Just one week after completing her training, Nashville 911 call taker Denise Dyer handled two major emergencies on back-to-back days. One involved a suspected cardiac arrest. The other, a baby being born.
On Sunday, Dyer answered a call from someone reporting someone was unconscious and not breathing. She immediately gave CPR instructions. When medics arrived, they confirmed the patient had a pulse.
Yesterday afternoon, Dyer coached a caller through delivering a baby boy over the phone.
Dyer had only been on the operations floor for one week after finishing the department's training program. She is a member of DEC Class 97, the most recent class of new hires released to the 911 operations floor.
"Ms. Dyer's performance is outstanding and completely in line with how we expect our public safety communications professionals to show up for our callers in crisis" said DEC Director Stephen Martini. "Two families have their loved ones today because of her steady focus and solid training - a credit to her and our training team."
The Nashville Department of Emergency Communications trains call takers to handle any situation from the moment they answer the phone. Whether it's CPR or childbirth, the job requires staying focused, giving clear instructions, and helping people through some of the most stressful moments of their lives.