Special delivery in Tazewell, Virginia. A 911 dispatcher helped deliver a baby over the phone after receiving a call for help from a soon-to-be dad.
Brian Fox, 911 dispatcher, received a call from North Tazewell resident Daniel McDougle stating that his wife, Devin McDougle was experiencing labor pains. The entire call only lasted about 20 minutes prior to the Bluefield, VA Rescue Squad’s arrival, but during that 20 minutes Daniel was able to help his wife successfully deliver a healthy, but premature, baby boy. All this was thanks to the help of dispatcher Fox guiding the process step by step.
At 4 pounds and 9 ounces, Dominique Isaiah McDougle arrived just after 3 pm Wednesday. Both mom and baby were transported to the Bluefield Regional Medical center and doing great.
According to the local sheriff’s office, it is a miracle that 911 dispatcher Fox was able to keep calm and provide the necessary instructions to ensure the baby was delivered safely.
It is a requirement for all Tazewell County Sheriffs’ Office dispatchers to have the EMD designation, which is beyond what is required by the state.
Fox stated he had delivered a number of babies in the field when he worked as an EMT, but this is his first over-the-phone delivery he has made as a 911 dispatcher. This makes the second dispatcher assisted birth for this office in the past 18 months.
Fox said his main goal during the call was to help everyone stay calm and hope that the rescue squad arrived before the baby did.
According to the Sheriffs’ Office, this just represents another example of the dedication and professionalism offered by the 911 dispatchers in the area and a small example of the types of calls received by the dispatchers each day.