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Tonya Papanikolas Reporting Dispatchers at Valley Emergency Communications Center had a unique call last week from a four-year-old girl who was trying to help her mom. Today those call-takers praised the little girl for her presence of mind.
At Valley Emergency Communications Center, employees answer 911 calls around the clock, but one last week stood out. Four-year-old Jessica Holden had called 911 after her mom lost consciousness.
Woody Bartlett answered Jessica's call. It was his first week at VECC on the phones.
Woody Bartlett, 911 Call-Taker in Training: “At first it's a little nerve-wracking. You get nervous because you're not sure if she's gonna know her address and the things that you need to get."
But Jessica did great. Because Bartlett's in training, another call-taker helped guide him on the phone. They first needed to make sure the emergency was real.
911 Call: "I need to know really if mommy's hurt.” “Mommy does hurt."
Jessica also wanted to get off the phone a few times. So the dispatchers had to keep her talking.
"Could I talk to you later?” “No, I need to talk to you for a minute, okay?” “Okay."
When Bartlett asked where her mom was bleeding, Jessica said outside. But after some prompting, she was able to give more information.
"She's hurt on her head."
The 911 call team says it was a memorable day.
Woody Bartlett, 911 Call-Taker in Training: “It was an incredible experience to see someone of that age know what she needs to know, and she basically saved her mom's life."
Lisa Caddy, 911 Call-Taker: “You have a lot of bad calls, and you have a lot of good calls, and this is the one that reminds us why we're here."
The call-takers couldn't understand Jessica's address, so they traced the cell phone she was on and dispatched medical teams within about four minutes. But it turned out later, when they listened to the tape very closely, Jessica had even said her address right.
