software, the same equipment used by local dispatchers for police, paramedics, firefighters, Edmonton Transit and the local Canadian Forces garrison, said company representative Robert Patten.

Intergraph donated$1.1 million in software to the university.

The 28 students in the eight-month program spend most of their time role-playing. Half the class members go into a room down the hall and phone the others in the lab with emergencies.

"MacEwan dispatch, what's your location?" Alex Rudland asked Tuesday when she took a call. She verified an address, got a name and phone number, then asked what the situation was.

She was told a girl walking to her car had been attacked.

Rudland got a description of the male suspect, confirmed which direction he had run away, asked the best way into the parkade, and was told the attack had happened 15 minutes before and the woman had been by herself. Then she hung up and recapped the incident.

"Was the woman hurt?" she was asked.

"Maybe I forgot that," Rudland said, and started laughing. "Better to make mistakes here."

Classmate Jessica Feist piped in: "They're not mistakes, they're learning experiences."

The role-playing can be intense, said Rudland. One classmate is a former drama student. She's good at yelling into the phone and can cry on demand.

"It's stressful," Feist said. "But when you're doing this more and more every day, (eventually) we will remember. It definitely puts you on the spot."

Johnson teaches his students to watch for their trigger points--the call where a child dies, a woman is raped or whatever it is that really hits an individual dispatcher hardest.

A good dispatcher gets through it anyway, even if they collapse in tears when their part is through, and most emergency services have good support networks to help them

later, he said. They don't want to lose a valued employee after one bad call.

"Some of Doug's stories are just ... you can see how it's emotional," said Feist.

"He provides good examples of how you have to expect the unexpected. You're talking with people at their worst."

Muskogee Co. Receives Stimulus Funds To Improve Communication
Posted: Oct 28, 2009 3:29 PM
By Dan Bewley, The News On 6

MUSKOGEE COUNTY -- There is good news for law enforcement in Muskogee County. More than $3 million in stimulus money is headed that way to pay for new radios and communication towers.

There are several agencies in Muskogee who are responsible for taking care of the public. This latest round of stimulus money is meant to improve how they communicate to each other in an emergency.

Staying in touch and up to date is a main goal for law enforcement and first responders. Dispatchers help agencies communicate from one to the other, but in an emergency, the time spent getting a dispatcher to relay a message can be the difference between life or death.

"Cardiac arrest, full arrest, you've just got minutes before you start going brain dead," said Chief Derek Tatum, Muskogee Fire Department.

Right now officers and paramedics in Muskogee County are forced to carry several two-way radios with them, each one representing a different agency.

"I know the Muskogee Fire Department, we have three frequencies. Muskogee Police Department have five or six frequencies, then we've got all of our outlying communities, Fort Gibson, Warner, they've got their frequencies," said Chief Derek Tatum.

They say it can cause quite a headache when the different agencies are working together.

"And we'd have highway patrol on one end that you can see, county over at another of a field you can see but you can't communicate with them. You can call back to our dispatch to call their dispatch to call them on the street, that's the situation we've been in," said Dep. Chief Johnny Teehee, Muskogee Police.

Just this week officials learned Muskogee County is getting $3.4 million in stimulus money to refit its communication towers, build new towers, and buy new radios for first responders.

The remodel will let law enforcement talk directly to one another and skip the dispatch center.

They say it's perfect for emergencies, such as the bridge collapse on I-40 in 2002 when personnel from several agencies responded to the scene.

The goal is to have the system up and running in 18 months. They say it will bring the county together, while keeping the residents safe.

Muskogee County commissioners say it's an appropriate use of stimulus money because it will put people to work building the new towers and eventually a central dispatch facility.

They also plan to hire more people to work as dispatchers when it opens.

Dispatchers earn highest marks for excellence, saving lives
Friday, October 23, 2009
By Scott Thomas Anderson

They never know what to expect when they pick up the phone.

Sometimes it's a desperate, wailing voice. Sometimes it's an individual venting rage or frustration. Sometimes its a confused person lost in a haze of dementia. And sometimes it's a frantic jumble of static-laden words that could mark the difference between life and death.

Every time emergency dispatchers from the Amador County Sheriff's Office get on the line, they have to navigate tense situations with a steady mind and confident air. They also have to muster help instantly for their callers.

Locally, all emergency calls to the Amador County Sheriff's Office, every municipal police department and American Legion Ambulance Service are handled by the Amador County Sheriff's Office Communication Center. Fire calls, accident and DUI tips are also routed directly through this center to other agencies. This year, the California 9-1-1 Emergency Center audited Amador sheriff dispatchers and found they answered 99.4 percent of their emergency calls within 10 seconds of receiving them. The percentage was significantly higher than the state average of 90 percent.

"I'm not sure exactly why we came in higher," said dispatcher Cathy Fulton. "All I can say is that we do this job because we want to help people and we take that responsibility very seriously. Trying to have an instant response to 911 calls is our main goal."

In addition to fielding emergencies, the dispatchers have other crucial tasks, including collecting data on arrest warrants, helping assemble SWAT, Search and Rescue and the narcotics task force and routing safety issues to various public works departments when city offices are closed.

For Fulton, monitoring arrest warrant information is often on her mind because it affects officer safety. "The police officers and sheriff's deputies are like our family here," she reflected. "It's our job to alert them if they're coming across an individual with a criminal history who might be carrying a firearm or prone to resisting arrest. We do everything we can from where we sit to help keep them safe and make sure they go home each night."

Being a dispatcher takes a skill set that's gradually built over time, said 26-year veteran Holly Durrett. "We get to know all too well what a domestic violence situation sounds like over the phone," Durrett said. "Sometimes a victim calls for help and then can't tell you everything because an attacker is near them. You have to learn to be a detective according to what you're hearing - you have to know when someone's being prevented from talking and what kind of questions you need to ask them."

In terms of handling a medical crisis, Durrett said dispatchers have to respond with a simultaneous blend of protocol and instinct. "I would say most of the decisions we make when a call comes in, we make within three to five seconds," she observed.

Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan said he was extremely proud of how his communication center, which is staffed with nine full-time dispatchers and two part-time dispatchers, scored in the audit. He praised his dispatchers' technical proficiency, calming demeanor and ability to multi-task as highly stressful events unfold. He called their overall performance "excellent."

The dispatchers themselves are more modest about their ranking. "It's a challenging job," Fulton said. "That's what it's really about. You get your adrenaline rushing, then you take a deep breath and wait for everything to happen again."

E-911 boss resigns for Corps spot
By Steve Sanoski
Published:
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 1:15 PM CDT

Vicksburg-Warren E-911 Dispatch Center Director Michael Gaul on Tuesday submitted his resignation effective Nov. 15 and said he will take a position with a U.S. Army Corps Engineers’ anti-terrorism task force.

“They approached me about a week and a half ago, and basically offered an opportunity that I can’t pass up,” Gaul said after the E-911 Commission met.

Gaul became the dispatch center’s fourth director in as many years in July 2007 when he was installed on an interim basis to follow Geoffrey Greetham. He was installed as director in December 2007 and has been an E-911 employee since May 2005. He served as senior supervisor and deputy director before directing the center.

“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made at the center since I’ve been here. From where it was five years ago, it’s significantly better,” Gaul said.

Gaul ranked seeing the long-awaited opening of the renovated, $2.5 million E-911 call center on Clay Street to fruition in January as one of his top accomplishments.

“The thing I really pride myself on here has been bringing stability to the center as far as employment and training,” he said. “From 2005, the number of incidents or complaints has gone down drastically.”

Gaul said the center’s challenge in the future will be securing funding to add dispatchers as it continues to work toward accreditation by the National Academy of Emergency Dispatch. No dispatch center in Mississippi has achieved that distinction, and Gaul said the Vicksburg center could become the first in the next two years.

“But that’s going to depend somewhat on whether or not they can expand staffing and training,” Gaul said. “We have 17 full-time employees and four who work part time. We really should have approximately 30. I have asked for as many as 24, but have been told repeatedly the funding isn’t there.”

The dispatch center operates on an annual budget of about $1.3 million, which has been rising steadily since the consolidated dispatch center was created almost 20 years ago. Salaries for secretaries, the deputy director and director — which account for roughly $500,000 of the annual budget — are paid for via surcharges added to home and cell phone bills. Dispatchers’ salaries are paid for with a 65 percent contribution from the city and a 35 contribution from the county.

Deputy Director Nicole Vera, who’s been at the center for eight years, will take over as interim director. David McDonald, Warren County District 1 supervisor and E-911 Commission president, said a permanent director likely will be hired in January.

“Nicole has a real leg up on the competition if she chooses to apply (for the director’s position),” said McDonald, who speculated the commission will begin advertising for applications next month. “She’s done a great job and has been a great deputy director. I’m confident she’ll make a good director in the interim, if nothing else.”

Vera began her career at the dispatch center as a dispatcher in September 2001 and subsequently served as shift supervisor and training coordinator before being appointed deputy director in January 2007.

“Service has always held a special place in my heart. I love the job,” Vera said. “Michael was a great leader. We’ve always had the same ideals, the same goals and we’ve always wanted to take the E-911 center in the same direction. I’m sorry to see him go, but I’m looking forward to the new challenge.”

In a 1989 referendum, Warren County voters elected to create the computer-aided dispatch system and the first center opened a few years later. Previously, people dialing 911 would reach the Vicksburg Police Department and calls would be transferred based on the emergency response needed.

Dispatch Center gets upgrade in software
Published: Friday, October 30, 2009 5:26 AM EDT
By SUSAN FIELD
Clare Managing Editor

New software at the Kevin Sherwood Memorial Dispatch Center is allowing for quicker, more accurate help with medical calls.

Dispatchers went live with ProQA on Monday, replacing the flip-chart system of getting information in calls for medical assistance, which results in a 30 percent increase in life saving ability, Director Keith Yats said.

With the new computerized system, dispatchers move more smoothly through case entry and key questioning.

In addition, the software helps dispatchers to more quickly determine the correct codes for each case and clearly displays the response configuration assigned to the code by local authorities.

The software also guides dispatchers in providing relevant post-dispatch and pre-arrival instructions, and other important case information.

With the old system, dispatchers used flip-charts to determine what questions to ask and what information to relay to emergency personnel, depending on the medical situation, Yats said.

"It takes the guess work out of knowing where to go on these cards," he said.

Dispatchers had been working with the system for about a month, then went through a three-day training session on the new software, Yats said.

In addition to helping dispatchers assist callers more quickly, the system also has an excellent quality assurance program built in, Yats said.

"It speeds up the time it takes to get emergency medical en route, with much more detailed medical information," he said.

The system was paid for in part with money saved in overtime costs in the 2009 fiscal year, Yats said.

Made by Priority Dispatch, the ProQA system is designed to integrate with most CAD and phone systems.

Case entry information that is collected by dispatchers is verified in CAD and automatically transferred to the system's case entry screen.

One of the features is a case entry tab, which assists dispatchers in quickly and effectively gathering critical information required for every call, including address, caller name, callback number and chief medical complaint.

A drop-down menu gives dispatchers access to a list of life-threatening situations, allowing them to quickly enter the medical situation to give emergency medical technicians potentially life-saving pre-arrival instructions.

Yats said the public is welcome to tour the dispatch center or see how the software works, by appointment, by calling 989-539-7166.

Seventh-grader honored for helping deliver sibling
Jody Lawrence-Turner
The Spokesman-Review

Spokane firefighters Monday honored a 12-year-old’s courage and calmness in helping with her baby sister’s birth.

“You have a hero among you,” June Watson, a Spokane Fire Department training officer for dispatchers, said during a presentation in front of Emma Herb’s seventh-grade science class at Sacajawea Middle School. “Because of your brave assistance to bring your little sister into the world, we are giving you a pink stork (club) pin.”

The scary but ultimately happy day came on Sept. 24. Emma’s mom, Amanda, went into labor. It was her fifth child, and she could tell the baby was coming fast.

Emma called 911 and was connected to fire dispatchers because of the medical emergency. Officially, it was an “imminent childbirth” call.

Linda Hendrix, who has worked in fire dispatch for 18 years, said many times she has helped callers tend to women in labor until emergency crews arrive. But this was her first time walking a caller through a delivery.

“Dispatchers live for this,” Watson said of Hendrix’s call. “So often we deal with the icky stuff…. Everyone wants to do a childbirth.”

As Hendrix gave the instructions, Emma repeated them to her dad. Hadley Herb was born 20 minutes after Emma’s mother went into labor.

“We had Emma. She was our lifeline from how to deliver the baby to how to tie the cord off and all that,” Amanda Herb said. “She was grace under pressure.”

When the firefighters arrived, “all they had to do was cut the (umbilical) cord and go,” Watson said.

Looking back to a month ago, the seventh grader doesn’t recall how she kept her cool. But she knows her mom and dad, Jim, are grateful.

“It was all kind of overwhelming.”

Local 4-year-old girl recognized for 911 call
By Edward Marshall, Journal Staff Writer
POSTED: October 22, 2009
 
KEARNEYSVILLE - The staff of the Jefferson County Emergency Communications 911 Center recognized a local 4-year-old girl Wednesday night who was able to call 911 from her mother's cell phone after her mother suffered a severe asthma attack in September.

Director of Communications Jeffrey A. Polczynski also used the occasion to recognize the center's newly upgraded capabilities to pinpoint the location of wireless 911 calls. If that upgrade wasn't complete, he said it would have been much more difficult for emergency workers to find Navaeh Madyun and her mother, Stephanie Macedo.

"Tonight we're here to recognize Navaeh for dialing 911, remaining calm and making a difference in the life of another human being - her mother, Stephanie," he said. "We're also here to recognize that without the new technologies introduced into the 911 center, it would have taken much longer to find Navaeh and her family, and the outcome would have certainly been different."

Both Navaeh's mother, Stephanie, and father, Siraha, were present to see their daughter honored, as well as the little girl's cousin, Jovannah Islam.

"She was incredible. I'm very proud of her. She did a great job," Navaeh's mother said. "It's an honor for her to be my daughter. I love her."

Her father said it was honor so see his daughter recognized.

"I'm happy that my daughter was able to dial 911 and get the services that Stephanie needed," he said.

For being so brave and calm in a such a scary situation, Navaeh was presented with a certificate of achievement from the 911 center, as well as an honorary lifetime visitor's pass. She also was given a baggie full of treats and toys, and an audio copy of the 911 call she made to help her mother.

Navaeh called 911 in the early morning hours of Sept. 3 and told dispatchers that her mother was sick. She was connected to Stephanie Purdue, Jefferson County Emergency Communications supervising public safety dispatcher, who has been a dispatcher for the past 12 years.

"Hearing her mother struggling to breathe in the background, Stephanie asked Navaeh if she knew where she lived. Navaeh remained calm and said 'yes' she knew where she lived. When Stephanie asked where, Navaeh replied 'West Virginia'," Polczynski said.

Navaeh and her family, originally from Rhode Island, had just moved to Jefferson County from Leesburg, Va., in April and the little girl didn't know their address.

At the time of the call, the center's computers hadn't yet been able to plot the address of the call, which caused a minor challenge for Purdue. The screen only showed the cellular tower where the call was received.

Since opening the new 911 Center in October 2008, technology has been introduced that allows a dispatcher to retransmit the address to locate a wireless caller's latitude and longitude, Polczynski said.

"(Purdue) continued talking to Navaeh and 38 seconds later with the first retransmit of the address, Stephanie was able to pinpoint Navaeh's location to the apartment complex on Willow Springs Drive," he said.

Specifically, the center was able to plot a location on New Oak Tree Court. Using this new information, Purdue and her team immediately dispatched Deputy J.C. Tennant of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and personnel from the Jefferson County Emergency Service Agency and the Independent Volunteer Fire Co.

Tennant was the first on the scene. Though Purdue's map showed the approximate location of the 911 call, it didn't show the exact apartment number where Madyun and her mother were. The little girl didn't know the apartment number either, but her mother was able to hand her a receipt from a recent movie rental that had their address on it.

"Navaeh remained calm and brave and Stephanie told Navaeh to tell her mother that help was on the way," Polczynski said. "Approximately eight minutes into the call, (Purdue) asked Navaeh to open the door for deputy Tennant, but Navaeh said she was scared."

Purdue reassured Navaeh that she was going to stay with her on the phone and asked the girl to look outside to see if she could see a police car. Purdue was then able to get Navaeh to go to a light switch and turn the lights on off so Tennant could locate the correct apartment.

"She did a great job. She was very calm. It went very smoothly, and it's always great to be able to help in a situation like that," Purdue said.

Tennant was able to enter the apartment and, along with arriving EMS personnel, provided care to the girl's mother.

The center's emergency telephone system is part of the Verizon 911 network, and being connected to the network allows Jefferson County Emergency Communications to plot callers' longitude and latitude on its mapping system, giving the dispatcher the ability to see the location.

The technology is known as Wireless Phase II technology, and between December 2008 and June 2009, the 911 center's staff has worked with all of the wireless carriers in Jefferson County in order to implement the service.

"Without a doubt this upgrade allowed the dispatcher to find Navaeh and her mother, and this one single 911 call justified the entire purpose and existence of the 911 center," Polczynski said. "Citizens in Jefferson county are now safer because of this technology."

Girl, 7, honored for aiding mom
BY LIZ SHEPARD
TIMES HERALD
OCTOBER 22, 2009
 
KIMBALL TWP. --Haleigh Baldock's mom kept her home from school Sept. 24 because she was sick.

However, Haleigh ended up being the caregiver that day.

The 7-year-old Clyde Township girl was recognized Wednesday by emergency officials after calling 911 when her mom passed out that day.

"Haleigh is what we call a 911 hero," said Ken Cummings, chairman of the St. Clair County Central Dispatch Authority.

Cummings and other officials presented Haleigh with certificates of recognition Wednesday morning for her actions. Video of the ceremony was streamed live to classrooms throughout her school, Indian Woods elementary in Kimball Township.

Cummings congratulated the second grader for her fast thinking and credited her actions for getting her mom the medical treatment she needed.

"I did that because I knew my mom really did need help, and I love her very much," Haleigh told Cummings. "I tried to wake her up and she wouldn't, so I picked up the phone and called 911."

Haleigh said dispatcher Tony Youtsos asked her for her address. She didn't know it, but Youtsos guided her to find it.

"I had to go outside barefooted and look at my mailbox and tell him my address," she said.

Youtsos said Haleigh remained calm throughout the call and helped emergency crews locate the residence by also giving a description of what it looked like.

The dispatcher was able to narrow down the location of the call. Youtsos said because the call was made on a cell phone it couldn't be pinpointed.

Haleigh also was given a certificate of recognition and fire prevention materials by Kimball Township Assistant Fire Chief Ed Gratz.

"It was very scary," Haleigh said of the incident. "I was thinking Mommy might need to go to the hospital for a little while."

She said while it's never fun to be sick, she was glad she had stayed home from school to help her mom.

Her mother, Kathleen Bark, said she had felt light headed before passing out.

Bark said she came to when paramedics were tending to her.

"As a parent, I'm very proud and thankful," she said. "It's amazing what she did."

Harford operations center wins international honor
October 21, 2009

The Harford County Emergency Operations Center won international acclaim Tuesday when the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch, a standard-setting organization, gave the facility its highest accreditation. The Harford site is the second to be named an Accredited Center of Excellence for its effectiveness in responding to fire, police and medical emergencies. Only a 911 call center in Alberta, Canada, had gained accreditation in all three areas. "I am extremely proud of the men and women of the Harford County Emergency Operations Center who worked hard to achieve the highest accreditation possible," said County Executive David R. Craig in a statement. The Harford County Division of Emergency Operations is responsible for the emergency dispatch of all police, fire and EMS-related calls for the county, serving a population of nearly 245,000 people and covering more than 450 square miles.

South Dakota Receives Grant for 911 Upgrade
 
PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Mike Rounds says South Dakota has received a $910,000 federal grant to upgrade 911 emergency communications services.
 
The South Dakota ENHANCE-911 grant will be divided among 10 public safety answering points to upgrade equipment; one additional public safety answering point will use its portion of the grant to establish E-911 Phase-Two service.
 
“The transition to next-generation emergency response systems is important to continued public safety in South Dakota,” the Governor said. “These funds will allow the upgrade of hardware and software to meet enhanced 911 needs as they develop. The upgrades will result in a much safer and more responsive network of emergency communications.’’
 
Enhanced 911 allows a public safety dispatcher to obtain a caller's number, address or the location of the call, as well as the closest police, fire, and emergency medical services that can respond. The caller’s location will also show up on a digital map at the 911 call center, enabling first responders to pinpoint the exact location of an emergency call.
 
The South Dakota 911 Coordination Board applied for the grant.Notice of approval came from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
 
 “Our board is eager to take part in the early funding process of upgrading public safety answering points across the state,” says South Dakota 911 Coordination Board Chairman Ted Rufledt, Jr. “It’s the one of the first steps in developing a stronger public safety network for all South Dakotans, regardless of location.’’
 
A majority of emergency 911 calls come from wireless and Internet-connected telephones, says Lawrence A. Strickling, assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information.
 
“These grants will help first responders locate where calls are made and ensure that help arrives quickly,’’ Strickling says.
 
ENHANCE-911 funds will go to the:
 
-         BonHommeCounty Sheriff, $31,810
-         CharlesMixCounty Sheriff, $31,810
-         Cheyenne River 911 Corporation, $$31,810
-         Fall River County Sheriff’s Office, $68,280 (Phase-Two)
-         LakeCounty 911 Communications, $47.715
-         Minnehaha Metro 911 Center, $369,000
-         Pierre Police Department, $63,620
-         Roberts County Sheriff’s Department, $31,810
-         Watertown Police Department, $63,620
-         Winner Police Department, $47,715
-         Yankton Police Department, $31,810

Villages Charter Middle School student delivers baby sister under tutelage of 911 dispatchers
By KATIE BACKMAN, DAILY SUN
Wednesday, October 7, 2009

OCALA — Michelle Hernandez rushed to the phone to call 911 after she saw her mother going into labor on a recent Saturday morning.

Michelle told the dispatchers about her mother Maria Flores’ condition and that it seemed like the labor was progressing rapidly. Michelle, who is bilingual (English and Spanish), translated the dispatchers’ questions and instructions, along with her mother’s responses.

Dispatchers talked the 11-year-old through the steps of delivering her baby sister, Abigail Hernandez, at about 8:15 a.m. Sept. 12. Emergency crews arrived at their home to find that Michelle had successfully completed the baby’s delivery.

“I’m grateful to have done that,” said Michelle, a sixth-grade student at The Villages Charter Middle School. “When my sister is old enough, I will make sure to tell her this story.”

Michelle didn’t stress out, said Brian Tucker, a Marion County public safety dispatcher who talked her through the delivery. Michelle calmly followed all the instructions and was an excellent communicator, he said.

“She handled every step of the delivery, she did it all,” Tucker said. “She even found a shoelace to tie on to the umbilical cord.”

Marion County commissioners honored Michelle with a certificate of recognition Tuesday at the Marion County Commission chambers in Ocala.

Commissioner Jim Payton Jr. said Michelle is being recognized as a hero. Michelle never lost her composure or her good manners, he said. Payton said he’s proud that the sixth-grade student could calmly handle such a situation.

Marion County’s 911 system celebrated its 20th anniversary in October, said Bill McConnell, public safety dispatchers commutation manager. Michelle’s bravery proves how vital the 911 system is for the county, he said.

“On the 911 tapes you hear Abigail cry; well, you hear a scream first and then a cry. Michelle is a hero,” McConnell said.

Flores said she’s proud of her daughter and thankful that she didn’t inadvertently hang up the phone. Flores said she doesn’t think she’ll be ever able to thank her daughter enough.

Abigail has helped shape Michelle’s career goals.

“Maybe someday I’ll be a pediatrician,” Michelle said, smiling at her baby sister.

9-1-1 dispatcher honored

CLARION – Shawnee Fair has earned the most recent employee recognition honor at the Clarion County 9-1-1 Center.

Fair recently completed her first year at Clarion County 9-1-1. Fair was hired through the co-op program of Clarion Career Center.

Fair is a 2009 graduate of A-C Valley High School and a life long resident of the Clarion County. She is a part time dispatcher and full time student at Butler County Community College.

She is majoring in criminology.

Randall Stahlman donated a Comet Food Warehouse gift certificate in recognition of her hard work and dedication.

Gurnee 9-1-1 operator assists with delivery of tollway baby
September 30, 2009
News-Sun Staff Report

Gurnee police released the 9-1-1 recording of a dispatcher advising a Hanover Park woman whose daughter was delivering a baby inside her Ford Explorer on the Route 21 exit of the Tri-state tollway Sunday evening.

The 9-1-1 call did not start out well as the caller was frantic and ended up disconnecting. Gurnee 9-1-1 Operator Molly Jones called back and was able to get a location in order to dispatch an ambulance.

Ashley Guzman, 20, and her boyfriend, Daniel Harris, both of Hanover Park, had been shopping at Gurnee Mills Mall with Ashley's mother, Charmane Barnes, when Ashley began having contractions.

They left Gurnee Mills and were headed for St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, but they only made it as far as the Ropute 21 ramp.

"Jones did a great job in trying to calm Barnes down and get their location and what the problem was," said Comdr. Jay J. Patrick. Jones and all Gurnee 9-1-1 operators are trained in Emergency Medical Dispatch. The 9-1-1 operator asks certain questions to ascertain what the medical emergency is and then uses directions on a set of medically approved cards to direct the caller in providing first aid to the victim until the arrival of paramedics.

Jones was able to talk to Guzman and determine that the baby girl had been born and was breathing. She gave instructions on using a string or shoelace to tie the umbilical cord and keeping the baby and mother warm until paramedics arrived.

Jones has been a 9-1-1 operator for Gurnee Police and Fire for five and a half years. "Her handling of this emergency exemplified the professionalism of the Gurnee Police and Fire departments," said Patrick.

Hawaii park dispatcher counting down to Ironman
Posted on 30 September 2009

When Kona hosts what is regarded as the most honored and prestigious triathlon event to win worldwide next month, one athlete won’t have to travel far.
Among the 1,800 competitors at the starting line will be Bill Greineisen, a dispatcher at Hawaii Volcanoes’ Pacific Area Communication Center.
During the last three years, the 55-year-old has completed several marathons and triathlons and beat out tens of thousands of others to earn a coveted spot in the event.
“For a triathlete, there’s no bigger day,” Greineisen said.
Raced in order without a break, this 2.4 mile ocean swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run is the ultimate test of endurance.
Race conditions are punishing: open ocean is choppy; cycling hills are whipped by gusty trades; and the marathon through lava desert is blistering.
Greineisen credits Coach Eddie Herd, an Ironman veteran, with keeping his spirits up and injuries down.
“Since becoming a multi-sport athlete, I feel better than ever before,” Greineisen said. “Running and biking on an active volcano through howling wind and rain have definitely made me stronger.”
For Greineisen, training for triathlons is a family affair at home and work.
“My son Chris is a huge support,” Greineisen said. “He helps with the house, the dogs, even the cooking.”
“My park supervisor, Teri Murphy, is terrific and understands the demands of my training and race schedule,” he said. “It sounds sentimental but I really feel that working for the National Park Service is like having one big family — people know your name and genuinely care about how you’re doing.”
His co-workers might say the same. As a dispatcher for Hawaii’s seven national parks, Greineisen knows everyone’s name and cares how they are doing. And come Oct. 10 his park service family will line the course to “root, root, root” for a gifted member of our home team.

Katherine (Kate) C. Lemon named Littleton Fire Rescue's Telecommunicator of the Year

Kate Lemon was awarded Littleton Fire Rescue's Telecommunicator of the year on October 9, 2009. Her nominator writes, as an outstanding dispatcher, "Kate is very trustworthy and makes a good partner for anyone she is working alongside. Kate has taken on a very large amount of computer entry such as maintaining the premise utility and Haz Mat information and adds this so that it can be kept up to date for our use. She also works on maintaining the pre-plan information so that can be as current as possible which again makes our job easier. Kate has taken over our "Sunshine Fund" which is used to help let other dispatchers and communications center know that we are thinking of them in either their time of joy or despair. Also, Kate is in charge of maintaining the supplies for the communications center is does a very good job of keeping up with whatever is needed." Congratulations Kate!

Big thanks for an angel's voice

By Todd Ruger

Published: Thursday, September 24, 2009

SARASOTA COUNTY - Once their baby was safe and sound, it was easy Wednesday for Chad and Jessica Falde to laugh as they listened to a recording of a 911 dispatcher talk them through the birth.

As they listened Wednesday, the happy parents held 6-pound, 14-ounce Grant Falde at the Sarasota County 911 dispatch center where they met the people behind the voices that helped them.

The mood was understandably light, but on Sept. 16, the situation was decidedly more frantic.

Jessica Falde decided to go to the hospital to deliver her second child, but by the time she got in the family truck, it was too late.

Falde knew she was not going any farther -- not even back into the house. It was pouring rain and the contractions were coming fast.

Her husband, Chad, called 911 from their Dodge Durango in the driveway of her in-laws. The voice of a calm but obviously freaked out father said: "My wife's having a baby."

He only had time to say she was 27 years old and that the baby was due Sunday before the next development: "Oh, her water just broke."

Dispatcher Janet Jones talked him through it, and she did so with the knowledge that she had done this once before.

"I thought we had just a little more time than we did," Jones said.

It took just a few minutes before the baby was born and mother-in-law Kathleen Shinn held it.

Jones had Chad Falde take off his tie and shirt to wrap the new child.

Then she had the father take one of his shoelaces out to tie around the umbilical cord.

And as the fire department truck got nearby to the McIntosh Meadows home, Chad Falde ran down the street in the rain to flag them down, shirtless and with only one shoe.

"Oh my God, I never expected this," Chad Falde said on the 911 call.

"We want to thank you, you were fantastic," Chad Falde told Jones.

At the ceremony Wednesday, the Falde's 21/2-year-old daughter, Grace, handed Jones a gift bag of thanks on behalf of her new brother.

Inside: a sculpture of an angel.

Super-calm Teresa lands 999 award
Sep 28 2009 by Katie Norman, South Wales Echo

Welsh Ambulance Service dispatcher Teresa Ross has been named The Academy of International Dispatch’s Emergency Medical Dispatcher of the Year after coping with unusual calls from two women in labour.

Sarah Lewis, 31, from Caerau, Cardiff, was coaxed through the birth of her son Jacob, now one, by Teresa after the contractions escalated suddenly in her living room.

The mother-of-three barely had time to reach for the phone when she went into labour while her husband James, 28, was at work.

Sarah said Teresa’s calming voice had “meant everything” to her as she delivered Jacob on her living room floor less than five minutes into the call.

She said: “Teresa was amazing. Basically, she was my birthing partner instead of my husband. It felt like she was in the room with me.

“I think I was in shock at the time because I didn’t remember any of it until a couple of days later, then I started having flash backs.

“I’m just glad she was so calm. At the time I remember thinking that she was being strict but looking back I realised that’s what I needed.

“I didn’t need, ‘oh, poor you’, I needed, ‘don’t worry, you can do this’, and that’s what she gave me.”

Sarah, who married James this month, was last week on honeymoon with her new husband, plus Jacob, and daughters Chloe, eight, and Keira, three.

The family now have a recording of Sarah’s 999 conversation so that Jacob can listen to it when he’s older.

Teresa, 39, from Pontypool, admitted she had been nervous when talking Sarah through her birth but said she felt honoured.

She said: “I was privileged to be involved with something like that – to be the first person, along with Sarah, to hear her baby take his first cry and first breath.”

Since taking Sarah’s call in July 2008, Teresa has also talked another unnamed woman through a lone birth after she went into labour prematurely.

The Academy of Internation Dispatch chose her as winner of its annual award because of her “outstanding response to both calls and general positive attitude”.

Teresa, who has just returned from receiving the award in York, said: “It’s a bit overwhelming because you don’t do the job for recognition, you do it because you want to help other people.

“That’s a reward in itself.”

Authorities use GPS to help prevent potential suicide in the woods
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
By Leslie Slape
  
Modern technology and old-fashioned teamwork led Cowlitz County sheriff’s deputies to a remote forested area Tuesday in time to save a suicidal man’s life.

Events began shortly before 2 p.m., when a Cowlitz 911 dispatcher took a call from a man saying he found a suicide note on a truck parked on Powell Road about three miles east of Castle Rock, said Chief Criminal Deputy Charlie Rosenzweig. The caller also said he saw a man walking away from the truck into the woods holding a rope.

The dispatcher, who has been with the 911 center two years, kept the caller on the line as she dispatched law enforcement and paramedics.

“It took a while for her to realize that the guy who was reporting ... actually turned out to be the guy who was walking through the woods going to hang himself,” Rosenzweig said.

The man disconnected the call several times, but the dispatcher kept calling back, he said.

Sgt. Corey Huffine said Castle Rock paramedics found the man’s vehicle by a locked gate before he and other deputies arrived. They began exploring the rugged terrain for the man, whom they later learned is 31.

“He was on the phone to dispatch while we were searching, and I was hoping he would indicate to them ‘I see a deputy,’ ” Huffine said.

When that didn’t happen, he asked everyone to hit their sirens. The man told the dispatcher he heard the sirens, Huffine said, which gave everyone hope.

“I attempted to talk to him directly several times but he would not speak to me,” Huffine said.

Huffine used his mobile data terminal to send the dispatcher questions to ask him “to get his mind on other things,” he said.

But the man kept threatening to hurt himself, and suddenly “the phone went silent,” Huffine said.

Fortunately, the 911 center has technology that shows the latitude and longitude of incoming calls, Rosenzweig said. And doubly fortunate, Huffine’s hobby is geocaching — a kind of treasure hunting using GPS units. Sheriff’s patrol cars are equipped with hand-held GPS units, Rosenzweig said.

“Dispatch was able to give me the GPS coordinates from the last call,” Huffine said. “He was about three-quarters of a mile away as the crow flies. We started heading that direction, continuing to hit the siren.”

Logging roads and hiking trails don’t show up on a GPS unit, and he lost the signal frequently in heavy forest, he said.

“Eventually I lost it altogether, but it had gotten me on the right road,” he said.

Then the caller came back on the phone saying he needed help now, Huffine said.

“I found another gate and called for him, and he responded,” he said. Huffine walked in, found the man and brought him back to paramedics, who took him to St. John Medical Center.

He did not appear to have any life-threatening injuries, Rosenzweig said.

The search took 40 minutes, he said.

Rosenzweig said the dispatcher “did an outstanding job talking to this guy and helping him.” As for Huffine, “We’re lucky we had somebody like Corey who’s very adept at technology, employing it and using it. He’s probably the most adept deputy in the sheriff’s office at using technology to make his job better.”

Huffine, 39, has been with the sheriff’s office 17 years.

Cowlitz 911 Operations Manager Deanna Wells also praised the pair for an “outstanding performance” using “extraordinary compassion and insight.”

Celebration honors the voices of 911
Originally published September 16, 2009
By Gina Gallucci-White
News-Post Staff

Woodsboro -- Emergency communication officials honored calm-voiced dispatchers during a 911 Day of Celebration on Tuesday.

Telecommunicators from across the state gathered at the Woodsboro Activities Complex for the annual celebration by the state's Emergency Number Association and the Emergency Number Systems Board.

"It's a real honor to have Frederick County host the event this year," said Chip Jewell, director for the Frederick County Emergency Communications Center.

It is the first year the celebration has been held in the county.

Delegate Paul Stull has been a volunteer with the Walkersville Volunteer Fire Co. for many years.

He called dispatchers the unsung heroes who get help to those who need it.

"You do a great job and we really appreciate it," Stull said.

A dispatcher from every county was honored with an award during the event, which also featured a keynote speaker and a training session.

Emergency Communications supervisor Vicky Martin was named Telecommunicator of the Year for Frederick County.

"What did I do for this?" Martin recalled saying when she was told she won Tuesday morning.

Each call that comes into the emergency center is monitored for quality assurance, Jewell said. Out of the 44 dispatchers at the center, she scored the highest.

"She does a very good job," Jewell said.

When taking calls, Martin said she is patient and follows the proper procedures.

"It's a team effort," she said. "It's not just one person."

It was the first time Martin has won the award.

She has been a dispatcher at the center for 21 years and has volunteered for 28 years at Graceham and Lewistown Volunteer Fire companies as a firefighter/EMT.

Dispatchers are calm voice in emergencies
By Sharon Stone
Published: Wednesday, September 9, 2009
 
    It’s the middle of the night and your spouse wakes up because they’re having difficulty breathing and they say their chest hurts. Immediately, you grab the phone and dial 911.

 Hearing the calm voice of a 911 dispatcher can be a welcomed relief in a moment of distress. Dispatch Supervisor Sue Walsh, at the Fenton Police Department 911 Call Center, is one of six dispatchers the city employs. The department has four full-time and two part-time dispatchers.

 The first question the dispatcher will ask the caller is, “What’s the address of the emergency?” The dispatcher will then ask for a callback number in case the call becomes disconnected.

 Because of the location of the Fenton police station, calls can come in from three jurisdictions, Livingston, Genesee or Oakland counties. If the call is from beyond city limits, the dispatcher will transfer the call to the central dispatch centers for Genesee or Livingston counties. 

 Calls cannot be transferred as simply to Oakland County, however, because the systems are different. When this occurs, the dispatcher takes information and calls Oakland County dispatch directly to inform them of the emergency, and advises the caller to do the same.

 Dispatchers ask numerous questions of callers. Walsh said this is their way of assessing the emergency, and determining which services are needed.

 Training is extensive and ongoing. Dispatchers must complete a 40-hour basic dispatch course at Delta College, be LEIN (Law Enforcement Information Network) certified, with recertification every two years, and emergency medical dispatch certified, with recertification every two years.

 For immediate answers and a list of appropriate questions to help a caller, dispatchers routinely use detailed card sets by Priority Dispatch. Walsh said those card sets are great tools to help in an emergency.

 By a simple flip of a page, dispatchers can walk a caller through emergencies related to childbirth, burns, cuts, chest pains, difficulty breathing, etc. Walsh said, “Delivering a baby, we can do that over the phone.”

 The ongoing training also includes subscribing to The Journal of Emergency Dispatch, which requires dispatchers to take tests found inside the magazine. Real-life emergency calls, recorded on CDs, are also reviewed and dispatchers are prompted as to how they should respond or what they should ask next in various emergencies.

 When it’s difficult to understand the caller, possibly due to a medical condition, dispatchers are trained to have the caller answer by tapping the phone or some other noise, if needed.

 If a caller is in imminent danger, such as a domestic violence situation, and cannot talk for fear of being heard, a dispatcher might ask them to place the phone down so they can listen to what is happening. As they are listening, they are checking on the location and sending the necessary responders.

 “I’ve had that happen,” said Walsh. “She couldn’t talk. She was afraid.” The incident had a positive outcome, but Walsh said domestics can turn bad very quickly. In domestic situations, dispatchers want the call to continue until officers arrive.

 The most common 911 medical calls, according to Walsh, are trouble breathing and/or chest pains. She said they have a list of questions specifically for these types of calls to get appropriate help to the location as quickly as possible.

 Oftentimes, the dispatcher will continue to ask questions and relay updates to police and ambulance drivers as they head to the location in order for the responders to know what they are walking into.

 Calls even come in from children. Walsh said, “Kids are great callers. They trust what you’re doing and they’re not afraid to do what you ask of them.” If it’s a loved one, sometimes adults are more afraid to try CPR than a younger person. “It’s scary when it’s someone you love. It scares them. Kids don’t have that concept (of dying) yet.”

 Walsh said there is one call she’ll never forget. It was from a mother who found her child after they committed suicide. “It was the worst ever,” she said. What made it so terrible was the fact that she had teenagers of her own. “They should play that 911 call in every school. Kids have no idea how awful that is.”

 Fenton dispatcher Elaine McGreevy also recalled one of her scariest 911 calls. A woman called in who said she had a terrible headache. McGreevy thought the woman might be having a stroke or aneurism. Staying on the line until help arrived, McGreevy could hear the woman’s breathing change to Agonal breathing. “She almost died. I could hear her deteriorate. That really stuck with me.”

 The woman suffered a brain aneurism and McGreevy followed her recovery for months.

 One of Walsh’s funniest calls came after a preschool class had visited the police station for a tour. She said the next day, a boy named Kyle, called just to tell her how much he enjoyed the tour. Walsh said despite appreciating the call, she found herself telling Kyle that he must not call 911 again unless it was for an emergency.

 Hang-up calls happen frequently, said Walsh. “People don’t realize what we have to do when we get a hang-up call,” she said. If dispatch receives a hang-up call, the dispatcher must call the number back and if nobody answers, they are required to send a police officer.

 Walsh said people don’t realize that as soon as they press that second “1,” regardless if they hang up immediately or not, the call goes through to the 911 center. “If it’s a mistake, stay on the line and let them (dispatchers) know it’s a mistake.”

 All 911 calls are recorded, as well as police radio traffic, said Walsh.

 When calls come in, if it is a land- line phone, the address and phone number will appear on the dispatcher’s screen. If the call is made from a cell phone, the cell phone number will appear, as well as the cell phone company and longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of where the cell phone is located.

 Suicide calls do happen, said Walsh. She said those calls are very difficult and dispatchers do not want to ever put those calls on hold. “You handle as best you can,” she said.

 Walsh and McGreevy both said Thursdays seem to be the worst day of the week for emergency calls. They added that if a Thursday turns out OK, then Friday is usually bad.

 Dispatcher Clifford Black, who has been taking calls for 22 years, was a police officer for nine years prior to that. Staying calm in the midst of an emergency is crucial, he said. “If I lose it, everyone loses. You can’t get emotional.”

EMSA Releases 911 Tapes In Tulsa Rock Quarry Crash
Updated: Sep 07, 2009

TULSA, OK -- Amanda Stone called in to 911 after the pickup in which she was riding fell over 150 feet into a rock quarry. She was the only survivor of four.

She first called 911 and the Tulsa Police Department at 3:30 a.m. She did not know where she was but was thought to be in the area of 15th and 129th East Avenue.

Just before 5 a.m. EMSA received a call from the victim.

"EMSA Dispatcher Stephanee Corbet stayed on the phone with the woman for 45 minutes," said Tina Wells, EMSA Vice President.

Through questioning Stone, Corbett was able to help police and EMSA paramedics find the injured teen in the north Tulsa rock quarry.

Listen as Corbett talks to her patient as they wait for help to arrive.

"In the final two tapes, Stone is yelling so that EMSA Field Operations Supervisor Jason Whitlow, EMSA Paramedic Bill Reid and EMSA EMT Joshua Spence can figure out exactly where in the quarry she's located," Wells said.

The second rescue tape is more of the caller and the EMSA field personnel yelling back and forth, and Corbet helping facilitate.

This time, the victim was a 'save'
08/29/2009

CLEARFIELD - In emergency situations, we often hope for the best but it's difficult to know how things are going to turn out.
For one family, a happy ending was made possible with the help of two dedicated dispatchers and a team of hard-working emergency responders.
In June, the Clearfield County 911 Center received a call from a woman who's husband was in cardiac arrest. The call was taken by 911 telecommunicator Dennis Middleton. Following his training and the 911 procedures, Middleton immediately began giving the caller instructions to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation while fellow telecommunicator Todd Howe dispatched emergency responders to the house.
At one point, the caller was disconnected but Middleton was able to call back and get the caller back on the phone. The two amblance crews were able to arrive at the residence and take over CPR.
Because of the instructions given by Middleton and the quick response of EMS crews, the victim's heart started beating again. He was quickly taken to the hospital where he was treated and was able to make a recovery.
With her husband out of danger, the caller contacted the 911 center and wanted to speak to the people responsible for helping to save her husband's life. Middleton was on-duty when the call came in and was able to talk to the woman who wanted to thank him for his help.
After his release from the hospital and recovery, the victim and his family wanted to meet those who helped save his life in person. Emergency response personnel from Brady Township Ambulance Service, DuBois EMS as well as Middleton and Howe gathered Aug. 11 to meet with the victim. The responders were honored with commendations and CPR SAVE pins. Many times, those who respond to emergencies would like to know what happened to the person after they are taken to the hospital but privacy policies often prohibit the responders from following up with the patient. It is also very rare that a patient takes it upon themselves to contact those who helped them.
"We give (CPR) instructions a lot but we don't always have a good outcome," Middleton said. He said it was the first time in his 24 years as a telecommunicator that he, his fellow dispatchers, and the EMS crews, have been thanked for what they've done.
The Clearfield County 911 Center uses a computerized system called Priority Dispatch. As the telecommunicator takes the call, the Priority Dispatch program pulls up questions and responses. A "yes" response from a caller from the first question brings up the next question, while a "no" response will bring up a different question. Every question is obtaining vital information from the caller.
"It does seem like we ask a lot of questions, but what we're asking does not delay the response at all, it actually helps EMS know what to do when they get to the scene," Middleton said. While one telecommunicator is speaking with the caller, a second telecommunicator is dispatching the ambulance, fire department or police department. A first-response crew is dispatched usually about 45 seconds after the call comes in, even though the caller is still speaking with a telecommunicator. The second telecommunicator is relaying information, such as whether the victim has taken a turn for the worse or a turn for the better, to the EMS crews.
"There's a whole series of events that have to take place when a call comes," Christal Blakeslee, paramedic and manager of the DuBois Ambulance/EMS Service said. "The people at the scene have to recognize that there is a problem and make that call before anything can happen." Blakeslee said many people believe the advances in modern technology can provide the information needed for a response.
"We've had people call 911 and say 'I need help' and they hang up," Blakeslee said. "There are different levels of response so we need to know what's going on, where it's located and what the situation is. We need to know what we're walking into." She said the information gathered by the telecommunicators lets the EMS crews know what equipment they will need, and what medications they may need.
"We bring everything but there are certain things we're going to need right away," she said. "When we get a call about someone who's fallen, there's a big difference between someone who's tripped and fallen or someone who's fallen because they're in cardiac arrest."
She said during a cardiac arrest, the patient has about six minutes before they begin to suffer from brain damage.
"Every second we can cut means less damage to the victim," Blakeslee said.
Both Blakeslee and Middleton said it is very important for a caller to know the area. Little things like knowing the names of roads, having the address numbers clearly posted on the house, knowing landmarks, the color of houses near by and other things some may think don't matter.
Even the most high-tech devices are no substitute for actual human knowledge.
She said when the save call came in, ambulance crews from Brady Township were on another call. She said a telecommunicator contacted the crew to see if it could respond or if another crew would have to be contacted. Two crews were sent to the house from two different directions, knowing if one crew got tangled up, the other would be able to make it. Directions from the residents were also vital to getting the crews to the victim faster.
As the crews were on their way, Middleton stayed on the line with the patient's wife, talking her through the CPR.
"At one point, he was actually counting compressions with her," Blakeslee said. "He literally talked her through it. At one point she said 'I can't do this' and he said 'yes you can, I will count with you.' I listened to the call and it gave me chills. He was a calm voice and guided her through."
Blakeslee said this was one instance that can be considered an actual save. She said some consider a save bringing a pulse back but by her standards, a save means the victim survives to be discharged from the hospital. She said there have been several saves but only two of those people did not suffer neurological damage.
"The dispatchers get blamed for everything that goes wrong, but they dispatch based on the information they're given," she said. "In a save, it doesn't matter what experience level the responders have. If any of the steps hadn't happened, we wouldn't have had the save. It was a team effort and all roles were critical."

Bleck signs off as Tri-Com director
August 30, 2009
By DAN CAMPANA

ST. CHARLES -- Walk in to Tri-Com offices just west of Peck Road and you'll see a display case representing the history of local emergency radio technology.

The case has a museum-like quality to it -- police car radios from decades ago, the first computer-assisted dispatching unit and firefighter pagers the size of bricks.

Head down the hall, and you'll find Tri-Com's living history: its one and only director for 33 years, Jerry Bleck.

"That's kind of my career in that case," Bleck said, adding it helped clear out some space at home. "My wife was very excited when I was able to do it."

Monday marks the end of an era for Bleck and Tri-Com, the nation's first multijurisdictional 911 center. After three decades as its guiding force, Bleck will retire. He does so on a high mark, a few weeks removed from being named Association of Public Safety Communication Officials 2009 Communication Center Director of the Year. And Tri-Com's employee of the year plaque hanging in the lobby lists 60-year-old Bleck as 2009's recipient.

The hallmark of Bleck's tenure has been technology -- mainly, keeping up with it and making sure it always serves the public. Sure, doing that was his job, but Bleck says it's more about the passion that formed after a Cub Scout visit to the sheriff's radio room grew into building FM radios -- to listen to police calls -- while in high school.

He helped create the Geneva Civil Defense Organization and the lifelong Geneva resident later took job as a dispatcher for the city. A few years later, the concept for Tri-Com began to develop as a way to make it easier for residents to call in emergencies. Tri-Com dispatches emergency calls for St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia and Elburn residents.

For less than $200,000, with just two dispatchers and backed by tons of publicity about the switch to a 911, Tri-Com launched on July 4, 1976.

"It was a massive improvement," Bleck said, comparing dialing 911 to full phone numbers.

Tri-Com introduced computers to the equation a few months after it started. Evolving tech improvements -- from equipment to software to logistics -- have followed ever since.

That meant, among other things, getting radios out of police cars and onto police officers, and creating a system that alerted firefighters more quickly to fires.

"Back in the day, you'd blow the siren and everyone would come to the station," Bleck said.

The 911 system itself has changed, too. It has gone from a one-stop place to call in emergencies to telling dispatchers where the call originated from, which now includes pinpoint location for cell phone 911 calls. Next up is dealing with 911 calls for users of Web-based phones.

"Eventually, you'll be able to text to 911," Bleck said, noting the challenges involved with that.

Other advances include how dispatchers find and pass along information on warrants and drivers licenses, and Tri-Com's major milestone in 2005 -- moving out of Geneva to a new building on Karl Madsen Drive off of Route 38. Tri-Com now has 23 employees, the ability to staff six dispatchers at one time and has a budget of roughly $2.5 million. Consider how much personal technology has changed since the mid-1970s -- cell phones, PDAs and systems like OnStar -- and you'll start to understand all that Bleck has navigated Tri-Com through.

"This business never stops. I've never been bored on this job," he said.

With his departure comes the need for transition, which can prove interesting when you realize one director has a lot of stuff in his mind after 33 years.

"We need to empty the thought process," Bleck said, pointing to his head.

He and his successor, Stacy Guercio, have shared an office in recent weeks. She's used the time to dig into the Bleck archives.

"It's been a great opportunity for me ... pretty educating," said Guercio, who has spent 21 years in public safety communications.

With her background, Guercio can see how Bleck has guided Tri-Com into the digital age. Others in law enforcement know it as well.

"He's changed with the times," Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez said. "You can look and see he brought Tri-Com out of the dark ages into the light."

St. Charles Police Chief Jim Lamkin lauded Bleck for his "wealth of knowledge," especially in technical realm.

"It's not just a job, it's a passion," Lamkin said of Bleck.

Retirement will mean more time to travel with Kathy, his wife of 36 years, once she retires from teaching in 2010. Change for Bleck will mean a lot of things, but it won't take away one thing he did even before Tri-Com came into his life.

"I will probably not turn off my radio at home," he said with a knowing smile.

O'burg 9-1-1 dispatchers get lifesaving technology upgrade
Updated: Aug 31, 2009 6:22 PM
By Jackie Faye

ORANGEBURG, SC (WIS) - Orangeburg County 9-1-1 dispatchers are the first in the state to use some new lifesaving technology. The new computerized system prompts dispatchers on exactly what to ask in an emergency.  

The question "9-1-1, what's your emergency?" is asked at the call center about 80,000 times a year. With so many calls, needless to say it can get hectic.

"Having all these things to do at one time, you're going to miss something, somewhere down the line," said Teddy Wolfe, operations officer for the Orangeburg County Fire District.

Wolfe knows how important it is to have the correct tools when responding to an emergency, but he knows it starts with the 9-1-1 call. That's why he is trilled about this new computerized call handling system.  

"It allows them to have a structured line of questioning so we can obtain the right information from the callers as they're going through a 9-1-1 call," said Wolfe.

In the past, dispatchers had to use this flip book. The hardest pat is just finding the right tab, and with 63 choices and small font, it's no easy task.

"Every minute, every second counts, having the right equipment when you leave the station is just a better way of doing business," said Wolfe.

For example, say someone calls 9-1-1 to report a vehicle fire. The computer tells the dispatcher exactly what questions to ask.

"What type of vehicle is this, is this a passenger vehicle or is this a tractor trailer, what kind of trailer is on this, then that's going to key us into a different kind of response," said Wolfe.

Based on each response, the computer gives the dispatcher the next question to ask. This efficiency is especially important with the current financial times.

"This is actually going to hopefully help us get through the times you know that we can't hire someone, maybe this will allow us to get by until some other funding can come up," said Wolfe.

It's lifesaving technology that first responders hope will help them help you.

The new system was paid for mostly by a grant from FEMA. The system can also be reformatted if any new emergencies come up. For example, new questions have been added since the number of cases of swine flu has increased.

At police station: Dispatch center gets needed facelift
Written by Rachel Kirkpatrick    
Monday, 03 August 2009

A project to update the police station’s dispatch center, including upgrades in radio communication equipment, is nearly complete.

The work was made possible by a nearly $800,000 grant, funded through the U.S. Department of Justice COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) office, intended specifically for law enforcement communications, and to improve interagency communications among neighboring towns.

“This grant has allowed us to replace our aging radio system, as well as our antiquated dispatch console, which was no longer serviceable,” said Police Chief Douglas Fuchs.

The dispatch center in the station has been completely renovated, with new carpeting and paint. The layout was redesigned to feature new desk consoles and storage space for all the equipment that allows the dispatcher to operate radios, computers and telephones.

But the biggest improvement, according to Chief Fuchs, is the new radio equipment housed in the newly renovated spaces.

“The key to this grant was the interoperability between towns,” he said. “We now have the ability to patch any of our surrounding emergency services — police, fire and EMS — together, no matter what the bandwidth or frequency.”

One incident in particular that prompted the need for this equipment was a May 2006 robbery at the Bank of America in Georgetown. Officers from surrounding towns responded to the robbery, but could not communicate with one another at the scene through their portable radios.

Each town’s emergency services department can still use its existing equipment and dispatch systems, but the new infrastructure allows all four to tie their radio frequencies into one central location. Depending on the need, two, three or all four could have their communication systems tied together during an emergency. The device, called an Incident Commander’s Radio Interface, ICRI, interconnects municipal public safety radios, state and federal radios, and telephones in minutes. It is not for regional communication but for a small topographical area, such as at an accident or fire scene.

In addition, Chief Fuchs said, the station’s outdated analog radio system is being replaced with a digital simultcast system, which allows the department to “push” radio transmission into areas where, in the past, it was difficult for officers to communicate while on portable radios.

Those areas include the interior of Joel Barlow High School, the Putnam Memorial State Park area, and the Georgetown Center area.

“All three of those areas are used by more than just Redding residents, so it’s often important for us to be able to communicate with other towns in those areas,” Chief Fuchs said.

Besides “patching” police, fire and EMS personnel, dispatch now has the ability to simultcast a transmission, which means “going out” on more than one frequency at time.

“This will make our dispatch of fire calls within Redding, and also in Weston and Wilton, more expeditious,” Chief Fuchs said.

Work on the project began approximately one year ago. The actual construction phase began about two months ago, and the project, in total, should be completed by mid-August. The project is on time, and on budget, Chief Fuchs said.

The grant, he said, was applied for a couple of years ago after he and First Selectman Natalie Ketcham had conversations with former Congressman Christopher Shays (R-4th), U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd (D), and U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (I).

“One hundred percent of these funds are federal grant dollars,” he said. “There is no local match.”

In the event a new police facility is built across the street, all of the new equipment is movable.

County opens new 911 central dispatch
Saturday, August 01, 2009
By Greg Chandler
Chronicle News Service

OTTAWA COUNTY -- The county's new central dispatch facility was open only five days when it faced its first big test.

Torrential rains tore through the area the night of June 19, washing out roads and leaving much of Holland flooded. Dispatch officials called in extra help to the new 911 facility, located near the county's administrative complex in Olive Township.

At the height of the storm, all 16 dispatch stations were staffed, handling 1,170 calls in just three hours.

"The phones were ringing off the hook, but we were able to keep up," dispatch supervisor David Gignac said.

The $5.5 million, 16,900-square-foot facility, at Stanton Street and 120th Avenue, is more than three times the size of its predecessor, which was housed in the basement of Grand Haven's public safety building. It also has almost twice as many work stations as the nine in the 5,000-square-foot Sixth Street facility, which had housed 911 operations since 1991.

"What it does is give us the capability of doubling the folks we can put out on the floor," said Tim Smith, executive director of the central dispatch authority.

"We just outgrew the (Grand Haven) facility. This facility should serve the county for the next 30, 50 years, plus."

The authority opened the facility with little fanfare, working out some of the bugs of the new site and new technology that includes geographic information mapping that will allow a dispatcher to visually find the location of a land-line call.

The central dispatch authority started setting aside funds from the countywide 911 millage for the building in 2000, Smith said. The cost of the $3.25 million building and $2.25 million in technology was paid from reserves, funded by a 0.44-mill, 20-year levy that county voters passed in August 2008. year.

"We paid zero percent interest on this," Smith said. "It's a real savings for the taxpayers."

In addition to having more space for dispatchers, the new center includes meeting space, a training facility that can seat almost 50 people, a kitchen, workout room, locker rooms and even a "quiet room," where dispatchers can go to relax after a difficult call, Smith sa

Ottawa's 911 system answered more than 404,000 calls last year, down 4.5 percent from a high of more than 422,000 calls in 2007 but still double the number the center responded to in its first year.

The authority employs 41 workers, including 29 dispatchers and six supervisors -- more than double the 18 employees it had when 911 service began. Smith said there are no immediate plans to hire more dispatchers.

The county will continue to maintain the Grand Haven facility as a backup call center, he said.

Erhardt Construction, of Grand Rapids, was the construction manager, with Landmark Design, also of Grand Rapids, providing architectural design.

BY THE NUMBERS

How Ottawa County's 911 system has fared between its start in 1991 and 2008:

(1991, 2008)

Number of employees: 18, 41

Work stations: 9, 16*

Number of calls (estimated): 200,000, 404,000+

*Number of stations in new facility

STILL ROLLIN'
Retirement can’t stop compassionate man
By PATRICK DONLIN pdonlin@sungazette.com
POSTED: August 14, 2009

MUNCY - Retirement is by no means stopping Dana Bertin - it's just the start of a new avenue to explore.

Unwavering in his commitment to the community and dedication to emergency response, Bertin has left his communication dispatcher post of nearly 30 years to spend more time on ambulances that go places to which he once directed them.

Connie Turner, Lycoming County Department of Public Safety acting director, said Dana officially hung up his 911 phone on July 31.

Bertin's wife, Becky, said he wasted no time starting his new job, as he was on the Susquehanna Regional ambulance crew, serving Williamsport Hospital the following Monday.

In his spare time, Bertin continues to voluntarily board the Keystone Hook & Ladder ambulances, according to the Muncy station's Fire Chief Jamie Brelsford.

Bertin is an avid sports fan and sometimes simply watching a game isn't enough for Bertin. Becky said he served as an umpire for Muncy Little League and will be an ambulance attendant at this year's Little League World Series in South Williamsport.

Ed Coup, Muncy Borough manager, knows Bertin as a borough councilman who continues to represent his neighbors on the issues that matter most to them.

"He is a very kind and generous person and he always strives to listen to people," Coup said. "He's always been a very good councilman."

Jim Hotchkiss of 305 Charles Road, Muncy, is glad he lives next door to Bertin.

From what he can see, most of Bertin's time is devoted to helping others.

"He makes no bones about helping somebody and he would never expect anything in return," Hotchkiss said.

Bertin simply enjoys helping others.

"Just helping people, that's what I'm all about," Bertin said. "It's not what's in it for you. It's helping people in a time of need."

Bertin's made many friends over the years, and they had until a couple days ago to register for Bertin's retirement party planned for later this month by the county 911 center.

Wendy Hastings, Lycoming-Tioga-Sullivan Emergency Medical Service Council acting director, believes the honor is well-deserved.

Her council awarded the Lycoming County Volunteer of the Year award to Bertin in May.

Hastings marvels at how calm he always was on the radio.

"It could be a 5 a.m. fire with babies crying and people screaming and he would say 'Station 30, Station 35,' " she said dryly, mimicking his speaking voice when dispatching emergency stations to a scene.

"It didn't matter what was going on, he was that under control, cool as a cucumber," Hastings said.

He was very deliberate and accurate as a communication dispatcher, but he had a great sense of humor when the time was appropriate, according to Turner.

"It's good to have someone around who can make people laugh when you hear a lot of negative things," Turner said of the office environment and how staff dealt with radio reports of people injured.

Turner said Bertin was one of a few people who worked "both sides of the radio," being that he was not only a dispatcher, but also a firefighter and ambulance attendant.

"Dana's pretty much a staple of the community," Brelsford said. "If you really wanted to model a citizen after somebody, it would be Dana. He's just a truly good person."

"If he had something and you needed it, he'd give it to you," Brelsford said.

"He and I share things," Hotchkiss said. "I let him use my lawnmower sometimes and sometimes I use his snowblower."

Becky Bertin said her husband and their son, Kyle, share a close father-and-son bond.

She said a while ago, the two were talking about ambulance response and Dana eventually decided to follow his passion.

Kyle Bertin, 23, serves the same fire department his father joined in 1974.

Much more recently, Dana Bertin decided to seek employment at the same Susquehanna Regional ambulance outfit his son works at. Now, father and son both work there.

Bertin's been around long enough that he knew a lot of his fellow Susquehanna Regional ambulance attendants before he began working there.

"Everyone I work with are friends," Bertin said. "I've known most of them for quite a while."

Becky said she encouraged Dana to be a full-time paramedic, as she said her husband always has seemed interested in the medical field.

According to Becky, Dana sometimes reflects on his life, wishing he had become a doctor. Although there's no plans for Bertin to pursue that ambition, Becky encouraged him to do more medical work.

"I told him, 'Go be a paramedic, at least it's related toward that,' " she said.

Bertin seems to enjoy being out in the field, helping others from the ambulance, according to Becky.

"Patients respond well to someone like Dana, whose care is sincere," Hastings said.

Becky recalls Bertin's care for others was a trait she found especially attractive when she first met him in 1980 as he was listening to his twin sister, Donna, sing in a West Branch Chorale concert in Muncy.

"I remember how he cared for all his patients when he was helping them in the ambulance," Becky said. "He showed a lot of compassion for people.

"I don't think you could ask for a better husband," she said. "He's just an equal sharer."

In 1982, the couple got married and settled down in Muncy, where Bertin has lived all his life.

He graduated from Muncy Area High School in 1971 and continues to support the local sports teams.

Bertin worked the midnight to 8 a.m. shift at the communications center for valid reason, according to Brelsford.

"He always worked the night shift so he could go to sporting events, borough council and firefighter duty during the day," he said.

Bertin is known to enjoy many sports, but baseball is his favorite, as Becky said he's a faithful N.Y. Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Williamsport Crosscutters fan.

"He lives and breathes sports," Hotchkiss said. "I've seen him closely studying baseball batting average statistics in the sports page while he sits in his garage."

Man Pinned by Tractor for 18 Hours
August 12, 2009

   A farm hand struggles to recover after a flipped-over tractor pins him to a tree for about 18 hours.  It is an amazing story of survival and a wife's heroic action in Bradley County.

   A man, trapped overnight, battled severe storms and broken bones. Paramedics rushed Sergio Reyes to Erlanger late this morning. He had been trapped since two o'clock Tuesday afternoon.

   This morning, his wife took over in her life saving rescue. Paramedic Stan Clark helped stabilize Reyes, get him off the farm and into an ambulance. Clark explained how the tractor trapped this 36 year old farmhand.

     Clark said from looking at the lay of the land and broken trees, it appeared the spreader was equal to or heavier than the tractor and Reyes slid down a hill. From his observation, Reyes said the spreader then hit the tree with the tractor flipping and pinning Reyes against the tree.

  Reyes was wedged between metal and wood for 18 hours. Paramedics rushed him to Erlanger late this morning.

    His wife told the dispatcher she looked for her husband last night on this sprawling poultry farm, but couldn't find him, until this morning.

The crash broke his cell phone. In Angelica Hernandez' call to 9-1-1, you can hear Reyes in severe pain, but still conscious. He's in this condition even after being pinned all afternoon yesterday, overnight and through a nasty storm.

   Paramedic Clark reflected, "Pretty incredible, yeah. He was alert and oriented and able to talk to us." Thanks to his wife's life saving action. In the 9-1-1 call, Hernandez tells dispatcher Jennifer Lawson, "He's still awake, but he says he cannot breathe good."

    Emergency crews tell us one thing that is even more amazing than this man's survival after being pinned for 18 hours, is not only that his wife found him but used a backhoe to pull the tractor off of him.  

   Hernandez drove the backhoe about a half mile off this road, across a creek and down a winding path to find her husband.  Dispatcher Lawson also reacted quickly to this remote rescue. G-P-S technology only picked up the cell tower, not her phone. So, this dispatcher told the deputies to use their air horns and sirens and for Hernandez to scream. In the 9-1-1 Call, Lawson instructs Hernandez, "Can you keep yelling for him so he can try to find your voice?: Seconds later, you hear Hernandez scream, "Hello!"
 
  After a few screams, the rescue crew finds the husband and wife. She had lifted him, by hand, into the bucket of the backhoe to drive him out. You hear the wife's elation when she sees deputies and rescue crews closing the gap in this remote field. "They see me, they are coming," Hernandez tells dispatcher Lawson. Lawson asks her, "They're coming now?" Hernandez responds with glee, "Yes, they are coming." Dispatcher Lawson tells the backhoe driving and operating wife, "You done a great job, okay." Hernandez calmly replies, "Thank you, so much." Dispatcher Lawson ends the call, "You're welcome, good luck."

   And everyone involved in this rescue knew they had seen a real hero in action. Lawson told us, "The adrenaline from her, she did awesome. She was a great, great caller."

    Doctors operated on Sergio Reyes today. At the latest check, he remained in critical condition after losing a lot of blood.

Tampa teen rescued from Bay after Jet Ski overturns
AUGUST 10, 2009

DAVIS ISLANDS — On a sunny and clear Sunday, 15-year-old Kevin Reich of South Tampa thanked the deputies who rescued him in stormy seas on Saturday after his Jet Ski overturned.

"It was quite an experience," recalls Reich.

His experience started at the Westshore Yacht Club where he launched his Jet Ski around midday on Saturday. The weather was sunny and clear but not for long.

"I saw the storm coming in and I would have made it back fine, if it wasn't for the engine cutting out," Reich told reporters Sunday morning.

Reich says he immediately called 911 from his cell phone that was sealed in a plastic baggie to keep it from getting wet.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says around 5 p.m. on Saturday, dispatchers received a 911 call from Reich saying his engine on his Jet Ski cut off, far out in the Bay, and he needed help.

Reich talked through the baggie to the 911 dispatcher for forty minutes as deputies tried to find him.

"He was so calm, it was amazing," said 911 dispatcher Heather Kelly.

Meanwhile, the storm raged over Reich and the deputies. The rain clouded their vision, forcing them to lose landmarks. "The lightning was so bad and the rain was coming down hard," said Deputy Allen Dekle of the Hillsborough County Marine Unit.

To make matters worse, Reich and his Jet Ski had dangerously drifted into the shipping channel.

"A ship going into the channel wouldn't have seen him either," said Dekle.

It turns out, though, being so close to the channel gave rescuers an opportunity for more markers.

"There was a barge going by so we asked dispatch to ask Kevin if he sees the ship," said Dekle.

Reich told the dispatcher he did see that barge coming up on his right side.

That was the marker the rescuers needed and minutes later they found Reich clinging to the engine of the overturned Jet Ski.

"The dispatcher told me to turn around and see if I see a boat. Then, I saw the boat right then and I was relieved," said Reich.

The teen's mother was even more relieved. Choking back the tears, Diane Reich said proudly, "As a mother, you're always wondering if they're listening when you talk. He was listening."

On a day when everything went wrong, deputies said, Reich did everything right. He had a life vest, a whistle and a cell phone sealed in a plastic bag.

Most of those things he learned from a boating safety course.

Beyond preparation, deputies say, the best thing Reich did that day was remain calm.

Pickup brings special delivery
By MICHELLE MARTIN of the Daily Ledger
GateHouse News Service
Fri Jul 24, 2009
 
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ASTORIA AND LEWISTOWN -
 "Fulton County 911. Where is your emergency?"
"I'm in between Astoria and Lewistown, heading on our way to Canton. I've got my sister with me. This is her third baby and she's in labor. We are not even to Lewistown and she's feeling pressure like she's got to bear down."
"You're on Route 24?"
"I am. Yes."
"Whereabouts on 24?"
"I'm going up ... they call Cal Brown Corner."
"Are  you able to stop right there?"
"I think I might have to."
"How far apart are the contractions?"
"They're right on top of each other."
These are excerpts from an actual 911 call made early Wednesday morning as Karissa Bent of Astoria drove her sister to the hospital to have her third child. Instead she had to stop and deliver her nephew in the front seat of Karissa's boyfriend's pickup truck. A truck that had just been cleaned and detailed earlier that day.
Cassie Bent, a 26 year-old mother of two from Astoria was 39 weeks pregnant and was scheduled to have her labor induced on Wednesday evening at Graham Hospital in Canton. Dr. Steutermann was going to do the induction on Monday, but Cassie could not find a babysitter for her other two children.
But things don't always go as planned, especially when dealing with pregnant women and babies.
This baby had a schedule of his own.
Thinking she was going in to have her baby later Wednesday, Cassie was awakened about 1 a.m. with pain from contractions. She figured it was time to go to the hospital, and began getting ready to leave. However, each pain became closer and closer.
Cassie woke up her sister, Karissa Bent, who has been a registered nurse for five years and works at Graham Hospital on the Med-Surg floor.
Cassie told Karissa she didn't think her water had broken yet, so Karissa also began getting ready. Karissa's boyfriend, Jeremiah Miller joked that he was concerned her water would break on the way and advised them to take a towel with them. Cassie's pain now had her doubled over.
Karissa told her sister that they had to go now.
"I work on Med-Surg, not OB," she said. "I can't deliver this baby."
"I could hardly get her to the truck," Karissa said.
They were on the road shortly after 1:30 a.m., and driving "steady" as Karissa explained.
As they drove towards Canton, Cassie's pain began increasing in intensity and frequency.
As they neared the US 136 and Route 24 junction, Cassie told her sister, "I'm not going to make it. Call 911."
"I just had to get the baby out of me, I was in so much pain," Cassie laughed Thursday. "And this was the only baby I was going to get an epidural with." She had her other two children without medication.
Karissa called 911 and stopped the truck on the road.
"The dispatcher was awesome, she helped me a lot," Karissa said. "Two pushes and the head was out. Two more and the baby was out."
Baby Kyle made his entrance around 2:07 a.m.
Rose Juergens, who has been with the Fulton County Sheriff's Office for nearly five years, was the soft-spoken savior on the other end of the line for Karissa.
"This baby wasn't going to wait," Rose explained.
Rose asked the obvious questions that she has been trained to ask and got the necessary information before paging out emergency services.
She told Karissa she was going to keep her on the phone,  just in case they had to do something together.
The page for rescue personnel went out at 2:01, and by 2:07 a.m., Kyle had been born.
"It was amazing," said Rose. "This was the most wonderful call I've ever had. Karissa was great. She was very calm. It was fantastic. She made it so much easier for me to do my job, and the outcome was wonderful."
Rose calmly talked Karissa through the delivery.
After Kyle was born, she advised Karissa to find string or a shoelace to tie off the umbilical cord. Karissa said she had her foot propped up on the side of the truck and looked down and found she had shoestrings. She used that to tie off the cord.
After the birth and the cord had been tied, Fulton County Emergency Medical Association paramedics arrived on the scene to relieve Karissa of her midwife role and put her back in the sister/aunt role. Paramedics cut the cord and then delivered baby Kyle and his mommy safely to the hospital.
"Rose was awesome," said Karissa. "This was such an adrenaline rush. Even Cassie was great. I remember telling her what to do and she was doing it."
"Honey, you did a wonderful job. Thank  you for my best call ever," Rose told Karissa before ending the 911 call.
Kyle was in perfect health, according to Cassie. He weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces, and was 21 inches long. He was the biggest baby of the three children, with the others both weighing around five pounds.
"I want to thank my sister and the 911 operator," Cassie said.
Karissa and Jeremiah visited Cassie and Kyle at the hospital Thursday. Jeremiah jokingly told Cassie that the first thing when she gets out of the hospital today, she is going to clean his truck.
He also joked that when riding in the truck with his friends, they were all jockeying for a position in the backseat of the extended cab truck. No one wanted the front seat, he laughed.
He also added it was a good thing he didn't offer to drive Cassie to the hospital instead.
"That's just something I would do," Jeremiah added.
"This will definitely be a story for his (Kyle's) scrapbook," Carissa said.

Dysartsville family delivers baby at home
...but not because they planned to!
By Holly Ramsey | The McDowell News
Published: August 4, 2009

Trent Dwayne Williams Jr. made his grand entrance into the world in an extremely untimely manner.

So extreme in fact, that his mom and dad had no time to get to a hospital. Sure, they attempted to, twice actually. The first time last Thursday when Trent's mom, Stephanie Williams, was having recurring labor pains. Stephanie and her husband Trent headed to Rutherford Hospital that afternoon, where she was admitted and kept for observation overnight.

While being monitored, she was told by the doctor on call and nurses that she was dehydrated and needed fluids. When morning rolled around, under the advice of a new doctor, Stephanie was released, having been told she was not in labor but merely experiencing irritability. At the time, she was having strong contractions every five to seven minutes.

"I knew I was in labor," said Stephanie. "When they released me, I told them I would have the baby today. I was hurting really bad. This is was my third child, so I knew what was going on and what to expect."

The births of her 4-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl both resulted in early arrivals at around 37 weeks, which was how far along she was with Trent.

"The doctors and nurses didn't seem to pay attention to that," she said. "In fact, we weren't the only ones who were sent home Friday. Another couple was released and ended up back in the E.R. when the baby's head was crowning. We weren't as lucky."

After arriving back at their home in Dysartsville Friday, Stephanie was still in pain and experiencing heavy contractions throughout the afternoon. When evening neared, both she and Trent decided it was time to make a second attempt.

"No sooner had we made that decision, I started feeling heavy pressure and could barely walk," said Stephanie. "Trent helped me walk to the car, but when I tried to get in, I couldn't sit down."

That's when Trent called 911 for help. He got Stephanie out of the car and up on the porch, when the operator on the phone, who was overhearing the couple panic, told him to go ahead and lay her down.

"I couldn't lay her on the porch," said Trent, "so I picked Stephanie up, carried her inside the front door and laid her on the carpet."

"He kept telling me, 'Stephanie, you'd better not have this baby yet! If anything goes wrong … ,'" she said. "But I told him there wasn't anything I could do, the baby was coming."

As soon as Trent laid his wife down, the dispatcher on the other end of the phone told him to remove her pants and check to see if the baby's head was visible. It was. Before he could ask what to do next, the baby's head appeared and Trent threw the phone out of his hands just in time to catch his newborn son.

"I was panicked," said Trent. "My son looked blue, and it didn't look like he was breathing. I started patting his back and scooping my finger down his throat to clear stuff out, while Stephanie picked up the phone to talk with the (911 dispatcher) and see what to do next."

Trent's method worked and the baby started crying. He was also told to find a shoestring nearby and tie off the umbilical cord. The last thing the 911 telecommunicator told him to do was wrap the baby in a blanket and lay him on his mother's stomach until the McDowell EMS arrived. It would be 20 minutes before they did. When Trent came out at 7:19 Friday evening, the ambulance had barely made it to Love's travel stop.

"That was definitely the longest 20 minutes ever," both agreed.

Trent credited his heroic efforts that evening to having been present at both previous deliveries of his children, and the onset of adrenaline and shock.

After EMS arrived on the scene and assessed the situation, mom and baby were transported to Rutherford Hospital where they stayed until Sunday. Both were in good condition, with the only problem being that baby Trent's body temperature was a little low.

"We were just so glad he was OK and everything turned out fine," said Stephanie. "We're still in shock a little. We knew when this happened it was going to be a big deal, and sure enough, when I went to the store today, everyone inside was talking about it. One of the nurses at the hospital said they had talked about it in her church on Sunday. It was just so unreal."

So far, baby Trent is eating and sleeping well, only being fussy when mom and dad try to wake him. The couple both agreed that this would probably be their last addition to the family.

Girl's quick thinking aids grandmother
By Bethany Fuller | Statesville R&L
Published: August 1, 2009

As soon as the small voice came through her headset, Jessie Ayers immediately changed her tone.
"This is Tabor Road," the tearful voice came across the line. "859 Tabor Road."

"Hello?" asked Ayers, an Iredell County emergency telecommunicator.

"This is 859 Tabor Road," 8-year-old Bailey Saunders choked out through her sobs in the 911 recordings. "Please hurry."

"What's going on, darling?" Ayers asked.

In the living room, Bailey's grandmother, Doris Rash, was on the couch, gasping for air. Bailey's 4-year-old brother, Cole, was screaming.

Bailey, Cole and Rash were watching SpongeBob SquarePants on July 24 when Rash asked Bailey if she knew what to do if Rash got sick. Rash suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which blocks airflow and make it increasingly difficult to breathe.

When her grandmother started gasping for air, Bailey said she "freaked out" and started calling her father Joshua, her mother Brooke, her aunt and a neighbor on her cell phone. Finally, she dialed 911.
"OK, baby, calm down, calm down," Ayers said. "All right, she can't breathe?"

"She can't breathe," Bailey sobbed back.

"OK, what's your name?" Ayers asked.

"The number is 859," Bailey said.

"OK, I got you 859 Tabor Road," Ayers said. "What's your name?"

Ayers later said she felt it was important to get down on Bailey's level and keep her as calm as possible.

Children have a completely different perspective of the world, she said.

Iredell County Emergency Communication Assistant Director Brad Brawley said when callers are that young, there isn't a lot dispatchers can do as far as resuscitation instruction. The most they can do is get them to calm down.

"It was good that she recognized it and she was calm enough to call," he said.

Ayers asked Bailey where her mother was and found out Brooke was at work.

Ayers asked to talk to Rash, who could be heard wheezing and gasping for breath when Bailey handed her the phone.

"Is someone coming?" Rash asked.

Ayers told Bailey to calm down and unlock the door for first responders, who arrived at the house at 3:38 p.m., three minutes after the call was made.

"OK, they're here," Bailey told Ayers. "Thank you."

Bailey said the paramedic came in and started asking questions about what happened.

Bailey's mother, Brooke, said someone from Emergency Communication, who recognized the address, called her at Iredell County Animal Services and Control, where she works, to tell her what happened. Brooke immediately left for the hospital to be with her mother.

Even though Bailey was scared, Brooke said she was able to keep calm and keep her younger brother calm as well.

"I was extremely proud of her," Brooke said.

She is glad she and Joshua took the time to talk to their children about calling 911 during emergencies.
Joshua said the first responders let Bailey and Cole play on the fire truck until someone arrived to take care of them.

"They did a good job keeping them occupied," he said. "I think she's a hero. Everybody is proud of her."

Valley People: Dispatcher of the year
by Press-Banner staff

Lisa Yee, 27, has been named Santa Cruz County’s Dispatcher of the Year after serving at the local 9-1-1 center since 2004.

Yee was nominated for the honor by her colleagues at the Santa Cruz Consolidated Emergency Communications Center and then handpicked by management.

“(Yee) is an excellent dispatcher and call-taker,” said one of Yee’s supervisors, Margaret Parker. “Her work quality and ethics are of a high standard, and she willingly goes above and beyond.”

Yee, who lives in Scotts Valley, is a 2003 graduate of University of California, Santa Cruz, where she earned a business and economics degree.

Featured on the Investigation Discovery Call 9-1-1 episode that aired July 31:

4-year-old saves ailing mom
Associated Press
February 1, 2009

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Alex Hayes has received Fort Wayne's first Kid Hero award.

The 4-year-old boy, who four weeks ago called 911 after his mother was knocked unconscious in a fall down a flight of stairs, was honored Friday in a ceremony with Mayor Tom Henry, the city's police and fire chiefs and the 911 dispatcher who answered his call for help.

"With the littleness and the shrillness in his voice, it was hard to get the address at first, but he was very awesome and repeated it over and over," said dispatcher Manda Overly. "He told me that Mommy fell down. We just got help there as soon as we could."

The emergency began when Alex's mother, Jamie Coder, lost her balance and tumbled down the stairs. Alex found his mother lying unconscious, then called 911 on a cell phone. Alex began singing his address to Overly, a song he learned from his mother when they moved into the home just nine days earlier.

"I took child development in high school, and there I learned if you teach a child any kind of music or a rhyme, they will actually pick it up quicker," said Coder, who suffered only a headache and assorted aches and pains from the fall. "I taught him his phone number, his address and he knows how to spell several words because of the songs."

Alex will begin kindergarten in August.

"I'm very proud of him," Coder said. "It's very exciting that the city actually acknowledges good deeds that children do. This is something he probably will remember for the rest of his life, but he may not understand why they're doing all this celebration."

Fire dispatchers' instructions help save boy in Citrus Heights
By Nicole Williams
Published: Thursday, Jul. 23, 2009

Sacramento Regional Fire dispatchers and two residents saved the life of a 4-year-old boy who nearly drowned in a community pool Wednesday at a Citrus Heights mobile home park, officials said.

At about 3:45 p.m., the child's mother was supervising her son and about four other children inside the gated pool area at the Creekside Estates Mobile Home Park on the 6000 block of Greenback Lane, but had her back to them, said Capt. Christian Pebbles, spokesman for Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department.

When she turned around her son was at the bottom of the pool and had been there for about a minute, Pebbles said.

The mother started screaming for help, and the manager – whose child was also playing in the pool – called 911, Pebbles said.

The dispatchers, "who are the real heroes here, stayed calm, cool and collected" and gave the manager and the assistant manager CPR instructions.

"They probably saved the boy's life," he said.

When firefighters arrived the boy had a pulse, but was not breathing on his own, he said. Fire personnel resuscitated the boy.

He was taken to Mercy San Juan Hospital where he is listed in serious condition, but is expected to survive, a Citrus Heights Police Department news release states.

"Here's the real message: Mom's in the gated pool and not paying attention for a moment, and that's all it takes," Pebbles said. "Nothing – nothing – substitutes for constant adult supervision."

Even precautions like gates and adult presence aren't enough to prevent drownings – supervision must be uninterrupted, he said.

"People think they're safe," Pebbles said. "(But) if you are in, near, or around water you need to believe this can happen to you."

Sacramento Regional Fire is a central fire department call center for all of Sacramento County.

Dispatchers get crisis intervention instruction
by Bobby Moore/Douglas County Sentinel

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) this week hosted special Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for the region’s dispatchers.

Pat Strode with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) co-hosted the 40-hour training course designed to teach dispatchers and 911 personnel from the metro and West Georgia areas how to deal with calls from mentally ill people.

Four DCSO dispatchers and two employees of Douglas County E-911 were among the 17 participants in the week-long course.

Sgt. Tracy Sullivan of the DCSO said this was the first course of its kind to be offered in Georgia.

The class used practical exercises like interacting with actors pretending to be frantic 911 callers and classroom work to prepare for a test on Friday.

In one scenario, a caller claimed a mysterious green box had appeared in his yard overnight, and he insisted the 911 operator investigate the situation.

The 911 operator had to keep the caller calm in these scenarios and properly find out if the callers had been taking their medication.

A second trainee acted as a dispatcher during these exercises.

Sgt. Celeste Norris of the DCSO taught the course along with Strode, and she said there may be two of these courses held per year to facilitate the number of dispatchers and 911 operators who need this training.

Dispatcher saves a victim’s life
By CR Rae
The Suburbanite
Sat Jul 25, 2009

Springfield TWP, Ohio -
Cindy Sullivan, a dispatcher for South Summit Central Dispatch, recently received an emergency call from a Springfield resident.  The man returned home and found his son lying on the floor, bleeding from a bullet wound in his chest.
“Cindy did an excellent job helping this man,” said Dispatch Manager Karen Gregoric. “It was heartbreaking. She was giving him instructions on how to help his son, which helped save his life. She calmed the father and told him how to take control of the bleeding.”
Fire Chief Robert Calderone commended Sullivan for “an excellent job communicating with the victim’s father on the phone knowing the caller believed his son was dying in his arms.”
Calderone said she remained on the phone with the father for six minutes during which time she gave clear and pertinent instructions to control bleeding and maintain an open airway on the victim.
Sullivan was honored at the Green City Council meeting and received a letter from Mayor Dick Norton.
“I would like to take this opportunity to personally congratulate and commend you for a job well done,” Norton said. “You can be very proud of your commitment to excellence and hard work. “
The South Summit Central Dispatch serves for Springfield Township, Green, Coventry and Lakemore.
Gregoric said there are no rules for dispatchers to be certified. However, those working at South Summit are certified and trained in helping with childbirth, CPR and other medical emergencies.
Springfield police and fire responded the home and paramedics stabilized the victim.

EMS implements final upgrades in software, training; improvements cover ‘latest in science’
Wednesday, 15 July 2009

Faith Huffman

Hopkins County Emergency Medical Services this week is putting its communications operators through an advanced class to improve their dispatch skills, and will implement the final phase of computer system upgrades in the hospital’s call center.

Hopkins County Emergency Medical Services Communications Operators are participating in advanced training to improve their dispatch skills this week. Taught by Priority Dispatch training consultant Ken Hotaling, the class helps dispatchers learn protocols to use with an EMS automated dispatch software system upgrade.

Currently 15 dispatchers, including the ambulance service’s shift supervisors and three paramedics who fill in at the dispatch center as needed are taking the class, taught by Ken Hotaling, training consultant with Priority Dispatch of Salt Lake City, Utah. Hotaling will teach them protocols to use with the latest upgrade to the hospital’s computer automated dispatch, or CAD, system, according to Russell VanBibber, communications supervisor for the hospital’s EMS.

Hotaling said Hopkins County EMS is in the process of implementing the industry’s foremost 9-1-1 dispatch call system approved by National Academy of Emergency Dispatchers (NAED) and created by Priority Dispatch Inc.

“This system is used in 26 countries and has a successful track record of use for over 25 years,” Hotaling explained.

VanBibber said some of the upgrades cover new child CPR instructions, as well as choking and pregnancy protocols.

“This is version 12, the latest in science associated with the protocols,” VanBibber said. “There are 33 protocols, which cover all complaints they will receive.”

Dispatchers will study a set of questions, and each patient will get the same consistent treatment on each call, VanBibber explained.

“We’ve been using this program, CAD, since 1999. In addition to instruction, we also get software to add to the CAD system. This makes dispatch completely electronic — from charting to dispatch, it’s in the computer.”

Hotaling said the software “gives dispatchers an effective and structured method of quickly gathering critical emergency call information, identifying life-threatening situations, giving critical responses and routing calls to appropriate help.”

In addition to make the dispatch more efficient it should also make the process more thorough, training communications operators to be the “first first responders,” they explained.

People calling in a medical emergency will probably find that the dispatchers, following the protocols, will be asking what may seem like lots of questions. But all are designed not only to better prepare the first responders and paramedics making the emergency calls, but also to help the caller give basic care until help arrives.

“It’s important to know they’re going to be asking questions, which won’t delay response times, and people should please stay on the line with the dispatcher,” Hotaling said. “Don’t hang up. They are getting important information to better help the patient and responder.”

The hospital’s dispatch center has gradually been adding updates to its system over the past few years. The addition of the software and training is the final stage of the process, VanBibber noted.

Priority dispatch system involves resource rise

http://news.gov.hk/en/category/lawandorder/090704/html/090704en08002.htm

Deputy Secretary for Security Carol Yuen says the Government will increase resource allocation to ambulance service if it launches the proposed medical priority dispatch system.
 
Speaking on a radio talk show this morning, Ms Yuen said the proposed system's implementation will require more manpower, enhanced public education and staff training, as well as procuring and developing the software to support the system.
 
Subject to the public's views on the dispatch framework and the future ambulance service demand, the Government will determine how much additional resources to be allocated.
 
According to the proposed system, emergency ambulance calls will be categorised into three categories - "response 1" calls for critical or life-threatening cases, "response 2" calls for serious but non-life-threatening cases, and "response 3" calls for non-acute cases.
 
Noting the Fire Services Department handles 1,640 emergency ambulance calls daily, Deputy Director of Fire Services Chan Chor-kam said about 30% should be classified as "response 1" calls under the proposed system. About 20% are "response 2" calls and the rest are "response 3" cases.
 
When dealing with "response 3" calls, ambulances will still be dispatched as requested and the callers will be given first-aid advice. If a patient's condition deteriorates, the caller can contact the control centre to re-assess the situation.
 
Reiterating the Government attaches great importance to ambulance-services provision, Ms Yuen said there was a 5% rise in manpower from 2006 to 2009. A total of 120 additional ambulanceman posts will be created in the 2009-10 financial year. New ambulances will also be delivered to Hong Kong in phases.

5-year-old helps nanny get medical help
Originally published July 11, 2009
By Pam Rigaux
Frederick News-Post

A 5-year-old girl took the telephone when her 62-year-old nanny felt ready to faint in the family room.
Mariah Johnson answered a Frederick County emergency dispatcher's questions about her nanny and within 10 minutes help arrived, according to the dispatcher, Amanda Lambert.

"She was amazing. For a little girl, she was awesome. It is amazing how well children can provide information and remain calm," Lambert said.

"She told me how her nanny was doing, if she was breathing. She helped the situation positively."

When rescue workers knocked on the door of the Frederick house shortly after 10 a.m. July 2, it was locked, said Joyce Paulsgrove, the nanny. She told Mariah to open the door.

Mariah, she said, unlocked the door and then baby-sat her brother, Zackery, 13 months, while the emergency medical crew went to work.

"They put her on a bed," Mariah said. "They did lots of stuff."

Paulsgrove's blood pressure and potassium level were low, and doctors gave her a potassium supplement, Paulsgrove said. She spent three days in Frederick Memorial Hospital, but staff could not diagnose why she nearly passed out, she said.

One of her first visitors at the hospital was Mariah.

Mariah was relieved to find her nanny well again.

"I was thinking that she might die, and I didn't want that to happen," she said.

Paulsgrove is proud of Mariah, who calls her Granny.

"I needed Mariah to help me, and she did," Paulsgrove said. "She's a very intelligent little girl."

For video interviews go to: http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyID=92488

Balto. Co. emergency operations to get more space, tech upgrade
By Mary Gail Hare
Baltimore Sun
July 11, 2009

Baltimore County's 20-year-old emergency operations center is slated for a $14 million modernization that will nearly double its space, upgrade its technology, enhance its connections with other jurisdictions and shorten response times.

On a recent tour of the center, federal legislators delivered a promise of $3 million to help pay for the renovations. The funds will help the center move from an analog to a digital system with upgraded phones, computers and radios that will expand communications capabilities in emergency situations across the county and into the surrounding region, officials said.

"The funds will buy technology and training and make this system ready for the 21st century," said Maryland senior Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski. "Lives are on the line, and this center needs help as quickly as it can get it. We also want to make sure we are protecting our first responders."

Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger stressed the critical role of public safety, calling it the foundation of all government work.

"You have to start with 911," he said. "Federal dollars give emergency responders the resources they need."

The 911 Communications Center is staffed around the clock by 192 employees who handle nearly 1 million police, fire and emergency calls annually from a sprawling basement headquarters in the county courthouse.

Maryland's congressional delegation secured $1.5 million for the project this year and anticipate another $1.5 million in fiscal 2010. The county hopes to receive about $2.5 million from the Maryland Emergency Number Systems Board and will fund the remaining costs. The County Council approved $1.5 million is this fiscal year for design of the center. The remaining costs will likely be included in a referendum to the capital improvements program once construction begins, officials said.

Officials toured the training center and then followed guides through a long tunnel that connects classrooms to the hub of the activity - the fire and police dispatch center.

"911 is no longer simply a switchboard," said County Executive James T. Smith Jr. "In 2003 with Hurricane Isabel, we learned how essential it is to gathering facts on the ground."

As she watched dispatchers handle numerous calls, Mikulski said she was impressed with the calm, steady tone of voice that responders used to assure callers.

"The talent is ready now," she said. "We have to get the technology ready."

The county is reorganizing two floors of space in the Circuit Courthouse and will begin construction on the new center once that effort is completed. Consolidating the agency on two floors will be more practical than the current space that is divided by a circuitous tunnel, said Marie Whisonant, center chief, who expects the 911 Communications Center to be operating in its new quarters by the end of 2011.

"We will have the best of all worlds, while this project is going on," Whisonant said. "We can work in this space, while construction is going on in the new space."

Deputy & Dispatcher Deliver A Baby
By Jamie Burch
Published: Tue, July 07, 2009

An Okaloosa County Deputy and 911 Dispatcher are rewarded for delivering a baby.

Jennifer Smith was at her Fort Walton Beach home when she went into labor in the middle of the night on June 26th. It was too late to go to the hospital, so her husband Ken called 911.

Ed Parr, the 911 Dispatcher who answered the call, walked Ken through the process. The baby's head had crowned by the time Deputy Mike Smith arrived at the house. Parr walked Deputy Smith the rest of the way.

When paramedics arrived, 8 pound, 14 ounce Adam Smith was already showing off his good set of lungs.

Deputy Smith called it "an absolutely incredible experience". He says he watched his own four children come into the world, but this spur-of-the-moment, hands-on experience was very different.

Both Deputy Smith and Parr today received a "Thumbs Up" award from Dino Villani, Director of the Okaloosa County Department of Public Safety.

Adam's parents say he is doing great.

Grainger County man survives heart attack, meets lifesavers    
Posted: Jun 15, 2009
Reporter: Lauren Davis

GRAINGER COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) – Someone suffers a heart attack very 20 seconds according to the American Heart Association, with half of them killing resulting in death.

A Grainger County man recently became one of those victims, but thanks to the 911 dispatcher, paramedics and a new piece of equipment, he survived to tell Volunteer TV about the ordeal.

It was around 5:00 PM on evening while Mandy Gordon was answering emergency calls at Grainger County 911 dispatch center. She received a panicked call from Tim Jarnigan’s wife saying he had gone into cardiac arrest.

"She called in screaming her husband needed an ambulance and he wasn't breathing," Gordon remembered.

Mandy dispatched paramedics to the scene and quickly gave CPR instructions to the victim’s wife.

"She brought him back to life with my instructions," Gordon said.

EMS arrived shortly after and with their new mobile 12-lead heart monitor. A 12-lead heart monitor, otherwise known as an electrocardiogram, allows medical workers to take 12 different recordings of the heart at the same time. The number of recordings provides highly accurate information about the state of the victim’s heart rate. With information from the machine, paramedics were able to relay Tim's vital signs to the hospital where he was treated.

"If they didn't have that piece of equipment, I wouldn't be standing here," said Tim Jarnigan.

On Monday, Jarnigan met Gordon and the two paramedics who helped save his life.

"I could never thank them enough,” he said. “If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be standing here."

"We normally don't get to meet them,” Gordon said. “It was great to get to meet him."

Gordon knows how important her job is because before September 11th, 2001 her own father died in Grainger County of a heart attack

"Nobody could help him with his heart attack,” she said. “We didn't have that and nobody was giving instructions. We help people."

Members of Cromwell PD honored for October standoff
Published: Monday, July 6, 2009
By JEFF MILL, Press staff

CROMWELL — Two police officers, a sergeant and a civilian dispatcher have been recognized for their roles in a harrowing confrontation last fall in which a distraught youth menaced the officers with a knife and a handgun.

All four of the employees — Sgt. Michael Wren, officers Stephen Dorais and William Kogut and Dispatcher Mailene Downes — were presented with citations for meritorious service during a ceremony Monday morning in the atrium of Town Hall.

During a dramatic night-time standoff last October, the officers were able to maintain control of the situation and ultimately disarm the youth without anyone suffering serious injuries.

Senior police officials emphasized Monday it was an extremely intense situation, one in which both officers drew their weapons as they faced down the distraught youth.

Capt. Roy A. Nelson described the situation as “volatile,” while Police Chief Anthony J. Salvatore acknowledged, “This could have very easily led to a very different outcome.”

In the end, however, it was the ability of officers Dorais and Kogut to respond to aural and visual cues, which convinced them the youth was attempting “suicide by cop,” Salvatore said.

“Suicide by cop” refers to situations in which an individual creates an incident in which police officers are compelled to shoot him.

However, in the incident of Oct. 27, Dorais and Kogut were able to maintain control of the situation while Sgt. Wren maneuvered in behind the youth, signalled to the two officers and then used his department-issue Taser to incapacitate the youth.

Once he was incapacitated, officers were able to disarm him and take him into custody.

For their actions, Wren, Dorais and Kogut were awarded the department’s Citation for Meritorious Service with Bar during the Town Hall ceremony.

They are now entitled to wear a green-and-white Meritorious Service ribbon on their uniforms.

Dispatcher Downes was awarded a Citation for Meritorious Service for her calm, professional actions that same evening.

Making her efforts even more impressive, Salvatore noted Downes was still a probationary employee at the time.

Yet, throughout the incident, Downes “conveyed pertinent information to the officers in a calm and professional manner,” according to the citation, which Salvatore read during the ceremony.

Downes “remained calm, relayed information as warranted and did not intervene with questions or information that could have been distracting to the officers,” he added.

“I have nothing but praise for everyone involved in this incident,” Salvatore said following the ceremony.

“This is something that no officer should be put through,” Salvatore said following the ceremony.

“Fortunately, these officers had the training which enabled them to sift through a series of crucial cues — both sights and sounds — that enabled them to resolve this incident peacefully.”

Critically, Kogut had just completed re-certification training “which included information that was directly related to ‘suicide by cop,’” Nelson said.

Dorais, Kogut and Downes were all present for the ceremony; Wren was out of state on a previously scheduled commitment.