Batch Of Babies

Dual ACE (MPDS^®/FPDS^®) Lake County Fire Rescue in Florida (USA) had a series of special deliveries Within a two-week span, their team of Emergency Dispatchers provided exceptional care in four separate phone-guided births of beautiful baby girls.

Division Chief Joanna Buchanan and Deputy Chief Kimberly Stephens were overjoyed by the batch of babies. “These are touching moments to celebrate,” Buchanan said. “That first cry of a tiny human coming into this world is a sound our team won’t soon forget.”

Baby Girl 1

Four years ago, Denise Nunziato wouldn’t have guessed that Covid setbacks would lead her from the finance realm to a new gratifying career as a Telecommunicator I, but today she treasures her role of assisting callers through the best and worst of times.

June 30 was one of the best of times as Nunziato received a call to help an expectant mother through an imminent delivery at home. The baby was born without complications, and the phone was passed off to the glowing new grandmother whose joy radiated.

This is Nunziato’s second stork award. “It was fabulous to know I guided someone through a happy occasion,” she said. “My only regret is not having done this job earlier in life.”

Baby Girl 2

Jessica Ring, Telecommunicator I, has been in the field of dispatch for 18 years. Though she began in law enforcement dispatch, she found her true passion in the EMS/fire family.

Ring loves being a source of calm, which came in handy on July 2, when a new mom delivered her baby at home, as planned. Unplanned was the mother’s sudden hemorrhaging after the delivery, so the father called for guidance.

Though a veteran EMD, this was Ring’s first time using the Protocol F instructions for providing patient care for hemorrhaging (Fundal Massage, Monitoring Bleeding/Cramping). She stayed on the line to monitor the patient until the ambulance arrived, hearing the mother and baby’s sweet interactions, echoed by the night shift’s celebration of the birth.

Baby Girl 3

Rob Whyel, Telecommunicator I, joined the dispatch team after an injury forced him to retire from the fire/EMS world he had loved for 20 years. Since switching to the console, Whyel found his role to be equally, if not more, vital for callers experiencing emergencies.

On July 13, an expectant woman’s mother called 911 as the baby was making her debut right on time but faster than expected. With the father remotely tuned in on speakerphone and everyone listening for guidance, Whyel was confident. Having helped with four in-person deliveries and one prior dispatch delivery, he provided reassurance and instructions to assist the speedy arrival.

“In the grand scheme of calltaking, a baby delivery is one of the biggest honors to have an immediate, life-changing impact on a new family,” he said.

Baby Girl 4

As a Telecommunicator I of three years, Holly (who requested that her last name not be included) has always had a heart for helping others. Though she had never guided the delivery of a baby over the phone before, she was prepared when a soon-to-be father called in on July 15. At first, no part of the baby was visible, but that changed quickly as a cry was heard before the ambulance arrived.

“Her cry was such an amazing thing to hear,” Holly said. She sat stunned, questioning if it had really happened. Her shiny new stork pin and certificate proudly prove it, pointing toward a happy moment Holly can cling to through the harder times, a rainbow among the storms.

Conclusion

Four pink leaves have recently been added to the Lake County Fire Rescue’s Tree of Life, honoring their team’s life-changing impact.

“As Deputy Chief, it fills me with immense pride and a deep sense of honor to witness the Tree of Life grow with each new leaf, knowing that every name added represents the lifesaving dedication and extraordinary impact of our dispatchers,” Stephens said.