When Natalie Rumsby answers a call as a 911 dispatcher, her job ends when first responders arrive on the scene, and the person who called 911 no longer needs her help.
It乌鸦传媒檚 not often that she and her colleagues at the dispatch centre in Victoria hear the outcome of their calls.
That changed last week when a woman from Port Alberni shared her story about performing CPR on her husband thanks to the coaching of a calm 911 dispatcher.
Carol Klock related her story about calling 911 after her husband Jack suffered a heart attack while taking a shower one night in April.
Carol, who had never taken a CPR course, performed the life-saving technique on her husband for 10 minutes while waiting for paramedics to arrive. She said an anonymous dispatcher 乌鸦传媒渓iterally taught me CPR over the phone乌鸦传媒� and she wanted to thank the woman for helping her.
A colleague of Rumsby乌鸦传媒檚 who was familiar with the call read the story from the and let Rumsby know about it.
乌鸦传媒淓verything乌鸦传媒檚 done over the phone and once you乌鸦传媒檙e done, you乌鸦传媒檙e on to the next job,乌鸦传媒� Rumsby said from Victoria. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 heartwarming to hear that he survived.乌鸦传媒�
She said she doesn乌鸦传媒檛 often open up about her job. She compartmentalizes it, and when she leaves the dispatch centre for the day, she leaves the job behind.
It乌鸦传媒檚 a survival tactic: 乌鸦传媒淩ight now, there乌鸦传媒檚 a lot of compassion fatigue. It乌鸦传媒檚 an exhausting job at the best of times,乌鸦传媒� she said, but added the opioid crisis has made it even tougher for 911 dispatchers and other first responders.
乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 days here where we could have seven or eight call-takers and they乌鸦传媒檙e all coaching CPR to people in different communities in B.C.
乌鸦传媒淎s a call-taker/dispatcher, you are often tasked with talking to people on the worst day of their lives, in a moment of crisis, and you depend on them to be your ears, eyes and hands until help arrives,乌鸦传媒� Rumsby said.
乌鸦传媒淲e are trained to help people not only cope with these situations, but in many situations, guide them to give life-saving first aid that they would otherwise not know how to do.乌鸦传媒�
While Carol Klock gives Rumsby all the credit with helping her stay calm, Rumsby said Carol乌鸦传媒檚 ability to stay composed was the most important aspect of helping her husband.
乌鸦传媒淭his woman performed those skills in the worst of circumstances, 乌鸦传媒� Rumsby wrote in a Facebook post about the story. 乌鸦传媒淭hanks to her staying calm and composed and doing the most effective CPR possible, her husband is alive today.乌鸦传媒�
Rumsby hopes stories such as the Klocks will inspire people to learn how to perform CPR.
乌鸦传媒淚 think it乌鸦传媒檚 really important for everyone to take a CPR course, even a hands-only CPR,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淚f somebody knows CPR, the second they see someone collapse 乌鸦传媒� it could mean life or death for that patient.乌鸦传媒�
Rumsby has nominated Carol Klock for a Vital Link Award with BC Ambulance Service, which recognizes the significant contributions made by citizens during medical emergencies. She hopes that if Carol is given an award, she will be able to meet the Klocks in person.
