Countywide : Tape Demonstrates 911 System’s Value

Using a tape recording of a frantic 911 call, Brea officials this week dramatically demonstrated the benefits of an emergency dispatching system.

The Brea City Council heard a woman’s terrified voice cry, “Oh, God, my baby has stopped breathing!” The emergency dispatcher on the other end of the line then led the woman step by step through the medical procedure for reviving her child.

The Emergency Medical Dispatching program also trains dispatchers to give instructions onhow to stop bleeding, administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation and give other first aid for four to six minutes until paramedics arrive.

The program is already being used by dispatchers in many Orange County cities, including Yorba Linda, the source of the demonstration tape. Those in Brea now tell callers only how to keep patients calm and still until help arrives, city officials said.

Brea dispatchers received additional training last month and will begin using the new system in August. The city spent about $12,000 from a state public safety fund to pay for the training.