Sheriff’s dispatcher one of 20 finalists for national award
NORWICH – A Chenango County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher since 2006, Jeff Harter is one of 20 finalists for Rave Mobile Safety’s 9-1-1 Professionals for Smart Telecommunications Award, a national online campaign that recognizes 9-1-1 call-takers and dispatchers for their leadership, performance, compassion and professionalism.
On June 24, 2011, Harter received what Sheriff Ernest Cutting Jr. called a frantic 9-1-1 call from a Town of Preston mother whose 17-year-old daughter was choking on a piece of food and – at that time – was not breathing. The family of the child, according to a Sheriff’s Office press release, had attempted to dislodge the food prior to dialing 9-1-1, to no avail.
The patient was lying on the floor, not breathing, and turning blue.
Harter, whose training as a dispatcher includes the Basic and Advanced Dispatcher courses, as well as Emergency Medical Dispatch – or EMD – was not only able to calm the caller down, but also provided instructions in an attempt to get the patient’s airway open prior to the arrival of medics. Those instructions – part of Harter’s EMD training – resulted in a partial airway. Moments later, following further instruction, the piece of food was successfully dislodged.
According to Cutting, the first medical unit arrived on the scene approximately 14 minutes after the initial call. Harter’s efforts, he added, were critical in saving the girl’s life.
Said the sheriff, who nominated Harter for the national award, “It was such a great thing he did ... often times you don’t hear about these things.”
Harter, who said he’s “always trying to improve the best I can,” credited his fellow dispatchers, responsible for arranging the medical response. Being a dispatcher is, he added, a team effort.
The real payoff – beyond saving a life – however, was meeting the patient and her family at the Sheriff’s Office annual awards ceremony.
“Meeting them face to face ... seeing who it affected and talking to them ... it was really a great thing,” said Harter. “It was definitely a good ending.”
Harter said he was both surprised and honored by the award, and it’s proof, he added, just how dedicated the members of the Sheriff’s Office are when it comes to their respective duties. Sheriff Cutting said his people are “always improving,” not just on the individual level, but as an agency as a whole.
“We’re constantly looking for that improvement,” he added. “We want to provide the best service to the public.”
Those wishing to cast a vote for Harter can do so by visiting Rave Mobile Safety’s website, ravemobilesafety.com/smarttelecommunicator, through 5 p.m. Friday. There will be one national winner and four regional honorees, who will be announced during National Telecommunicator Week, April 8 -14.
On June 24, 2011, Harter received what Sheriff Ernest Cutting Jr. called a frantic 9-1-1 call from a Town of Preston mother whose 17-year-old daughter was choking on a piece of food and – at that time – was not breathing. The family of the child, according to a Sheriff’s Office press release, had attempted to dislodge the food prior to dialing 9-1-1, to no avail.
The patient was lying on the floor, not breathing, and turning blue.
Harter, whose training as a dispatcher includes the Basic and Advanced Dispatcher courses, as well as Emergency Medical Dispatch – or EMD – was not only able to calm the caller down, but also provided instructions in an attempt to get the patient’s airway open prior to the arrival of medics. Those instructions – part of Harter’s EMD training – resulted in a partial airway. Moments later, following further instruction, the piece of food was successfully dislodged.
According to Cutting, the first medical unit arrived on the scene approximately 14 minutes after the initial call. Harter’s efforts, he added, were critical in saving the girl’s life.
Said the sheriff, who nominated Harter for the national award, “It was such a great thing he did ... often times you don’t hear about these things.”
Harter, who said he’s “always trying to improve the best I can,” credited his fellow dispatchers, responsible for arranging the medical response. Being a dispatcher is, he added, a team effort.
The real payoff – beyond saving a life – however, was meeting the patient and her family at the Sheriff’s Office annual awards ceremony.
“Meeting them face to face ... seeing who it affected and talking to them ... it was really a great thing,” said Harter. “It was definitely a good ending.”
Harter said he was both surprised and honored by the award, and it’s proof, he added, just how dedicated the members of the Sheriff’s Office are when it comes to their respective duties. Sheriff Cutting said his people are “always improving,” not just on the individual level, but as an agency as a whole.
“We’re constantly looking for that improvement,” he added. “We want to provide the best service to the public.”
Those wishing to cast a vote for Harter can do so by visiting Rave Mobile Safety’s website, ravemobilesafety.com/smarttelecommunicator, through 5 p.m. Friday. There will be one national winner and four regional honorees, who will be announced during National Telecommunicator Week, April 8 -14.
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