Sarpy County is safer because of the incredible work by our 911 dispatchers. Dispatchers truly are the first first responders, and their quick and calm actions kick-start the chain of survival.
This year, five dispatchers received CPR Life Saving Awards. These awards are given to dispatchers who contribute to a confirmed “save” – someone who is experiencing cardiac arrest and survives, thanks to the work of dispatchers, emergency responders and hospital personnel. Notably, two of this year’s recipients had two separate saves.
Troy Gowan
Gowan assisted a caller who reported that a man went into cardiac arrest while moving snow in January. Gowan calmly obtained information, created a rescue call for dispatch and provided CPR instructions and reassurance to the caller. The patient was revived and ultimately returned home.
Ashley Scheffler
Scheffler answered a 911 call in March from a woman whose husband who was not breathing. After the line disconnected, Scheffler called back and told the woman to find a neighbor to assist while help was one the way. Scheffler walked the pair through CPR until La Vista police officers arrived.
In a second save, Scheffler received a call in April about a patient in cardiac arrest, and had a call for dispatch queued within 59 seconds. Scheffler provided clear CPR instructions and reassured the caller to continue until first responders arrived on the scene. In both cases, Scheffler’s quick actions – particularly calling back after the line disconnected – helped these patients, both of whom survived.
Bryan Patten
In October, Patten received a call about a man in cardiac arrest and created a call for dispatch within 48 seconds of answering the phone. Patten helped keep the panicked caller calm, and he talked the caller through compressions – even counting along to keep the correct rhythm. Patten remained on the phone until a deputy arrived with an automated external defibrillator, and these actions all contributed to the patient surviving.
Sandy Adams
Adams, a dispatcher for 36 years, received a CPR Life Saving Award after answering a call in August from a man whose elderly wife had passed out in bed. Adams told the caller to move the patient to the floor and onto her back. She then talked him through CPR instructions and counted aloud to keep pace until first responders arrived. Adams’ demeanor and skill led to positive outcomes for this patient.
Nick Manganaro
Manganaro helped save two lives, just two hours apart in September. The first involved an distraught caller whose elderly father was unconscious and not breathing. The second involved an unconscious four-month-old infant. In both cases, Manganaro provided clear CPR instructions that led to the recovery of the patients.
Emergency Communications Director Bill Muldoon presents Ashley Scheffler with two Life Saving Awards.