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A Long Island mother who's premature was being born feet first can thank a Utah doctor for the emergency protocols that saved their lives.
On the 911 tape of the birth, a woman who is with the expectant mother can be heard frantically asking what to do. Then you hear the dispatcher give critical instruction that ultimately saves the laboring mother and her baby.
Dr. Jeff Clawson, who began his career as a dispatcher and emergency responder for Gold Cross Ambulance in Utah, created the list of protocols the dispatcher went through during the call.
"You can tell them exactly what to do. You're just there instantaneously by remote control, so the response time, in essence is reduced to zero," he said.
Today is the 30th anniversary of the creation of Clawson's protocols. They are now used in 70 percent of the largest U.S. cities and in nations around the world.
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
