911 Dispatcher Recognized For Helping Parents Deliver Newborn Baby In Algonquin

By Sam Borcia, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner:

A 911 dispatcher will be honored Wednesday for helping parents who called 911 with delivering their newborn baby until paramedics arrived in Algonquin.

Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District Deputy Chief John Knebl said that Southeast Emergency Communications (SEECOM) Telecommunicator Jodi Kaalaas will be honored at Wednesday evening’s Fire Trustee meeting.

Kaalaas calmly provided emergency medical instructions to the Algonquin parents over the phone when they called 911 from a husband stating his wife was in labor.

Before the ambulance arrived on the scene, Kaalaas continued giving instructions as the baby was born, Knebl said.

The paramedics arrived within four minutes to continue providing care for the mom and her newborn baby.

Both were transported to an area hospital and are doing well.

“Emergency dispatchers are the unsung heroes of emergency services. They are in the background providing critical information to assist callers and provide valuable information to first responders,” Knebl said.

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He said that dispatcher-assisted childbirths are rare in McHenry County and only a small number happen every few years.

“Dispatchers must be prepared to handle any type of emergency 911 call. To be prepared, dispatchers must become trained and certified nationally through The National/International Academics of Emergency Dispatchers,” Knebl said.

“By obtaining this certification, it allows dispatchers to provide the needed information for any situation in which they receive a 911 call. The ALFPD would like to thank all emergency dispatchers for their dedicated service in providing the valuable services needed,” he added.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.