By EMS1 Staff
BELLEVUE, Neb. — A dispatcher was given an award for her efforts in helping a caller perform CPR on her unconscious husband.
KETV reported that Sarpy County dispatcher Katie Porter was honored with the Lifesaving Award for instructing a woman on how to perform CPR on her husband, whom she found on the floor of their kitchen after returning from a jog.
“She just found her husband. She was freaking out. As long as I can be calm, I can get her to be calm,” Porter said.
The woman said she took CPR classes 10 years ago, but was panicking, so she let Porter guide her through chest compressions for two and a half minutes.
“You have to go faster ma’am. You’re doing a good job,” Porter can be heard telling the woman on a recording of the call.
Porter said callers are often too scared to try and perform CPR on their own.
“I felt like she did such a good job that there was the possibility that he could survive,” she said.
First responders arrived in less than five minutes and took over CPR before shocking the man’s heart five times.
The man later learned he had a 90 percent blockage in his artery, and, after a surgery, his wife said he will make a complete recovery.
Medical Director Dr. Eric Arnest said Porter’s actions were crucial in helping the man survive.
“The dispatcher is the key link in that chain of survival. Every minute that passes, you’re decreasing your survival chance by about 10 percent,” he said.
Porter said she was happy to learn that the man was doing OK.
“When I found out, it’s like holy smokes! He’s living! He’s walking!” she said. “It’s nice to know that what I did actually helped someone.”