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EMS1 Hero of the Week: Dispatcher saves baby’s life by breaking protocol

He made the decision to face being reprimanded, and gave CPR instructions over the phone when a 9-month-old stopped breathing

“I’m not gonna let you lose him.”

Those were the words 911 dispatcher Tim Webb said to a frantic grandmother whose 9-month-old grandson suffered a seizure and stopped breathing.

Webb knows CPR, but the Galax Police Department doesn’t yet have an emergency medical dispatch certification so he’s not permitted to give CPR instructions over the phone. He locked eyes with his chief, and made a conscious decision to help her save the baby’s life.

“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.”

Sometimes it’s necessary to break the rules, and we’d like to honor him as our EMS1 Hero of the Week.

EMS1 Staff