Young 911 Caller, Emergency Dispatcher Recognized For Actions

By Andrew Gorosko

The actions of a local 12-year-old girl in getting prompt aid for her ailing mother during a recent medical emergency have been formally recognized by the state and by an emergency communications association.

Similarly, the state and the association have formally recognized the actions of a town emergency communications dispatcher who handled the telephone call for help from the girl.

On the afternoon of September 8, Christine Hermes of Brushy Hill Road experienced a seizure.

Her husband Harold Hermes then tended to his stricken wife, and directed Ms Hermes’ daughter, Dylana Coperine, 12, to call 911 to summon medical aid.

Dylana promptly and coolly placed the telephone call and was connected to the town’s emergency communications center at Town Hall South, where she spoke to Dispatcher Jennifer Barocsi. The communications center handles all local police, fire, and emergency medical calls. Ms Barocsi is one a group of dispatchers who work there.

Ms Barocsi asked Dylana a series of questions to elicit information that would be helpful to ambulance staffers responding to the call for help, explained Joseph DelBuono, the town’s director of emergency communications.

Dylana clearly answered all the questions posed to her by Ms Barocsi, providing valuable information for the emergency responders, Mr DelBuono said.

Dylana’s composed responses to the many queries were instrumental in expediting medical help for Ms Hermes, Ms Barocsi said.

Dylana said that the value and use of the 911 telephone system in emergencies has been clearly explained to students at Newtown Middle School, where she attends classes.

So, when Mr Hermes told her to call 911 in the medical emergency, she did so and provided the medical information requested, Dylana explained.

Ms Barocsi said that based on the nature of a given emergency, dispatchers read a series of scripted questions to callers to obtain information that will be useful to emergency responders before they arrive at the scene.

“It’s always easier to speak to a child,” she said, noting that children’s responses tend to be more direct and straightforward than those of adults.

“I like kids,” the dispatcher said. It is much easier to communicate with children during such emergencies than with adults, she said. The 911 training that students receive in the schools is a very good preparation for dealing with emergencies, she said.

Ms Hermes said, “We’ve always been open and honest with our kids.” Dylana’s cool-headed actions during the medical emergency were exemplary, Ms Hermes said. “She is a great role model for other kids,” she added.

Ms Hermes said that after being transported to the hospital on September 8, she was treated and released following a two-hour stay.

Mr DelBuono observed, “It’s unusual for children to call [911] … They don’t seem to get as excited as adults.”

The dispatch center receives about 8,400 Emergency 911 calls annually, he said. “People don’t dial 911 just for the heck for it,” he said.

Of the gamut of calls received at the communications center, Ms Barocsi said, “Nothing is ordinary … No two situations are the same, ever.” Ms Barocsi has been a dispatcher for the past 1½ years.

Through the various scripts which dispatchers read to 911 callers, the dispatchers obtain the best medical information that they can, as soon as possible, he said.

“Every situation has its degree of urgency and its degree of importance…Each [911] caller will get the same level of service,” he said.

Of Ms Barocsi’s actions in the emergency, Mr DelBuono said, “She did a very good job.”

The in-school training that makes students aware of the 911 system is “priceless,” he said.

For their actions in the medical emergency, Dylana and Ms Barocsi each received an award from the 911 For Kids Local Hero program, as well as a letter of commendation from Governor M. Jodi Rell, and an official citation from the Connecticut General Assembly. Additionally, Dylana received a $100 savings bond from the Fairfield County Police Training Officers Association.

Dylana was one of four children in the state who received the honors at October ceremonies in Groton. Dylana is the daughter of Ms Hermes and Richard Coperine, Jr.