JOHN DAY, Ore. — A dispatcher received her second award in nine months for her actions during a 911 call about an apartment fire.
Blue Mountain Eagle reported that John Day Emergency Communications Center 911 dispatcher Savannah Lovell was given the Life Saving Award by the city for her “quick and professional performance in the line of duty” while speaking with a “hysterical caller.”
“The emergency 911 call that Lovell answered would have been unintelligible to the untrained ear, as it was a hysterical caller screaming that there was a fire at a local apartment complex with babies still inside,” dispatch manager Valerie Maynard said.
Two young girls died in the fire, but Maynard said Lovell’s actions helped responders get to the scene fast enough to save four other members of the family.
“Although this was a tragic incident that emergency responders hope to never have to experience in their career, Savannah responded to this quickly and calmly, getting the appropriate responders on scene in the shortest time possible,” Maynard said. “Savannah’s actions during those early morning hours, when most are at home sleeping with their families, saved lives and homes on that day.”