GALAX, Va. — A dispatcher broke protocol and gave CPR instructions over the phone, saving the life of a 17-month-old boy.
The Galax Police Department is in the process of getting an emergency medical dispatch certification so dispatchers can walk 911 callers through the CPR process, but doesn’t yet have one in place. With ambulances 20 minutes away, dispatcher Tim Webb locked eyes with his chief, and made the decision to help, WSLS10 reports.
“Without some sort of life saving measures the child would expire,” Webb said. “I wasn’t going to let that happen, even if it meant being reprimanded.”
He walked the grandmother of Aidan Walker, who suffered a seizure and stopped breathing while taking a nap, through the process.
“I’m not gonna let you lose him,” he told her.
His instructions saved the baby’s life. A few weeks later, they family later visited the police department with a smiling child to thank Webb for his actions.
“It makes you realize why you come to work, and why you do what you do,” Webb said.