When Natalie Rumsby answers a call as a 911 dispatcher, her job ends when first responders arrive on the scene, and the person who called 911 no longer needs her help.
It鈥檚 not often that she and her colleagues at the dispatch centre in Victoria hear the outcome of their calls.
That changed last week when a woman from Port Alberni shared her story about performing CPR on her husband thanks to the coaching of a calm 911 dispatcher.
Carol Klock related her story about calling 911 after her husband Jack suffered a heart attack while taking a shower one night in April.
Carol, who had never taken a CPR course, performed the life-saving technique on her husband for 10 minutes while waiting for paramedics to arrive. She said an anonymous dispatcher 鈥渓iterally taught me CPR over the phone鈥� and she wanted to thank the woman for helping her.
A colleague of Rumsby鈥檚 who was familiar with the call read the story from the and let Rumsby know about it.
鈥淓verything鈥檚 done over the phone and once you鈥檙e done, you鈥檙e on to the next job,鈥� Rumsby said from Victoria. 鈥淚t鈥檚 heartwarming to hear that he survived.鈥�
She said she doesn鈥檛 often open up about her job. She compartmentalizes it, and when she leaves the dispatch centre for the day, she leaves the job behind.
It鈥檚 a survival tactic: 鈥淩ight now, there鈥檚 a lot of compassion fatigue. It鈥檚 an exhausting job at the best of times,鈥� she said, but added the opioid crisis has made it even tougher for 911 dispatchers and other first responders.
鈥淭here鈥檚 days here where we could have seven or eight call-takers and they鈥檙e all coaching CPR to people in different communities in B.C.
鈥淎s a call-taker/dispatcher, you are often tasked with talking to people on the worst day of their lives, in a moment of crisis, and you depend on them to be your ears, eyes and hands until help arrives,鈥� Rumsby said.
鈥淲e are trained to help people not only cope with these situations, but in many situations, guide them to give life-saving first aid that they would otherwise not know how to do.鈥�
While Carol Klock gives Rumsby all the credit with helping her stay calm, Rumsby said Carol鈥檚 ability to stay composed was the most important aspect of helping her husband.
鈥淭his woman performed those skills in the worst of circumstances, 鈥� Rumsby wrote in a Facebook post about the story. 鈥淭hanks to her staying calm and composed and doing the most effective CPR possible, her husband is alive today.鈥�
Rumsby hopes stories such as the Klocks will inspire people to learn how to perform CPR.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really important for everyone to take a CPR course, even a hands-only CPR,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f somebody knows CPR, the second they see someone collapse 鈥� it could mean life or death for that patient.鈥�
Rumsby has nominated Carol Klock for a Vital Link Award with BC Ambulance Service, which recognizes the significant contributions made by citizens during medical emergencies. She hopes that if Carol is given an award, she will be able to meet the Klocks in person.
