Emergency Services Dispatcher Helps To Deliver Baby Over Phone

MASTIC BEACH, NY — For Stacey Scheiner, an emergency service dispatcher at the Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services in Yaphank, Tuesday began as any other day, a day that would likely be fast-paced, filled with calls for help with crashes, injuries, and tragic endings.

"It was pretty quiet in the beginning, just waiting for the day to start," Scheiner said.

Until the call at 9:22 a.m. that shone a beam of joy into the lives of all involved — as she helped to deliver, over the phone, a healthy baby boy, who was born at home in Mastic Beach.

The call lasted five minutes — but they're five minutes that all involved will remember forever.

According to FRES, the baby's father called at 9:22, reporting continuous contractions from the mom. "The father seemed a little panicked, he said the baby was coming," Scheiner said, adding that dispatchers have a list of standard questions to ask.

Scheiner said she could hear the mother, sounding panicked, and crying out urgently that the baby was coming.

The father said he could see the baby's head, Scheiner said; the dispatcher coached the first-time parents, explaining that the mom should be lying down with towels, as per standard procedure.

As he began to help his wife deliver their first child, Scheiner reminded the dad to support the baby's head and shoulders, and to hold on to the baby, who would be slippery.

Then, she said, a first responder from Mastic Beach Ambulance arrived at the home as the infant, a healthy baby boy, was delivered at 9:27 a.m.

The family was transported to University Hospital at Stony Brook without incident, FRES said.

The baby was the third Scheiner delivered as a dispatcher; she served as a past volunteer EMT at Mastic Ambulance and is a 20-year veteran dispatcher at Suffolk Fire Rescue.

She explained that even when the EMT arrived at the scene, she remained on the phone to ensure all was going smoothly and to record the exact time of the baby's birth.

Describing her work as a dispatcher, Scheiner said, "It's pretty stressful." When helping to deliver a baby over the phone, she said: "We obviously have to do everything goes right. At that point, we're responsible for two patients — two lives. You want to make sure everything goes right. Sometimes, it's hard, because all we have to go on is what the person is telling us on the phone, and we have to tell them to be as accurate as possible. But they're laymen — how many times have people seen a baby born in the middle of their house?"

All dispatchers at Suffolk County Fire Rescue are required to have a minimum training level of emergency medical technician and many are advanced life support providers.

For Scheiner and other dispatchers — the department handles approximately 300,000 emergencies a year and assists in the delivery of approximately half dozen babies annually— a birth is a bright moment to hold close, a memory to treasure amidst so many heartbreaks.

"It's definitely positive," she said. "Especially because, in the past few weeks, we've had some really major tragedies, accidents and, unfortunately, suicides. So this is definitely an enlightening experience. It's nice to see something good come out of this."

Reflecting on her life's work, Scheiner said it takes a very special type of personality to do the job. "With tragedies, we have to keep going and pick up the next call. We don't have time to think about it. But we're still human — we still get calls that hit home."

Just as during the birth, when EMTs arrive, someone usually hangs up the phone, and the job of the dispatcher is done, with Scheiner and other dispatchers, while perhaps forgotten in the flurry, still fervently "hoping that everything works out for the best."

And while those who call dispatchers, clinging to their voices for hope and help during the most terrifying and critical moments of their lives, never get to meet or know the names of the men and women whose steady, calm instructions serve as light in the darkness – the role of a dispatcher, while stressful, brings tremendous joy and satisfaction, Scheiner said.

"We're the so-called unsung heroes," she said.

Patch photo courtesy Stacey Scheiner.