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.
Itsa国际传媒檚 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 sa国际传媒渓iterally taught me CPR over the phonesa国际传媒� and she wanted to thank the woman for helping her.
A colleague of Rumsbysa国际传媒檚 who was familiar with the call read the story from the and let Rumsby know about it.
sa国际传媒淓verythingsa国际传媒檚 done over the phone and once yousa国际传媒檙e done, yousa国际传媒檙e on to the next job,sa国际传媒� Rumsby said from Victoria. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 heartwarming to hear that he survived.sa国际传媒�
She said she doesnsa国际传媒檛 often open up about her job. She compartmentalizes it, and when she leaves the dispatch centre for the day, she leaves the job behind.
Itsa国际传媒檚 a survival tactic: sa国际传媒淩ight now, theresa国际传媒檚 a lot of compassion fatigue. Itsa国际传媒檚 an exhausting job at the best of times,sa国际传媒� she said, but added the opioid crisis has made it even tougher for 911 dispatchers and other first responders.
sa国际传媒淭heresa国际传媒檚 days here where we could have seven or eight call-takers and theysa国际传媒檙e all coaching CPR to people in different communities in B.C.
sa国际传媒淎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,sa国际传媒� Rumsby said.
sa国际传媒淲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.sa国际传媒�
While Carol Klock gives Rumsby all the credit with helping her stay calm, Rumsby said Carolsa国际传媒檚 ability to stay composed was the most important aspect of helping her husband.
sa国际传媒淭his woman performed those skills in the worst of circumstances, sa国际传媒� Rumsby wrote in a Facebook post about the story. sa国际传媒淭hanks to her staying calm and composed and doing the most effective CPR possible, her husband is alive today.sa国际传媒�
Rumsby hopes stories such as the Klocks will inspire people to learn how to perform CPR.
sa国际传媒淚 think itsa国际传媒檚 really important for everyone to take a CPR course, even a hands-only CPR,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚f somebody knows CPR, the second they see someone collapse sa国际传媒� it could mean life or death for that patient.sa国际传媒�
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.
