Emergency dispatcher guides family through CPR on child who stopped breathing

An emergency dispatcher in Massachusetts is being celebrated for helping save the life of a 4-year-old girl. (Credit: WCVB via CNN Newsource)

An emergency dispatcher in Massachusetts is being celebrated for helping save the life of a four-year-old girl.

A 911 call came into the Holbrook Regional Emergency Communications Centre (HRECC) on Monday night, reporting the child had stopped breathing.

“We’re going to do CPR, OK?” asked Dispatcher Sophia Zervos. “Are you with your child right now?”

“Yes,” the caller answered.

“I want you to put the heel of your hand in the center of their chest, right between the nipples, and you’re going to push down hard and fast, 2 inches in depth,” Zervos told the caller. “OK? We’re going to start now. I’m going to count with you.”

Zervos counted for the caller as they followed her instructions.

“Ready? Go. One, two, three, four, five, six,” she counted as the girl’s family followed her instructions.

“You’re doing a great job,” Zervos said. “Everyone’s already on the way. How’s she doing? Is she breathing?”

One of the child’s crying family members answered no. Her heart was beating but she still wasn’t breathing.

“Take a second,” said Zervos. “Stop compressions, and see if her chest is rising and falling. OK?”

She still wasn’t breathing. The caller resumed compressions. Zervos again counted out for the family as they performed CPR.

After two rounds of chest compressions, her family noticed the child’s stomach moving. She threw up and started to breathe again. Zervos told them to turn the child on her side so she wouldn’t choke.

“Awesome job,” she told the relieved family.

The child closed her eyes, but she was breathing. Then the young child started to cry.

“Is that her crying?” Zervos asked.

The family confirmed the child was awake and breathing on her own.

“I want you to watch her breathing for me,” Zervos said. “I want you to make sure she’s getting some good deep breaths and she’s breathing on her own.”

Once crews arrived, she was taken to the hospital.

“Sophia Zervos handled this call with absolute professionalism and integrity,” said HRECC Director Steve Hooke. “While every call is handled by a true team of emergency professionals, this particular incident exemplifies our daily mission. I have no doubt that Dispatcher Zervos saved a life yesterday. Our team’s dedication to public safety spans every moment of every day, but this phone call really put us to the test. Dispatcher Zervos and our team passed with flying colors.”

According to the family, the child is doing much better and recovering at a local hospital.