Emergency dispatchers coordinate responses to frantic situations

Keller Fire Chief Dan Gaumont presented emergency dispatcher Barbara Law with an award for her part in saving the life of a choking 3-year-old in August.

Dialing 911 is the first step in getting help in an emergency situation, but many people don’t realize what goes into the response. What follows the initial call is designed to work like a well-choreographed ballet, with every person in the proper place and each person doing his or her job with skill and efficiency.

“The EMS dispatcher,” who receives the call, “is the first point of contact for someone needing help,” Keller Fire Chief Dan Gaumont said. “It is their job to get the right resources rolling and also to calm the caller and give them emergency instructions if needed. They are responsible not only for the safety of the public, but also for the safety of the firefighters and the police officers.”

Gaumont said dispatchers are trained to handle frantic residents, make quick decisions on who needs to be called to an incident and also how to offer instructions for things like CPR and other first-aid measures. If a medical emergency is called in, the dispatcher must quickly ascertain what the emergency is, if there are any extenuating circumstances that could affect the safety of the first responders and if there is something that can be done to help the patient before help arrives.

“Dispatchers are the ones who help keep our guys safe,” Gaumont said. “They listen to a call and let us know if something is going on that would require the police department to be on hand before we enter a residence. They provide us with the information that allows us to do our job.”

On Nov. 11, emergency dispatcher Barbara Law was given a lifesaving award for her role in the rescue this summer of a 3-year-old Keller girl who was choking on a grape. Paramedics arrived at the girl’s house about two minutes after Law received the call.

“Barbara is one of the main reasons that child is alive today,” Gaumont said. “She did everything right. She even kept the babysitter on the line giving her instructions in the Heimlich maneuver.”

When paramedics arrived, the girl was unconscious. In the minutes after, her blood pressure and oxygen levels were dangerously low, Gaumont has said.

The grape was eventually dislodged by improvising paramedics, who successfully tried a suction catheter, normally used to clear liquid from a patient’s airway.

Dr. Roy Yamada, who serves as medical director for the Keller EMS program, was also on hand to congratulate Law.

“EMS dispatchers give life-saving information to the people who call in, but they also keep our emergency responders safe,” Yamada said. “I depend on them. The system works, and it starts with the emergency dispatcher.”

Paramedics David Simmons, Donny Ramirez, Walter Wineberg, Jason Paradise and Guy Procter were also honored in August for their efforts to save the toddler.
By Linda Taylor in The Keller Citizen