Dispatchers Deserve More Credit Than They Get?

[Rainman]

I just read a news story about a police officer who helped deliver a baby.

The baby's parents who had been driving to a hospital upon realizing they wouldn't get there in time, opted to call 911. But a cop got to them before the ambulance did.

Officer Perry Ratliff helped the baby's parents deliver him on Sunday, with coaching from a Wise County dispatcher over a telephone.

Local News - WDBJ7.com Central and Southwest VA

Both the dispatcher and cop ought to get equal attention from the media?

 

[lushlala]

You're absolutely right, Rainman; both the dispatcher and the police did a fantastic job and both should receive credit for it. The police officer will almost certainly not have had a clue as to what to do without the dispatcher's help and guidance. But wow, kudos to them both for helping deliver that baby safely

 

[Josie]

Dispatchers don't get enough credit in general. They are on the other end of that phone keeping people alive until help gets there.. they literally save lives.

 

[Gabe]

They are the lynch pin and the ones that direct the right people to the right places. It's not an easy job by any means and you (I assume) have to weigh up how urgent something is and get information quickly and calmly.

 

[IshieVonDyson]

Dispatchers definitely deserve more credit than they get. They may not be the ones out there in the field but without their guidance, things would be disastrous. This instance is all the more impressive; I can’t even imagine delivering a baby by proxy like that. Much respect to both the police officer and the dispatcher.

 

[JoanMcWench]

I think they deserve far more credit, yes. I want to venture one more thing: Forgiveness. It's not an easy job & most of the time it's a thankless one. Everyone has had a bad day before & said some crazy things they regret but THEY weren't being recorded. I've always given them credit & cut them some slack.

 

[missbishi]

Dispatchers are literally the first people on the scene, albeit by telephone, and it's these people who have to make the initial decisions and give first line instructions. They do a fantastic job and save milions of lives.

 

[dyanmarie25]

Well, I think both the dispatcher and the police officer deserve to be credited for that. Thanks to the dispatcher's knowledge about delivering a baby, the police officer was able to help the mother give birth to her child. They both did an awesome job. Kudos to them!

 

[lushlala]

They are the lynch pin and the ones that direct the right people to the right places. It's not an easy job by any means and you (I assume) have to weigh up how urgent something is and get information quickly and calmly.

It's definitely not a job for the faint of heart! You have to think on your feet and out of the box, no dilly-dallying! The difference between those few seconds can be life and death. I reckon it can also be highly stressful and distressing. So I have all the time and respect for them.

 

[bala]

Wow..Respect.Heartfelt !!
Great job and they surely did what best they could.They took on a responsibility and its not wise to judge the better of the roles.If one was not there the other wouldn't have happened.

 

[Whitewolf2578]

Yeah the dispatcher and the police officer get credit for that heroic deed. I would have been freaking out if a woman was having a baby, I would have to be coached through that. I think that all fathers should learn the process of what to do if a woman is having a baby, there has to be some steps.