Emergency Dispatchers Help Save Mother, Baby in East Haven: PD

EAST HAVEN, CT — Two East Haven Public Safety Dispatch Center employees are being credited for their calm demeanor during a highly stressful situation. Their exemplary work led to the successful delivery of a newborn baby during the most trying of circumstances.

The pregnant woman found herself alone and she had to deliver the baby but the dispatch center employees were able to talk her though it. Once the baby was born, he wasn't breathing, but once again, dispatchers instructed the mother and the baby ended up being fine. Two dispatchers are being credited with saving the lives of both the baby and the mother.

At 5:07 a.m. on Feb. 28, the town's dispatch center received a 911 call from a distraught female caller stating she was in labor, alone, and that she believed she was about to deliver her baby at any moment, said Police Lt. Joseph M. Murgo.

"The caller advised dispatcher Joe Peterson that she could feel the top of the baby’s head and pleaded for help in delivering her baby boy. After providing detailed instructions to the caller over the phone, she was able to successfully deliver the child," Murgo said.

"While Dispatcher Peterson was providing instruction over the phone, Dispatcher Kim Coppola coordinated and directed medical personnel to the residence. Once the baby was delivered, it appeared as though he was not breathing," Murgo said. "Once again, Dispatcher Peterson provided further instruction to the caller, instructing her to briskly rub the baby’s back until it began to cry. A short time later, the sound of a screaming baby could be heard, and a relieved mother confirmed the baby was alert and conscious. Fire Department and AMR personnel arrived a short time later to transport the caller and her child to the hospital."

"Dispatcher Peterson and Dispatcher Coppola remained calm in the presence of chaos and provided the caller with detailed life-saving instruction that no doubt saved the lives of both mother and child," Murgo said.