Mountain View 9-1-1 Dispatcher Honored for Helping Save a Life

It's one of the first telephone numbers everyone in the United States learns, yet most never have to use.

But if you need to call 9-1-1, hope that someone like Dan Nguyen picks up the line. Nguyen, a Mountain View resident and 9-1-1 dispatcher for the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (DEM), was honored Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

Specifically, Nguyen received a call from a 14-year-old girl on Sept. 11, 2012 who needed medical help for her mother. After verifying the address and telephone number, Nguyen remained on the line and provided the child with medical instructions, continuously reassuring her that help was on the way.

According to the DEM, it was Nguyen "compassionate tone and demeanor during this call helped the girl remain calm and provide assistance to her mother."

"I believe that the most important thing a dispatcher can do when helping a young caller is to provide positive reinforcement," Nguyen said. "Letting a caller know that they're doing the right thing and that they're doing a great job can help the caller to focus on relaying life saving information."

But working with child callers is a little different. Nguyen explained that he makes "sure the child knows to keep the dispatcher updated with any major changes that may occur while we are on the phone."

In this case, the most important information Dan needed to know was if her mother was still breathing.

Congrats!

More on Mountain View Patch:

• Police Blotter: Thefts and Burglary at Kohl's
• Police Blotter: Arrests for Possession of Stolen Car and Squirting Water

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