The week of April 10 – 16 was designated as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. This is a time each year set aside to recognize the those working in the police and fire dispatch centers, answering frantic 9-1-1 calls and dispatching the right resources to address any emergency that is occurring. Dispatchers provide first responders situational awareness as they make their way to an incident. The professional and calm demeanor exhibited by many call takers and radio operators is reassuring not only to the firefighters, but to the citizens on the other end of the phone who may be experiencing the worst day of their lives.

At 7:53 a.m. on Wednesday, April 13, Engine and RA51 from the San Gabriel Fire Dept. (SGFD) responded to a report of a person not breathing on South California Street. With updates and pertinent details being provided by the Verdugo Fire Communications Center, San Gabriel Fire Dept. resources were en-route within minutes. As firefighter paramedics travelled to the scene, fire communications operator Stephan Pierson from the Verdugo Fire Communications Center remained on the telephone with the patient’s family, providing pre-arrival care and instruction in CPR, which is vital to survival in a cardiac arrest case. Engine 51 came on scene to find the patient placed in a flat position on the floor and high quality CPR in progress. RA51 arrived with the engine and the all paramedic crew initiated advanced cardiac life support protocols, rapidly assessing the 76-year-old male who was not breathing and had no pulse. SGFD took over CPR and, after several rounds of pharmacological intervention and securing an advanced airway, a pulse was detected and heartbeat restored.

The patient was transported to Garfield Medical Center, the designated receiving hospital for this type of patient and, at last report, was in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at the medical center.

The successful cardiac resuscitation is a small snapshot of cohesive teamwork by both the firefighter paramedics in the field as well as the dedicated professional dispatch personnel at the Verdugo Fire Communications Center.