Courtesy Photo | Carolyn Hendrickson, a 911 dispatcher with Fort Bragg Directorate of Emergency...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, NC - Fort Bragg Directorate of Emergency Services has seen an exciting couple of weeks! Two of Fort Bragg’s 911 dispatchers helped deliver two babies over the phone approximately 3 weeks apart.
“Assisting in the healthy delivery of a child is probably one of the most heartwarming and rewarding calls to handle as a 911 dispatcher,” said Carolyn Hendrickson, a 911 dispatcher with Fort Bragg DES. “You know that you are the nameless and faceless part of the family story of the home delivery that will be told over and over throughout the child’s lifetime.”
Hendrickson helped to deliver a baby while emergency medical services were still
in route on Dec. 24, 2021, at approximately 3:30 a.m.
Hendrickson has been with DES for three years but has over 30 years of experience as a dispatcher. Over the years, Hendrickson has assisted in a few other deliveries and several other near deliveries but never on Christmas Eve.
“Carolyn Hendrickson is a high-caliber, high-character employee,” expressed Hugh Tarrer, a dispatch supervisor with Fort Bragg DES. “She not only has an abundance of knowledge but a willingness to share it.”
Just weeks after Hendrickson’s delivery, Mr. Juan Rodriguez, also a 911 dispatcher, helped to deliver another baby on Jan. 13, at approximately 4:50 p.m.
Rodriguez has been a dispatcher for 11 years, nine of which have been with Fort Bragg DES. He retired from the Air Force after serving for 24 years as a member of the Tactical Air Control Party.
“I am normally excited, anxious, and always a little nervous when taking pregnancy or cardiac arrest calls,” explained Rodriguez.
Rodriguez instructed the new parents on how to clean, care for, and ensure the new baby was breathing, along with proper care of the umbilical cord and placenta while the new parents waited for EMS to arrive.
911 dispatchers are required to obtain an emergency medical dispatch certification. This certification teaches dispatchers a systematic approach for handling medical calls for assistance. Dispatchers learn to follow a guided series of questions in reference to the patient. The answers then dictate the instructions to be given for pre-arrival care of the patient while fire and ambulance personnel are in route.
“Our many protocols cover these types of calls in depth,” explained Rodriguez. “In addition, we have mandatory monthly training, which includes videos to keep us well prepared.”
Over the many years of her service, Hendrickson has a favorite saying about dispatchers that she feels is a good summation of the importance of the career field, “Between the thin red, white and blue lines (fire, emergency medical services, and police), lies the thinnest gold line. This gold line represents those who rarely are seen but mostly heard. The calm voice in the dark night. The golden glue that holds it all together. Dispatchers: The first to take the call and rarely know the outcome. The first, first responders.”
| Date Taken: | 01.31.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 01.31.2022 09:41 |
| Story ID: | 413706 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 600 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Special delivery! Two Fort Bragg 911 dispatchers deliver babies via phone just weeks apart!, by Jacqueline Hill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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