PINEDALE, Wyo. — Earlier this week, a Sublette County dispatcher helped deliver a baby over the phone during a very quick home delivery.
Just before 3 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) communications center received a 911 call from a family experiencing an imminent birth, and the midwife had not yet arrived. SCSO shared the story in a Thursday press release.
“The mother, who was expecting her third child and had planned a home birth, quickly realized labor was progressing much faster than anticipated,” SCSO said in the statement. “With the baby already crowning and the family’s midwife still en route, the family called 911 for assistance.”
Emergency Dispatcher Emery Kemp, a five-year veteran with SCSO, answered the call. Recognizing that the mother was on the verge of delivery, Kemp dispatched EMS and remained on the phone.
Kemp used Emergency Medical Dispatch protocols to calmly provide clear and step-by-step instructions for the family during the delivery, said SCSO. “Within minutes, a healthy baby girl was born safely at home.”
SCSO has taken the opportunity to remind the public that just because the public might never see the person on the other end of the phone, emergency dispatchers play a critical role. Dispatchers are trained to provide lifesaving instructions, often during the most stressful and time-sensitive moments in a person’s life.
“Congratulations to the family on the arrival of their beautiful baby girl,” SCSO said, “and congratulations to Dispatcher Emery Kemp on a job exceptionally well done!”
